Nevada Highway Patrol reminds drivers to secure loads
Submitted by editor on Wed, 06/06/2018 - 8:31am
This year’s road to the annual Secure Your Load Day, today, Wednesday, June 6 has been paved with success, thanks to nationwide support.
Secure Your Load Day was founded by Robin Abel, whose tireless effort to raise awareness of the dangers of unsecured loads and road debris, signals a turn for the better with 47 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands on board to officially recognize the event and vow to educate the public on the importance of load securement, with some even beginning to employ policy to actually make our highways safer.
More than 200,000 crashes in the past four years were caused by road debris, according to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Safety. The study also showed that road debris resulted in approximately 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths between 2011 and 2014. To add insult to injury: as a nation, we spend up to $11.5 billion on litter and it is estimated that 20 to 40 percent of that litter is from unsecured loads.
“Unsecured loads and road debris are not freak accidents but frequent incidents and most are preventable with just a few minutes of time and a few dollars in equipment,” says Abel, who adds that, “weight is not a form of load securement and neither is the cram technique. All items need to be securely fastened to the vehicle.”
On this Wednesday, in honor of those whose lives have been impacted or taken by unsecured loads and road debris and in an effort to make load-securing a standard practice, Abel urges everyone to share and heed this urgent traffic safety message. This simple precaution will save lives.
Here is what is recommended to properly secure your load in five easy steps:
1. Tie down load with rope, netting or straps.
2. Tie large objects directly to the vehicle or trailer.
3. Cover the entire load with a sturdy tarp or netting.
4. Don’t overload the vehicle.
5. Always double check load to make sure a load is secure.
For more information, go to www.secureyourload.com.
The Nevada Highway Patrol is reminding all motorists of the importance of load securement. Whether you drive a small passenger car or a large commercial vehicle, anything that is not properly secured could change a person’s life in the blink of an eye. Secure Your Load as if everyone you love is driving in the car behind you.
