After a Tuesday morning rollover accident, all of the northbound lanes of Northeast St. James Drive were blocked. According to Port St. Lucie police, a 45-year-old woman from Fort Pierce was injured in the incident.
News Channel 5 reports that the accident happened at about 9:00 a.m. The driver reportedly crossed over the median and drove into oncoming traffic. After crossing traffic, her vehicle slammed into a tree and flipped over.
Our Port St. Lucie car accident attorneys understand that rollover accidents account for about a third of all passenger vehicle fatalities. According to Safercar.gov, more than 10,000 people are killed each and every year in rollover accidents. Your taller, more narrow vehicles (like SUVs) are more prone to rollover accidents. These accidents have a higher fatality rate than any other type of accident.
Many rollovers happen when drivers overcorrect their steering as a panic reaction to an emergency. Many even do this only when their tire leaves the roadway. When you’re going fast, overcorrecting or excessive steering can cause you to lose control of the car, which can lead to a rollover accident.
If your vehicle leaves the roadway, what you want to do is gradually reduce speed. Then, when it’s safe to do so, ease the vehicle back onto the roadway.
Another important way to help to reduce your risks of a rollover accident is to make sure you’ve got the right amount of tire pressure in each of your tires. You also want to keep an eye on tire condition. Tires that are worn are more likely to cause your vehicle to rollover.
You also want to be careful when traveling through rural areas. As a matter of fact, officials estimate that about 75 percent of all rollover crashes happen in rural areas.
Keep an eye on how much you’re loading onto your vehicle, too. It’s a good idea to check the owner’s manual of your vehicle to see how to properly use the roof rack and to see what the maximum weight is as well. Remember that any load placed on the roof will be above the vehicle’s center of gravity, and will increase the vehicle’s likelihood of rolling over.
Top Causes of Rollover Accidents:
-The kind of vehicle you drive. As we said, taller, more narrow vehicles (like SUVs) are more prone to rollover accidents.
-Speed. The faster you’re traveling, the higher your risks are for an accident.
-Alcohol. About half of all rollover accidents involve a drunk driving.
-Location. Be cautious while driving in rural areas and traveling on roadways that have a speed limit exceeding 55 miles per hour.
-Routine Driving. According to the NHTSA< about 90 percent of vehicles involved in rollover accidents were involved in routine driving maneuvers, meaning that the driver may not have been paying attention, speeding or driving under the influence. When we drive the same routes every day, we can get too used to them and put safety on the back burner.
If you or a loved one has been in an accident, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Lauderdale Rollover Accident Kills One, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, November 4, 2012
Two Vehicles Submerged in Recent Car Accidents in Palm Beach County, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, August 21, 2011