FACTS
- At 55 miles per hour, a 20-pound object hits with 1,000 pounds of force — so powerful that a suitcase can literally seer the arm of a crash test dummy.
- While drivers are required to regularly inspect their truck’s cargo, they may have little control over the way the cargo was loaded and secured, especially if it was sealed and loaded by a separate shipping company.
- Traveling at a high rate of speed increases the risk of cargo falling from vehicles but decreases other drivers’ ability to react to hazards created by the airborne debris or debris on the roadway. More than one-third of all deaths reported in the study occurred when a driver swerved to avoid the falling debris. Overcorrecting at the last minute to avoid debris also increased a driver’s risk of losing control of their vehicle and making a bad situation even worse. (AAA)
STATS
- According to AAA, over a period of three years, more than 200,000 accidents were caused by falling debris.
- Approximately 25,000 crashes and 80-90 deaths occur in the United States each year.
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 6,300,000 car accidents in the United States in 2015.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of workplace injuries according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- In 2016, motor vehicle incidents contributed to 40% of all workplace fatalities.
- A 2016 study by AAA reported that almost 37 percent of all road deaths caused by road debris occur when drivers swerve to avoid hitting an object.
- Additionally, roughly one-third of accidents caused by debris happen between 10 AM and 4 PM when drivers are more likely to haul cargo or heavy items.