What causes a rollover?
Most rollovers occur when a driver loses control of a vehicle, and it begins to slide sideways. When this happens, something can “trip” the vehicle and cause it to roll over. This tripping object could be a curb, guardrail, tree stump, or soft or uneven ground on the side of the roadway. Rollovers also can occur when a driver attempts to turn a vehicle too aggressively — at a high velocity or with a tight turning radius. In such conditions, the frictional force between the tires and road surface can cause the vehicle to tip up and then roll over. These crashes generally are referred to as “untripped” or “frictional” rollovers. Though less frequent, rollovers can be caused by other factors, such as when one side of a vehicle is flipped up suddenly by a guardrail or other ramp-like object or when a vehicle falls sideways or front-first down an embankment. The forces in a multiple-vehicle crash may also cause a vehicle to roll. For example, a vehicle struck in the side may be pushed over
