Every Year - Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Certain categories of vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles and small pickup trucks, are more prone to rollover than other classes of vehicles. In 1998, more than 8,000 people died in single-vehicle rollover crashes. Rollovers are among the most dangerous types of vehicle crashes because of their high incidence of occupant ejection and head injuries.
Many factors contribute to the occurrence of rollover crashes.
Rollover correlates closely with unsafe and reckless driving behaviors, poor road design and vehicle type. Certain categories of vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles and small pickup trucks, are more prone to rollover than other classes of vehicles. At present, the federal government has established no performance standard to require improved vehicle stability to reduce the incidence of vehicle rollovers. In addition, current vehicle crash protection requirements do not adequately protect against the types of serious injuries most often associated with rollover crashes. Head trauma is the most frequent type of fatal and nonfatal injury in rollover crashes.