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Gov. Jeff Landry has proclaimed June 6, 2024, as “Secure Your Load for Road Safety Day,” to alert all drivers of the dangers posed by objects flying loose from motor vehicles onto the roadway, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission announced.
Objects as common as a two-by-four piece of wood or a suitcase can turn into dangerous and even lethal projectiles when they are not secured in a moving car or truck.
Across the country, 895 people were killed and 17,203 were injured in 2022 because of unsecured loads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The “simple, routine act of securely affixing every load being transported makes Louisiana’s roads safer for all drivers, and these precautions should not be overlooked,” Gov. Landry wrote in the proclamation.
Unsecured loads are not only dangerous, they are illegal. Louisiana law states that the “load on any vehicle shall be securely fastened so as to prevent the covering or load from becoming loose, detached, or in any manner a hazard to other users of the highway.”
While many people may associate unsecured loads only with large, commercial trucks, loose objects in the back of a pickup truck or on a car’s luggage rack can become airborne and hit other vehicles. A 20-pound object that flies loose from a moving vehicle can strike another vehicle with a 1,000-pound impact, causing vehicle damage or worse, LHSC Executive Director Lisa Freeman said.
“Now that school is out, a lot of people are taking vacations, and those truck beds and luggage racks are filling up,” Freeman said. “Make sure your cargo is tied down with strong rope or straps, and it’s also a good idea to secure the entire load with a strong tarp or netting.”
NHTSA suggests that, as drivers secure their cargo, they ask themselves:
- Is there a chance of debris or cargo coming loose?
- Is this load secured at the back, sides, and top?
- What would happen to my load if I had to brake suddenly, if I hit a bump, or if another vehicle hit me?
- Would I feel safe if I were driving behind my vehicle?
“Don’t take chances with safety: Secure your cargo,” Freeman said. “It’s the safe, legal, and considerate thing to do, and it only takes a few minutes.”
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