Vehicle rollovers are often glamorized in the movies and television, showing crazy scenes of cars flipping and rolling over, and passengers exiting the vehicles unscathed. These scenes aren’t very realistic, and most of the time, they don’t focus on the aftermath of the rollover. When an actual vehicle rollover happens, your reaction could dictate your survival.
Rollovers are scary and jarring, but they don’t happen as often as you’d think, as they account for only 3 percent of all serious crashes. But the thing about rollovers is they make up 30 percent of people killed while riding in a passenger vehicle. This blog is going to dive in depth about vehicle rollovers and some information that could potentially save your life, even though you may not need it right now.
How do Vehicle Rollovers Happen?
Any vehicle is susceptible to rolling over if the conditions are right. But most rollovers tend to happen in vehicles that have a higher center of gravity like trucks, vans and SUVs. In California, many trucks traverse the highways during all times of day and during all types of weather. The wind in certain parts of Los Angeles, The Valley and the Inland Empire can create perfect scenarios for overturned vehicles.
They can happen when drivers of trucks carrying large loads take a turn too fast, causing the forces of gravity and physics to play a toll on their load. Even things like overcorrecting can cause a vehicle rollover in the right situation. If you do drive a truck or vehicle with a higher center of gravity, the greatest asset you have is your awareness. If you feel your vehicle start to sway or become unbalanced, it might be best for you to pull off the road and wait for conditions to improve.
What to Do If My Vehicle Rolls Over
Ready Yourself
If your vehicle is in the process of rolling over, the first thing you need to do is take your foot off the pedal and release the steering wheel. Try to push yourself back into your seat if you can, and brace for the rollover. During a scary moment like this, it may not seem possible to do these things, but they could prevent you from sustaining more serious injuries.
Turn off the Vehicle
Once the dust settles, turn your vehicle off. This is to make sure that nothing is still running that could potentially hurt you or your passengers before help can arrive.
Remain Calm and Check for Injury
After the vehicle has stopped rolling, check yourself for injuries. If you have passengers, check in with them to make sure they’re ok and proceed from there. Run your hands along your head and body to see if there are any injuries you may not have noticed right away. If you or someone in the vehicle is seriously injured, don’t move, and call 9-1-1 if you’re able.
Exit the Vehicle Safely
There have been too many instances of people surviving vehicle rollovers only to get hit by oncoming traffic when they exit their vehicles. If you’re in disarray, stay in the vehicle until help arrives. If you feel that you’re able to move yourself from the vehicle, make sure that you exit the vehicle safely. Depending where you are, this could be easy or not so easy. If you’re on the freeway, be extremely careful. Cars are moving at fast speeds. The best thing you can do for yourself is to be aware of where you are. If it’s not safe to exit the vehicle, don’t.
Call an Expert to Retrieve the Vehicle
Rollovers can be tricky jobs, especially when it comes to recovering the vehicle. That’s why when you’re involved in a vehicle rollover, you want to have a company like Pepe’s Towing Service on speed dial. They’re experts in vehicle rollover and recovery jobs, and they will get your vehicle out of whatever place it winds up in whether that’s a ditch or the middle of the 405.
Vehicle Rollover Specialists in Los Angeles
Nobody ever wants to believe that they will be involved in a vehicle rollover, but the reality is that they happen. And if it does happen to you, now you’re going to know exactly what to do. Aside from staying safe after the vehicle has rolled, all you need to do is call Pepe’s Towing Service. We’re available 24/7 for all of your towing needs. From vehicle rollovers to accident recoveries, we do it all. Call us at 323-268-1609 next time you’re in a jam.