What is Rollover?
Posted on:1/3/2006
| Rollover is a type of vehicle accident, where a vehicle turns over on its side or roof. |
This happens when the centre of mass ends up outside of the vehicle area of contact with the ground defined by its wheels.
The main cause for rolling over is turning too sharply while moving too fast. The force of inertia (acting in the direction opposite to the one it is turning) is combined with the force of gravity (acting downwards). When the combined force as applied to the centre of vehicle's mass falls outside of the rectangle formed by the wheels, the vehicle starts to turn over. A skilled driver may stop the fall by stopping the turn. It is possible to drive the car then on two wheels for some time.
A rollover in Sydney, Australia on Christmas day, 2001.
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