Rollover crashes have a higher fatality rate than all other kinds of crashes. More than 10,000 people die each year in rollover crashes.
Driver behavior, speeding, distraction, and inattentiveness play significant roles in rollover crashes.
By wearing your safety belt you can reduce your chance of being killed in a rollover by about 75 percent.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among American teenagers, killing between 5,000 and 6,000 teenagers every year for the past decade (through 2003, the last year for which complete NHTSA data is available).
From 1994 to 2003, a total of 57,142 teenagers were killed in motor vehicle crashes.
Teenage drivers account for only 6.4 percent (12.5 million) of the total drivers in the United States, but account for 14 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes and 18 percent involved in police-reported crashes.
If you are shopping for a car, you may want to consider the following features:
- NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) for impact and rollover ratings
- Air bags (driver, passenger, side)
- ABS (Antilock Brake System)
If you are a parent who is planning on giving a car to your child, keep some obvious issues in mind:
Avoid flashy, powerful, “eye-candy” vehicles. Teen drivers have trouble not testing the speed and power of these cars and trucks. In other words, keep the ego in check.
Avoid older vehicles. Older cars are typically less safe than cars equipped with newer, more advanced safety technologies made to satisfy higher safety standards.
Avoid smaller vehicles. Smaller cars can incur more damage from the same impact, resulting in a higher frequency of minor injury and serious injury, even at lower speeds.
1 mile = 5280 feet. At 60mph, 1 second = 88 feet traveled. Average reaction time = 1.5 seconds or 132 feet traveled. Safe stopping distance required at 60mph = 142 feet or roughly 48 yards (under good conditions). 132 feet of reaction time to brake + required 142 feet of stopping distance = 274 feet (nearly the length of a football field).
Possible spinal cord injury* should be assumed in the following cases:
- Any car accident at a speed greater than 45mph
- Any pedestrian hit by a car at a speed greater than 18mph
- Any car accident where there is a car rollover or where a passenger has been thrown from the vehicle *(http://www.braininjury.com/ )
Most Americans will be involved in a motor vehicle accident in their lifetime, and one quarter of the population will be involved in accidents that result in serious injuries. Annually, more than 3.5 million persons in the United States are injured in a motor vehicle accident, and nearly 42,000 die as a result of their injuries.
Rates for auto insurance for teenage drivers are always higher than for other drivers, because as a group they pose a higher risk of accidents than more experienced drivers. Adding a teenager to an insurance policy can mean a 50 percent or even a 100 percent increase in the parents’ insurance premium. Some insurance companies offer discounts for students with good grades. The Good Student Discount is generally available to students who have a grade-point average of a B or higher.
Over 3 million persons are injured in motor vehicle accidents each year. Many of these persons develop post-traumatic stress symptoms that can become chronic. Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder experience disabling memories and anxiety related to the traumatic event. Early identification of these patients is critical to allow for intervention and prevent greater impairment and restriction.
Does Speed Really Kill
Yes, of course. You may argue that speed, by itself, does not kill a person. If you had any doubt it does, then take a look at the following equation:
1 mile = 5280 feet. At 60mph, 1 second = 88 feet traveled. Average reaction time = 1.5 seconds or 132 feet traveled. Safe stopping distance required at 60mph = 142 feet or roughly 48 yards (under good conditions). 132 feet of reaction time to brake + required 142 feet of stopping distance = 274 feet.
Based on the data you would insert into the equation, you could easily determine that at a higher rate of speed the outcome is far more fatal.
