Secure Your Load for Cleaner and Safer Roads

Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority Launches New Educational Campaign

(Dalton, GA, July 20, 2012) – You may not intentionally put trash in the wrong place, but if you’re not securing the items in your pickup truck or trailer correctly, they could easily become litter. When surveyed by Georgia DOT, 77% of Georgia motorists said they have seen something blow out of a vehicle and onto the road. Driving with an unsecured load can destroy more than scenery, especially when litter falls off a truck and hits another vehicle. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has reported that roadway debris contributes to fatalities each year.

The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has launched an educational campaign for the months of July and August to encourage you to “Secure Your Load”. Banners posted at local Convenience Centers and several billboards now viewable in Whitfield County show a picture of a truck with a loose load about to hit the truck behind it. Included in bright yellow letters is the phrase “Secure Your Load”.

Trucks with unsecured loads can easily lose the items they’re carrying, no matter their weight and size. Under Georgia’s Litter Law anything leaving a vehicle, intentional or not, is litter and can result in a citation. Besides preventing litter on the road, securing your load increases safety for all motorists.

Here are some tips for Securing Your Load:

• Tie It Down: large or heavy items should be firmly secured with solid straps, rope, bungee cords, or netting. Tie large items directly to your vehicle.

• Cover It Up: Use a sturdy plastic or canvas tarp, or netting to keep lighter items like yard waste in place.

• Don’t Overload: Keep material level with truck bed or trailer unless tied down, netted or tarped. Materials below the truck bed should also be secured if there’s any chance of them blowing out or falling from the vehicle.

• Ask Yourself: Is there any chance of debris falling or blowing out of my vehicle? Would I feel safe if I were driving behind MY vehicle?

To download a copy of the brochure, “Keep it in Your Bed… Secure your Load” and more tips for securing your load visit www.DWSWA.org.