SUV Rollover Ratings: Protection from Complacency

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Automobiles )



COMPARATIVE SCORING SYSTEM

SUV rollover ratings are a standardized system of scoring and ranking sports utility vehicles according to their tendency to roll over and cause grave harm to its passengers. A high star rating means that the SUV has fewer tendencies to roll over than the one that has a lower rating.

However, do not be led into a false sense of security just because the vehicle you want to purchase has high SUV rollover ratings – it is by no means a guarantee of safety. SUV rollover ratings are not criterion-referenced or set against certain standards. The system of SUV rollover ratings is comparative. It compares SUV’s from one another and ranks the SUV’s according to how well they compared against each other.

It is important to remember that SUV rollover ratings do not protect you from SUV rollovers. What the system does in enable you to choose a vehicle that has lesser tendency to roll over than the others. The ratings merely give you a basis for choice.

BEST PROTECTION

However high your SUV vehicle is rated, it will still be prone to rollovers. The physics behind rollovers is fairly simple, and the basic design and concept of sports utility vehicles makes it more prone to such dangerous accidents.

Among all types of vehicles, SUV’s have the highest cases of rollovers. The main factor of which is design. The basic form of an SUV places its center of gravity or torque higher than other vehicles. Of course any object that has a high center of gravity is less stable because it takes less amount of force to make it rotate around its axis, or in the case of SUV’s, to tip on its side and roll over.

However, in the final analysis, any vehicle is dangerous in the hands of a reckless driver. Regardless of SUV rollover ratings, your best protection is still careful and defensive driving.


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