Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Not every car accident is considered the same when it comes to the damage that results. While any type of crash can lead to injuries or even death, some forms of collisions are more likely to cause harm than others. Among the crashes that are most likely to turn deadly are rollover car accidents.

A rollover is defined as any crash where a vehicle leaves its wheels, tipping onto its side and/or roof before coming to a rest. Part of the danger with a rollover comes from the fact that vehicles are not designed to roll, meaning that safety features that apply in other forms of crashes may not help rollover victims. For example, while front airbags may deploy and cushion victims in the event of a head-on accident, vehicle do not have airbags that can deploy from a ceiling to protect victims if a car rolls. The lack of safety devices combined with ability of the side and roof of a vehicle to crumple puts drivers and passengers at a greater risk for injuries than many other types of collisions.
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The designs of automobiles are mostly left up to manufacturers who employ everyone from engineers to artists to sculpt a car into form. But while the aesthetics of a motor vehicle are flexible among those who manufacture them, the function of a car is much more controlled. Consumers have demands that must be met when buying a vehicle and a manufacturer would be unwise to deviate from those expectations. For example, a car must run, be able to accelerate and brake, and be able to turn or no sensible consumer would purchase it.

But regulations and guidelines exist and govern all vehicles, meaning that some things are beyond the control of a manufacturer. An example is the presence of seat belts, which are mandatory in all passenger cars and many larger vehicles in America. Many of these requirements exist for safety reasons and are put into place by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), a government-run agency under the Executive Branch. Right now, manufacturers are busy taking the steps necessary to introduce one of the newest requirements that NHTSA has put forth – the addition rear-view visibility systems, or backup cameras.
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Car accidents, like other traffic collision, always occur for a reason. Sometimes it is an error on the part of a driver. Sometimes it is a mistake on the part of a pedestrian. Sometimes a bicyclist may fail to yield the right-of-way. And yet in other instances, fault can still be attributed in a crash but may belong on the shoulders of someone who was not involved like the manufacturer of a faulty tire or a mechanic who performed inadequate repairs to a vehicle.

But what if a roadway is dangerous on its face? What if a design flaw makes an area, an intersection, or a turn so unreasonable that an accident takes place for no other reason? In those instances, it may be the fault of a city, a state, or a municipality that owns, maintains, or otherwise is responsible for the road with the defect. It is even possible that a city engineer who designed the area may be to blame. These instances can be immensely complex and nearly impossible for a typical motorist to sort through so consulting with an experienced attorney may be helpful if you have questions or concerns.
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There is constant pressure on the designers and manufacturers of automobiles to create new safety features that will better the lives of those who drive and improve their ability to operate their vehicles in a safe, reasonable manner. As each new type of technology debuts, its combination with features that came before it leads to vehicles that are safer than those at any time in previous history which has led to fewer fatal collisions across the nation, despite the fact that the population and the overall number of vehicles on the roadways have increased.

Today, more and more manufacturers are offering forward collision prevention systems in the cars they design as a way to eliminate accidents before they occur. Also called collision mitigating systems, forward crash warning systems, or precrash alert systems, these advances work through radar, lasers, and/or cameras to monitor changing traffic conditions and to take action if a collision is imminent. In some systems, collision prevention will detect a car or other object is in front of a vehicle and will alert a driver to the presence of that hazard if it becomes too close. Through a visual or auditory alert, a driver who may not have been paying attention to the road can be alerted that action is needed immediately to prevent a car accident. In other systems, collision prevention will act on its own and apply the brakes or alter the steering of the car when it detects a forward accident is about to occur.
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