Secure Your Load and help keep highways free of deadly debris

A broken wooden pallet. A couch missing its cushions. A singular ladder. A gray ottoman.

These are just a few of the unsecured items that have fallen off vehicles and onto Arizona’s highways that ADOT crews have collected within the last month. The pile of debris that has been building at the Durango Maintenance Yard in Phoenix is a clear illustration of the hazards that unsecured loads pose to motorists. 

On June 6, ADOT observed “Secure Your Load Day” alongside safety partners at the Maricopa Association of Governments, Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, and others to highlight the importance of safely securing items before driving. 

Since May of last year, ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, sponsored by GEICO, has responded to over 4,200 debris calls on highways in Maricopa County. The vast majority of those calls were to remove tires, ladders and mattresses.

Items like these that end up on the freeways can not only damage vehicles, but also cause crashes that result in serious injuries or death for vehicle occupants. ADOT crews and law enforcement can also be put at risk when they try to remove the debris.

How can you help keep everyone safer? 

Tie-downs, netting, bungee cords, ropes and tarps can all make your load more secure and keep items safely in your vehicle. And if you happen to come across debris on the highway, treat it as an emergency and call 911. This helps ensure that those items will be quickly and safely removed. 

All of us have a responsibility to help reduce the amount of trash and debris that gets left behind on our roads. Spend a few extra minutes to secure your load so we can make our travel safer.