DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – It’s National Secure Your Load Day and TXDot is reminding drivers to take extra precautions when transporting items in their car or truck.
The agency’s Donna Simmons said accidents caused by loose debris has been a problem for years.
“Since 2016, there have been in Dallas County alone 175 crashes attributed to unsecured loads falling on to the roadways with 167 injuries involved,” she said.
According to Simmons, an object that weighs 20 pounds can feel like half a ton if it falls off a car going 55 miles per hour or more.
TxDot wants to stress to drivers that the issue is not only a safety hazard but a hit on taxpayers as well.
“In Dallas County alone, not counting the other counties in our district, we collected more than 1400 dump trucks of debris at a cost of $1.3 million to taxpayers,” she said.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department’s Raul Reyna said it’s a situation not uncommon to he and his colleagues.
“Everyday our guys can tell you that they see this on a regular daily basis,” he said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said there are 51,000 incidents with unsecured loads each year, resulting in an average of 440 deaths and 10,000 injuries.
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