Cargo

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Drivers are often the ones held liable for a loose cargo collision. They may argue that someone else loaded the cargo in their truck. For example, if they purchased an item and someone from the store loaded it into their truck, however. It is still the driver’s responsibility to make sure it is safe to be on the road. What does the DOT, AAA, and NHST have to say? 

 AAA debris-related crashes 

According to a AAA report, from shredded tires to a sofa sitting in traffic lanes, roadway debris caused more than 200,000 crashes with 500 deaths over four years across the USA. More than one-third of the deaths resulted from a driver swerving to avoid hitting debris. In other cases, cars struck the debris, sometimes setting off a chain-reaction of collisions. 

• Between 2011-2014, road debris was a factor in a total of more than 200,000 police-reported crashes. Resulting in a total of approximately 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths
• Compared to crashes that did not involve debris, debris-related crashes were approximately 4 times as likely to occur on Interstate highways
• Nearly 37 percent of all deaths in road debris crashes resulted from the driver swerving to avoid hitting an object
• About two-thirds of debris-related crashes are the result of items falling from a vehicle due to improper maintenance and unsecured loads 
• More than one in three crashes involving debris occur between 10:00 a.m. and 3:59 p.m. A time when many people are on the road hauling or moving heavy items like furniture or construction equipment