Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) continue to present rollover risk

February 2005

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) has concluded that Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are more likely to roll over than passenger cars as well as many pickup trucks and minivans. Congress ordered NHSTA to develop a track test to supplement star ratings calculated using vehicle dimensions and math formulas. The new test simulates what happens when drivers lose control of their vehicles and swerve to compensate.

Rollovers have a higher fatality rate than other types of car crashes, killing 10,000 people in the U.S. each year. SUV rollover deaths increased 6.8 percent in 2003 while rollovers declined in passenger cars and pickup trucks. Yet, SUVs continue to gain popularity with an 11 percent increase in 2003 sales.

To help consumers compare models to select the safest vehicles, in August NHTSA published results of the new tests for 68 model-year 2004 vehicles. The Ford Explorer Sport Trac SUV had the highest rollover risk at 34.8%, and tipped up on two wheels during tests. Pickup trucks ranged from 15.9 to 28.3 percent chance of rollover and minivans from 12.1 to 15.9 percent. The safest passenger car was the a four-star Mazda sedan with an 8 percent chance of rollover.

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