CHP, Caltrans & AAA bring awareness to dangers of road debris

LOS ANGELES, Calif (FOX 11 / CNS) - The Automobile Club of Southern California, in partnership with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol, hosted an event to help motorists avoid dumped loads and road debris that compromise safety and cause crashes.

Demonstrations and displays included proper loading and tie-down procedures for cargo to prevent falling and becoming road debris. The most common items found by Caltrans on the interstates and freeways are car bumpers, couches, mattresses and tires.

All three traffic safety organizations report that debris-related crashes result when items fall from a car or truck due to unsecured loads. Crashes that injured thousands of motorists involved debris on U.S. roadways during the past four years, according to a new study to be released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Caltrans spent more than $76 million last year on litter removal, collecting enough trash and debris from freeways to fill more than 9,500 garbage trucks.

According to AAA, road debris crashes result in thousands of injuries and hundreds more deaths. Drivers who struck or were struck by debris were more likely to be men.

AAA, Caltrans and CHP are calling for drivers to properly secure loads.

(Source: Automobile of Southern California / California Highway Patrol)

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