Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog
Like all Florida cities, Homestead sees its fair share of car accidents. However, Homestead rollovers are among the deadliest types of car accidents. According to the NHTSA, rollovers account for only 3% of all accidents but account for almost 33% of all passenger car accident fatalities. Rollovers are particularly dangerous because they increase the risk that passengers will be ejected from the vehicle or will be violently thrown against the inside of the vehicle. These types of accidents are also more likely to result in massive vehicle damage and in Homestead brain injuries when compared with Homestead rear-end crashes and side swipe accidents.
Homestead car accidents involving rollovers are likely to only increase as more people invest in top heavy cars such as vans and SUVs. However, according to the NHTSA and other experts, there are many things that can be done to help prevent Florida rollovers:
1) Wear your seatbelt. According to the NHSTA, 72% of all passengers killed in rollover accidents were not wearing seatbelts. Safety belts keep you in place in a rollover, ensuring you are not ejected and reducing the risk that your head will impact with the roof of the car when the vehicle rolls over. Safety belts dramatically improve your chances of surviving any Homestead car accident – including a rollover – so be sure to buckle up.
2) Don’t get complacent about your car. Vans, SUVs, and trucks are more likely to rollover because they have a higher center of gravity. However, even if you drive a passenger vehicle, such as a sedan, that does not mean that you are not at risk of a Homestead rollover. In the right conditions, virtually any car can rollover.
3) Avoid off-roading. Any uneven surface increases your risk for a rollover, so avoid heading off the road.
4) Drive away from the shoulder – and be wary of narrow roads. According to the NHTSA, 95% of rollover accidents involving a single vehicle are what are known as tripped rollovers. This type of rollover occurs when a vehicle leaves the road and tires come into contact with curbs, soft soil, or a guardrail. This can cause a rollover, especially if the vehicle is traveling fast and if the driver tries to overcorrect or over-steer in order to get back on the road. Tripping rollovers can also occur on very steep grades of road.
5) Avoid sudden maneuvers when driving quickly. In less than 5% of cases, rollovers are un-tripped rollovers. These crashes occur when a car does not strike something or roll down a steep hill. Most un-tripped rollovers involve top heavy cars, such as vans or SUVs, and most of these accidents occur when drivers traveling at high speeds make sudden maneuvers in order to avoid a collision.
6) Avoid high speeds. Your risk of a serious or fatal Homestead car accident or rollover is much more likely when you speed. Speed reduces the response time you have to avoid an accident and increases the damage to your vehicle in the event of an accident.
If you have been injured in a Homestead car accident, contact the Flaxman Law Group today for a free, no-obligation consultation. The Flaxman Law Group has offices right in Homestead, so they can travel to your home, workplace, or hospital if you are too injured to travel.