The outcome of car accidents occurring throughout the state of Pennsylvania has improved dramatically throughout the years. This is mostly due to advances in the safety of the cars being made and driven. Though these safety advances take different forms, one of the biggest objectives is to try to keep occupants of vehicles inside of the automobiles.

Individuals are commonly launched from vehicles when cars rollover. Rollover accidents are the most deadly of those occurring on the roads. According to a statistic from the Center for Auto Safety, 10,000 individuals die each year in rollover accidents.

One way in which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking to reduce the number of these types of fatal motor vehicle accidents is by using laminated glass on a many of the side windows. Its use has been required for windshields for some time. A final rule regarding the matter was released by the NHTSA in January 2011. The laminated glass does not break as easily which means that bodies are more often kept inside the vehicle.

Not everyone is convinced of the benefits of the use of laminated glass. Recently an article was written by a man who pointed out the difficulty in rescues the glass plays when a car has been submerged in water. If rescuers are unable to break the windows to get in to the victim, death due to drowning can occur. Statistics on these deaths are difficult to keep but the number of deaths annually attributed to this reason is believed to be significantly lower than those due to being thrown from a vehicle.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you prefer a car that is constructed to withstand a rollover or do fears of drowning keep you from wanting such a vehicle?

Source: GlassBYTES, "Laminated Glass and Accident Safety: Can Auto Glass be too Safe?" Casey Neeley, Dec. 4, 2012