Rollover accidents in Houston, TX generally cause higher numbers of fatalities than other accident types. But the undeniable utility of a good truck leads us to take our chances with rollovers to gain the benefits of the pickup truck’s hauling capacity and off-road utility. Part of the reason for the overall poor rollover resistance of pickup trucks involves the truck’s design and build. A pickup truck has:
* A higher center of gravity in relation to passenger cars;
* A narrow wheelbase to height ratio compared to passenger cars; and
* A high variation in weight distribution from front to back under most conditions.
1. When unloaded, the bulk of a pickup truck’s weight lies in the front. On curves, slippery roads, and high speeds, the rear wheels can lose traction and combine with the unbalanced load to cause the pickup truck to flip or rollover.
2. When heavily loaded, a pickup truck may carry a disproportionate amount of weight in the rear. This can provide drag that causes the truck to corner poorly and require extra time to stop, change speeds or change directions. This could cause you to lose control of your truck and have a serious accident.
3. Additionally, poor roof strength adds to the risks from the poor rollover resistance of pickup trucks. Truck occupants involved in rollover accidents in Houston, TX face the prospect of crushed roofs that can cause severe head, neck and spinal injuries.
Another part of the reason is after-market modifications to the trucks. Owners may use “lift kits” to achieve an even higher center of gravity and relatively more narrow wheelbase in relation to the height of the pickup truck. Popular suspension modifications also can negatively affect the truck’s stability and add to rollover risks related to the higher center of gravity and narrow wheelbase.
Historically, pickup trucks have lagged behind other vehicle types in safety features like Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS). But the 2012 model year should see ESC in all new pickup trucks in the U.S. On vehicles already equipped with ESC and ABS, news reports indicate that single vehicle rollovers continue to happen with alarming frequency. ESC and ABS may provide some extra safeguards against the relatively poor rollover resistance of pickup trucks, but they aren’t foolproof.
The way you drive your pickup truck can overwhelm the ability of your ESC and ABS to help you. If you drive too fast or too aggressively, you may lose control of your vehicle and rollover in spite of the ESC and ABS. Taking curves at any sort of speed can be particularly problematic in a pickup truck because of the unbalanced distribution of weight from front to back.
Chances are that the bulk of pickup truck rollover accidents in Houston, TX occurred when the driver attempted to take some sort of curve. Even if it’s a very slight curve and the speed doesn’t seem particularly high, the combination could still overwhelm the truck’s stability. This results from the unusual height, width and weight proportions of a pickup truck. Your best source of rollover resistance in any vehicle remains your own careful driving.