There is a story on Seacoastonline about some lucky drivers. Here you go.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090525-NEWS-90525027
I was in Washington DC recently for my son Jeff’s college graduation. It is always fun to spend a day at the Mall, see some of the sights. I was standing on a corner waiting with other tourists to cross the street. A pickup truck came roaring up then had to stop quick for the red light. The truck had 4 ladders on rack. The top ladder came shooting off the rack landing in front of the truck. I made a joke to the crowd that got a good laugh.” I thought YOU tied the ladders down!” It was a heavy ladder.
It might not have been so funny if the truck had been behind another vehicle.
I seem to have the worst luck with windshields and road debris. I also see many dump trucks and landscaping vehicles that do not even take the time to sweep off their bumpers. Check a carpenters rear bumper some time, loaded with nails.
On the way home from DC I saw this Fisher Price Playhouse on the side of the highway. One of those backyard plastic houses for the kids. Can you imagine the mayhem at 70mph when that came out of the pickup!
I have seen those bed liners too just leave a pickup. Maybe a couple of through bolts are necessary.
The links below will help to illustrate my point.
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/secure-load.asp
Here is link with some pics of properly and improperly secured loads
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/litter/secureWHO.html
Sorry to pick on tradesmen in pickup trucks as the homeowner often engages in the same unsafe practices.
All this costs us money . Money for insurance, your hospital stay, lost work.
It is very important to take the time to properly secure anything that is not inside your vehicle. Just take a minute to think about the other guy, behind you.
Mike
I’ve been commuting down Route 128 in Mass for almost 2 decades. And before that it was Route 495. And I can tell you, there are days I’d rather be driving behind a tanker carrying liquid methane than a contractor. One of my co-workers broke an axle after slamming into a railroad tie that fell off a tradesman’s truck. When another co-worker’s wife hit a bathroom sink that was sitting in her lane it became lodged under her car and sent out a shower of sparks as she limped over to the breakdown lane. One night, I bounced right over one of those bed liners as it spun across the highway. But, what took the cake was having to slalom through a five piece living room set strewn all across the northbound lanes of Route 93. Mike’s right! Think about the people behind you.
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