The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked us today to urge drivers to properly secure transported objects. Items not properly secured pose a safety risk on our nation’s roadways. Objects or debris can fall from vehicles and can collide with other vehicles or pedestrians, causing serious injuries or fatalities.
NHTSA said that during 2016–2020, ~16,878 people were injured per year when a vehicle collided with another object while on the road. During this time, passenger vehicles accounted for 81% of crashes in which cargo was not properly secured. From 2016-2020, there were an average of 732 fatalities per year when a vehicle collided with another object that was not properly secured.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws concerning unsecured loads on non-commercial motor vehicles. Moreover, the vehicle’s driver or operator is responsible for its safe operation, including the condition of the vehicle. ‘Safe condition’ involves properly securing any objects or debris that could separate from the moving vehicle, creating dangerous obstacles for other motorists.
This, of course, establishes the potential for a crash, as a driver may need to swerve to avoid a collision with the loose items. Violation of unsecured load laws can carry state-specific penalties of up to $5,000. Laws state that cargo should be tied down in such a way as to prevent anything from dropping, shifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping the vehicle.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Drive Safely by Securing Your Load
The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked us today to urge drivers to properly secure transported objects. Items not properly secured pose a safety risk on our nation’s roadways. Objects or debris can fall from vehicles and can collide with other vehicles or pedestrians, causing serious injuries or fatalities.
NHTSA said that during 2016–2020, ~16,878 people were injured per year when a vehicle collided with another object while on the road. During this time, passenger vehicles accounted for 81% of crashes in which cargo was not properly secured. From 2016-2020, there were an average of 732 fatalities per year when a vehicle collided with another object that was not properly secured.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws concerning unsecured loads on non-commercial motor vehicles. Moreover, the vehicle’s driver or operator is responsible for its safe operation, including the condition of the vehicle. ‘Safe condition’ involves properly securing any objects or debris that could separate from the moving vehicle, creating dangerous obstacles for other motorists.
This, of course, establishes the potential for a crash, as a driver may need to swerve to avoid a collision with the loose items. Violation of unsecured load laws can carry state-specific penalties of up to $5,000. Laws state that cargo should be tied down in such a way as to prevent anything from dropping, shifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping the vehicle.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.