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Deadly SUV roll-over accident - could it have been prevented?

Yesterday morning a tragic SUV roll-over accident occurred on I-75 in Columbia County that killed 2 and critically injured 2 others. The cause for the SUV to go off the road, hit the guardrail and then roll-over, causing the vehicle's roof to severely crush is under investigation. 

Roll over accidents are terrifying and account for only 2% of  accidents, but account for 33% of all the deaths from accidents in the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), with SUVs, vans and pick-ups being the most prone to roll-over.

On April 30^th, 2009, the NHTSA sent a press release stating that the U.S. Department of Transportation is doubling the standard for roof strength for light weight vehicles.  The current standard requires roofs to hold 1.5 times the weight of the vehicle for vehicles weighing up to 6,000 pounds.   

As a personal injury lawyer, I believe this is a good start, however, the new standard for making a vehicle's roof be able to withstand 3 times the weight of the vehicle does not even begin to be phased in until 2012 and won't affect all vehicles untill the 2017 model year, which means that we have at least 3 to 9 more years of potentially dangerous vehicles on the road.  If this standard had been initiated years ago when the risks of roll-overs with certain vehicles was known, I can't help but wonder, could this fatal tragedy have been prevented?

In this accident, all were buckled up, but the force on the roof was so substantial to the 2000 Ford SUV that it was crushed down.  It is very important to know the risks and prevention of roll-over accidents and that the most important safety factor is to wear a seat belt to prevent being ejected from a vehicle that is rolling over. 

I am glad that soon there will be safer roof standards; I just wish these needed standards could have been enacted sooner; it just may have helped this family returning home from vacation.