U.S. Army Combat Readiness Safety Center data indicates that between October 2000 and January 2013, 131 soldiers have been killed and 616 injured in High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) rollover accidents. In all, 1126 soldiers have been involved in 581 HMMWV rollover accidents. Between 1989 and 2013, 368 HMMWV rollovers occurred within the Continental United States (CONUS) endangering the lives and property of civilians as well.
The HMMWV vehicle's high center of gravity and relatively narrow track width defines a high probability of vehicle rollover and resulting occupant injury or fatality. In recognition of this fact, the Army has placed up-armored configurations of the vehicle on safety restriction from operation, effectively limiting its use to training exercises or other specifically approved operations. In fact, HMMWV rollover is so highly anticipated that annual rollover egress training is required of operators to ensure vehicle occupants know the proper response during a rollover to increase their chance of survival to safely exit an overturned HMMWV.
Since 2011, the Government has established Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that mandate Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in all road-going passenger vehicles. Until recently, these systems have not been available for military application. However, historical data gathered by the Department of Transportation indicates that the Federal law placed upon automakers to include ESC as standard equipment has reduced the number of fatal rollovers by 56% for passenger cars and 74% for light trucks and vans on our public roads. ESC, along with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) functionality, acts to mitigate vehicle rollover and loss of control crashes before they occur, effectively protecting life and property.
Feasibility studies conducted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) have shown that ABS/ESC systems including rollover mitigation technology are effective on the HMMWV platform. The U.S. Army Product Director Light Tactical Vehicles (PD LTV) has successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of relatively low cost Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) ABS/ESC solutions modified for the HMMWV military application. COTS technology is available for HMMWV today and has been available to the general public since 1987.