No driver ever wants to be in an accident. Although most car or SUV accidents are minor fender benders, rollover accidents can be extremely dangerous. So how can you prevent a rollover accident, and what causes rollovers?
When it comes to reserving your rental, there are a few things you will want to consider, especially if you are looking to reserve an SUV rental or large van rental. Taller vehicles are more susceptible to rollovers. Here are some tips and information to help you stay safe in your SUV rental.
What Causes a Rollover Accident?
There are several things that drivers do that can put their SUV rental at a greater risk for a rollover. Here are the most common causes of rollover accidents:
- Excess Speed: Any time a driver exceeds the speed limit, they are at an increased risk for not only rollover accidents, but other types of car crashes as well. Excess speed is especially dangerous for rollover accidents if you are taking a corner too fast. Driving around a sharp corner, or turning quickly with too much speed, can cause a vehicle to roll, as the momentum of the vehicle is too great to control. Obeying speed limits will help you keep your SUV rental right side up and the occupants of your vehicle safe.
- Overcorrecting Your Vehicle: If you drop your wheels off the side of the road or begin to drift into another lane, it is natural to want to correct your path. This however, should be done gradually, with your foot off the accelerator. If you speed up, or jerk the wheel quickly to one side, it can cause your wheels to grab the road and potentially initiate a roll.
- A Collision: Another way a vehicle can enter a rollover is by hitting a "trip" or colliding with another object. This could be a curb, a large animal, guard rail, or median. In some cases, at high rates of speed, this could be as simple as hitting a patch of uneven ground. Often this happens when drivers swerve to miss an obstacle such as an animal, or they begin to weave across the road due to fatigue. Remember, it is almost always better to hit an animal than to swerve and endanger you and your passengers. As well, if you're tired, take a break.
Why Are SUV Rentals at Greater Risk For Rollovers
If you take all the precautions necessary, and follow the rules of the roads, SUV rentals are extremely safe and pose no greater risk of a rollover. With that being said, SUVs and other large vehicles do have a higher incidence of rollover accidents compared to smaller vehicle. This is due to SUV rentals having a higher center of gravity, and carrying more weight in the top of the vehicle. The lower to the ground a vehicle is, the more difficult it is for that vehicle to roll. With SUV rentals, they are taller and tend to have more weight at a significant distance from the ground, making them unstable in high winds, and increasing the risk for rollover accidents at excessive speeds, if an overcorrection takes place, or during a collision
How Can I Protect Myself?
Protecting yourself in an SUV rental is really quite simple. First, slow down and follow the rules of the road. An SUV rental travelling at a normal speed on any street has no greater risk of a rollover than any other independent rental car vehicle. Another thing you can do is avoid overloading the top of the vehicle. If your SUV rental comes with a roof rack, or overhead storage, don't put your heaviest items in these locations if you can avoid it. This further offsets the center of gravity and makes the vehicle more unstable. Next, it's important to learn how to drive an SUV rental. SUVs don't drive like smaller vehicles. You will need to go slower around corners, and realize your vehicle may take a fraction of a second longer to brake for obstacles. Finally, always wear your seat belt. This might seem like commonsense, but people sometimes neglect to wear seatbelts in larger vehicles because they hold a false sense of security.
SUV rentals are extremely safe, especially if you follow the rules of the road. If you have any concerns, feel free to ask your independent car rental company, and they will be more than happy to ease your mind and answer your questions.