June 6th is Secure Your Load Day
As Founder of Secure Your Load, Robin Abel wishes to share a personal message this year. This year marks 20 years since my daughter Maria was critically injured by an unsecured load, driving home from work. That event changed our lives forever. https://secureyourload.com/Documents/Robin's%20Story.mp4
I want to remind everyone that it is imperative to “never forget the stories” behind this safety campaign. These people are the reason we push to educate the public on the importance of good load securement. Paul Reif’s son Matthew left his heavy equipment operator job on June 6th 2006 and never made it home that day. He was killed by a heavy piece of metal that went through his windshield. https://www.azfamily.com/2024/05/16/junk-arizona-roads-leads-hundreds-crashes-every-year/
Jason Fields, of Alabama died last month because a metal beam went through his windshield. He too never made it home that day. https://www.wvtm13.com/article/gardendale-man-killed-in-crash-involving-road-debris-monday/60573139
Do you feel safe driving behind that truck ahead of you…. you know the one with the load of items not securely fastened to the vehicle? I too often hear that these are freak accidents but in truth they are frequent incidents, deadly and totally preventable. What is a secured load? Bottomline, all loads need to be securely fastened to the vehicle at all times. You do not get to say, it is below the truck bed or it is heavy or light or crammed in, or you only secure what you think needs to be secured, those are not secured loads. You must secure all loads at all times. Use good nets, tarps and/or straps. There are no “do overs” in the world of safety!
National companies; Are you requiring all your trucks to secure their loads? How about your smaller company trucks? Doing business in multiple states, are you keeping to the highest standard of load securement as your trucks travel or work in multiple states? Best practice, adhere to the highest standard of load securement at all times.
While this is a personal message, we have to talk about “data.” In 2022, there were 895 deaths, 17,203 injuries and 98,502 property damage crashes caused by unsecured loads. Sadly, the numbers have increased as they have in all other sectors of road safety. All of these people had stories.
As my daughter Maria said, it only takes a few minutes, a few dollars and compassion for others to secure your load. So, as you get in your car and pull out of your driveway today think about Maria, Matthew, Jason and thousands of other family and community members who have been killed or injured by unsecured loads and road debris. Do not ever forget the stories behind Secure Your Load. These people are our family members, our neighbors who left their home or work one day when they were confronted by an unsecured load. A weapon on the road.
There is power in numbers and last year 46 states participated in Secure Your Load Day safety campaign educating thousands of drivers on the importance of good load securement. Thank you to all of you who support this campaign, together we are saving lives!
“Button it up America…..Secure Your Loads” “Secure Your Load as if everyone you love is driving in the car behind you!” Robin Abel, Founder Secure Your Load
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