But now, some good news. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says 2006 model SUV's are less likely than earlier models to rollover in an accident.

For 2006 model SUV's, the Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler Pacifica, and Ford Freestyle were the safest. The government study says the HHR has a 14 percent chance of flipping if involved in a single-vehicle crash. For the Pacifica and Freestyle, it's 13 percent.

2006 SUV models showed a marked improvement over last year with 42 percent of them rating 4 out of 5 stars. The results point to an unprecedented number of SUV's with electronic stability control.

By the way, the lowest-rated SUV was the Nissan X-terra 4 x 4. The Honda Ridgeline 4 x 4 and the Toyota Tacoma were the highest rated pick-up trucks. The Kia Sedona was the safest van, and the Pontiac G-6 earned, the highest rating for a passenger vehicle of 5 stars.

Aside from these rankings, the Department of Transportation says you are 75 percent less likely to die in a rollover accident if you are wearing your seatbelt.

Electronic stability control is fairly new technology. Onboard sensors can tell when you are about to lose control and automatically apply the brakes to the appropriate wheel and reduce engine speed.

Based on its test, the Insurance Institute says if every vehicle on the road has this technology, it would save 7,000 lives a year and avoid close to a million accidents each year.

For More Information:

NHTSA 2006 rollover ratings -- www.nhtsa.dot.gov

Electronic Stability Control

Electronic Stability Control by make and model