It appears as though sport utility vehicles are getting safer, in regards to rollover safety, as the 2007 model year saw a sharp increase in the number of SUVs that performed well in government rollover crash tests. Seventy-eight percent of the SUVs currently on the U.S. market received a four-star rating in the rollover tests, compared to just 48 a year ago and only one in 2001.
According to MSNBC, the increase of four-star rated SUVs is because more vehicles are coming equipped with anti-rollover technology, a feature that will become mandatory by 2012. Rollovers are responsible for more than 30% of all deaths on U.S. roads despite accounting for only 3% of all accidents.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rates on a five-star scale. Five-stars means a vehicle has up to a 10 percent chance of rolling over in a one-car crash. A four-star vehicle has a 10 percent to 20 percent risk and a three-star vehicle has a 20 percent to 30 percent. No SUV has ever earned a five-star rating.
