Unsecured loads on trucks are a menace on KC area highways. Here’s how to stay safe

On Thursday, a fiery wreck on Interstate 435 in Kansas City served as a reminder of a safety hazard on area highways: unsecured objects falling from trucks into traffic.

The crash occurred when debris falling from a pickup truck caused a semi-truck to swerve in an attempt to avoid it, hitting a guard rail and bursting into flames. The semi-truck driver, 52-year-old Tony Wyman, was killed in the crash.

Kansas City police were looking for the pickup truck driver, who they said continued driving away from the wreck.

A 2016 study by AAA, the American Automobile Association, reported that more than 200,000 crashes during the previous four years involved debris on U.S. roadways. Road debris had resulted in approximately 39,000 injuries and more than 500 deaths between 2011 and 2014.

Those dangers may raise questions for drivers:

How can you stay safe on the road when encountering vehicles carrying unsecured objects?

And what are the laws regarding a driver’s responsibility to secure loads they are carrying on their vehicles?

How to stay safe on the road

In their study, AAA researchers found that nearly 37% of all deaths in road debris crashes resulted from a driver swerving to avoid hitting an object.

“Overcorrecting at the last minute to avoid debris can increase a driver’s risk of losing control of their vehicle and make a bad situation worse,” AAA said in its report.

The researchers also found that crashes related to debris were most likely to occur on interstate highways, where high speeds increase the risk of objects coming loose and falling into the roadway.

When driving behind a vehicle that is loaded with materials, it’s important to exercise extra caution, said Cheryl Bailey of the Bi-State Driving School.

“My own personal advice is just to stay clear of big trucks like that, that don’t have coverings or things that are strapping their debris down,” Bailey said. “If items are not tied down or tarped over pieces can fly out [and] they can go through your windshield.”

It’s recommended that drivers stay 300 feet or more away from trucks on the road. This ensures that they are not driving in the trucker’s blind spots and that there is enough space to avoid anything that could fall out of the truck, according to Bi State Driving School instructor Kristin Asmus.

If a driver notices that a truck’s load is not secured, they can also pull up beside that trucker and honk their horn to let the trucker know that something is wrong, Asmus said. If something looks too loose or that it might fall out, drivers can look on the rear of the truck for a number to call to alert them that their load needs to be fastened down.

“Truckers have a really hard job,” Asmus said. “A lot of times they don’t even know if something’s coming out of the back of that truck once they’ve got that load in there, which is why we do encourage people to call that number on the back of that truck.”

If someone is driving behind a non-commercial vehicle like a pick-up truck, Asmus said many of the same guidance applies.

Drivers should remain 300 feet away from the vehicle and if possible they can honk their horn or flash their lights to alert the pickup truck driver that something may be falling out of their vehicle.

Missouri law on securing loads on vehicles

Missouri law says the driver of any vehicle or trailer loaded with materials that can move or fall off of the vehicle due to weather conditions or from driving on the road needs to make sure the material is secured or covered up.

Drivers are required to use tools or devices like tarps, straps or tie-downs that can assure that their load will not shift around or fall when driving.

Anyone who fails to secure a loaded vehicle can be issued a traffic citation, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Brown.

Depending on the severity of the violation, that driver could face up to 15 days in jail or a $750 fine.

Kansas law on securing loads on vehicles

In Kansas, drivers also must securely fasten loads to their vehicles to make sure objects cannot become loose or detached.

“You can’t drive a vehicle on the roadway unless it’s been either constructed or loaded to prevent any of the load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping, whether it a pickup truck or a tractor-trailer,” said Nick Wright, Kansas Highway Patrol Technical Trooper.

Anyone who violates Kansas law on securing a load to a truck can face could be fined up to $500, according to the Kansas Legislative Research Department.

Federal rules for commercial vehicles

Drivers in both states must also adhere to federal laws, which apply mainly to commercial vehicles.

Commercial vehicles typically weigh over 10,000 pounds and are equally responsible for making sure that nothing on moves or fall off the vehicle while driving.

Drivers can use devices like tie-downs to secure their load but those devices must meet federal performance criteria to be used on the road. Drivers can also use large covers, like tarps, to prevent items from falling off the truck, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

There are certain rules that outline how much damage you can have on a cargo securement device. For example, the yellow straps often used on flatbeds can’t be damaged or have knots in them. Any chains that are used to secure a load can’t have any broken links or damage either, Wright said.

There are also federal guidelines for how many tie-down devices a vehicle needs depending on the length and weight of the cargo. Those rules and guidelines may vary depending on the type of materials in transit and the type of vehicle involved.

“So if you’ve got a load of lumber on a truck, for example, you’d have to secure for all of that based on how long it is and how many secure devices they need,” Wright said.