Road to Safety: States Rally to Support Secure Your Load

NEW YORK - May 15, 2017 - PRLog -- According to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Safety, more than 200,000 crashes in the past four years were caused by road debris. What's worse? The study showed that road debris resulted in approximately 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths between 2011 and 2014. Here's another startling statistic: As a nation, we spend up to $11.5 billion on litter and it is estimated that 20 to 40% of that litter is from unsecured loads.

Robin Abel of Seattle, Washington, was made all too aware of the dangers of this avoidable peril when her daughter was catastrophically injured by an unsecured load. Channeling her grief into action, Abel started a Secure Your Load movement in 2004, in an effort to raise awareness and even change the law. And over the course of 13 years, she's done just that. In fact, thanks to Abel's dedicated efforts, President Obama and Congress included load-securing recommendations to the states in the Fast Act of December 2015.

Driving with an unsecured load is extremely dangerous and against the law in many states. Says Abel: "If you don't think this can happen to you, just ask Tom Brokaw. He and his wife had a near miss with an unsecured load but the young woman next to them in an SUV didn't survive. Tom is still visibly emotional when he shares this story many years later."

To date, 42 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have signed on to help educate the public on the vital importance of load securement. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) and AAA have both asked for state contact lists so that their respective administrators and affiliates can offer support.

"The states are enthusiastically embracing this safety message. These safety professionals and law enforcement have gone out of their way to participate in Secure Your Load Day on June 6 — and I am so grateful for their support," says Abel, who, self-funded, has single handedly led the charge to shift the traffic safety paradigm.

Some of the states are even planning on a proclamation to be made public on June 6 in support of the day of awareness. Abel chose the specific date in honor of  Matthew Reif of Arizona, 29, who was killed on impact on June 6, 2006, when an unsecured 10-pound piece of scrap metal from a truck in front of him smashed through the windshield.

Says Abel: "We put on our seatbelts and fasten our children in car seats so why is it that we think it's OK to leave anything loose in the bed of our trucks and risk endangering others on the road?

Fact: A 20-pound object at 55 MPH has a force of 1000 pounds at impact.

"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," adds Abel.

On June 6th, in honor of those whose lives have been impacted 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's how Abel recommends to properly secure your load in five easy steps:

• Tie down load with rope, netting or straps
• Tie large objects directly to the vehicle or trailer
• Cover the entire load with a sturdy tarp or netting
• Don't overload the vehicle
• Always double check load to make sure a load is secure

"Secure Your Load as if everyone you love is driving in the car behind you," Abel adds.

For more information, check out the Secure Your Load PSA (https://vimeo.com/131059611).