Take the time to secure your loads

June 6 is National Secure Your Load Day, and I want to remind drivers of how important it is to take the extra time to secure your loads. 

ADOT crews have removed anything and everything from highways. Grills and patio furniture are great for backyards, but shouldn’t fall out of pickup trucks and onto the roads. Unsecured items can and do fall off and out of cars. And when these items – big and small – land in travel lanes, they pose a danger to drivers, as well as the ADOT crews and Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers that are tasked with removing those items and debris. 

And that happens a lot. In the last 12 months, ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, sponsored by GEICO, responded to over 4,400 calls for debris removal in the metro Phoenix area. Most of the calls were for mattresses and tire debris.

ADOT’s IRU members and crews from maintenance yards across the state work tirelessly to maintain Arizona’s highways and remove hazardous items, and I am deeply grateful for their work. But it’s on all of us to help keep our highways clear of debris and secure our loads.

Tie down your load with ropes or bungee cords and cover them with tarps to prevent items from flying out of your vehicle. And before you start your travel, ask yourself if you’d feel comfortable driving behind your vehicle. 

If you come across debris on the highway, call 911 — this helps ensure that the debris is removed as quickly and safely as possible.