America Should Adopt Australia’s Insanely Strict Methods For Securing Loads In Pickup Beds

I love American car culture; it’s the best in the world. We rarely have safety inspections, many states don’t have emissions checks, and therefore you can drive damn near anything you want on public roads. It’s absolutely fantastic, and a boon to car culture, even if I do think there are some cars that really shouldn’t be on our roadways. Among those are trucks with improperly secured loads — which I see all the time here in LA.

I generally believe that rules tend to slide down a slippery slope, getting out of hand like they do in Australia. There, you can’t even put a damn lift kit on your vehicle without worrying about getting pulled over, engine swaps are difficult, and safety inspections are overly strict. There’s a weird divide between city folks and rural folks when it comes to car culture, with the former wanting strict rules and the latter being among the most authentic car enthusiasts on earth, living and breathing guzzoline, and coining Nobel Prize-worthy advancements in human civilization like the Shed Skid.

Here in most of the U.S., we have the opposite situation that Australian car fans have: anything goes. I like it, for the most part, but I do think we should have some basic mandatory inspections (though, like I said, I realize it’s a slippery slope), and I think we could stand to adopt Australia’s load-securing guidelines/enforcement strategy, which are quite strict. In fact, there’s a 20+ page document from 2018 called the “Load Restraint Guide,” and it gets into some serious detail on this topic:

Too Many Avoidable Crashes Are A Result Of Unsecured Loads

Before we jump into that, let’s take a step back. According to the U.S. government (NHTSA, specifically), “Each year, about 730 people are killed and 17,000 more are injured because of objects in the road. Most of these crashes (81%) involve unsecured loads on passenger vehicles.”

AAA also had some less than ideal statistics to share in its 2016 press release titled “American Drivers Aren’t Securing Their Loads on the Road.” From AAA:

More than 200,000 crashes involved debris on U.S. roadways during the past four years, according to a new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Road debris has resulted in approximately 39,000 injuries and more than 500 deaths between 2011 and 2014. AAA is calling for drivers to properly secure their loads to prevent dangerous debris.

The press release discusses the nature of the crashes, stating:

• Nearly 37 percent of all deaths in road debris crashes resulted from the driver swerving to avoid hitting an object. Overcorrecting at the last minute to avoid debris can increase a driver’s risk of losing control of their vehicle and make a bad situation worse.
• More than one in three crashes involving debris occur between 10:00 a.m. and 3:59 p.m., a time when many people are on the road hauling or moving heavy items like furniture or construction equipment.
• Debris-related crashes are much more likely to occur on Interstate highways. Driving at high speeds increases the risk for vehicle parts to become detached or cargo to fall onto the roadway.

I know these may seem like relatively low numbers, but those are avoidable casualties. We can’t have stuff flying out of our cars on roadways — it’s just idiotic. AAA agrees, writing:

“This new report shows that road debris can be extremely dangerous but all of these crashes are preventable,” said Jurek Grabowski, research director for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Drivers can easily save lives and prevent injuries by securing their loads and taking other simple precautions to prevent items from falling off the vehicle.”

About two-thirds of debris-related crashes are the result of items falling from a vehicle due to improper maintenance and unsecured loads. The most common types of vehicle debris are:

• Parts becoming detached from a vehicle (tires, wheels, etc.) and falling onto the roadway
• Unsecured cargo like furniture, appliances and other items falling onto the roadway
• Tow trailers becoming separated and hitting another vehicle or landing on the roadway

States Have Rules Against Unsecured Loads

Here’s the thing, though: It’s not like there aren’t rules on the books; NHTSA spells it out:

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws regarding unsecured loads. Additionally, drivers are always responsible for safe operation of their vehicle – this includes properly securing anything that could separate from your vehicle, creating dangerous obstacles on the road. Laws state that cargo should be tied down in such a way as to prevent anything from dropping, shifting, leaking or otherwise escaping the vehicle. Violation of unsecured-load laws carry state-specific penalties with fines up to $5,000.

The state of California, for example, states it bluntly on its Office of Traffic Safety website, writing: “California law is clear – every vehicle that travels on every publicly maintained road must have a secured load.” The site has a press release breaking the issue down and discussing California law as it relates to unsecured loads (apparently there’s a $200 fine for unsecured loads even if nothing falls out of your vehicle). The press release mentions “Secure Your Load Day” on June 6:

We’ve all seen it: a car with a mattress tied to the roof that looks anything but secure, a pickup truck with a bed overflowing with materials, or worse: that same mattress, piece of debris or other cargo falling onto the roadway, even smashing the windshield of an unsuspecting driver.

Unsecure loads that fall from moving vehicles is such a hazardous and frequent occurrence that many states, including California, have designated June 6 as “Secure Your Load Day” to raise awareness about the dangers of unsecured loads.

According to a 2016 study by the AAA Foundation for Safety, nearly 80,000 crashes between 2011 and 2014, or more than a third of all debris-related crashes, were caused by debris falling from unsecured loads. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, at 55 miles per hour, an object weighing just 20 pounds that falls from a vehicle strikes with an impact of half a ton.

For some, improperly secured loads resulted in tragic consequences that will last a lifetime. When Washington resident Robin Abel’s daughter was severely injured by an unsecured load in 2004, she began raising awareness about the importance of securing vehicle loads.

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) joins Abel, California, and 45 other states, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands, to acknowledge “Secure Your Load Day” and educate the public about the simple precautions people can make that saves lives.

“Unsecure loads pose a serious threat to the safety of drivers,” said OTS director Rhonda Craft. “If whatever you are carrying has even the slightest chance of coming loose or falling out of your car or truck, think of the people driving behind you and the damage your unsecure load can cause.”

As for specific laws, I found section 23114a in the California Vehicle code, which says that anything other than water or feathers should not fall out of your vehicle:

Except as provided in Subpart I (commencing with Section 393.100) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations related to hay and straw, a vehicle shall not be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed, covered, or loaded as to prevent any of its contents or load other than clear water or feathers from live birds from dropping, sifting, leaking, blowing, spilling, or otherwise escaping from the vehicle.

As for vehicles doing garbage runs (or heading to “the dump” in the U.S., which is called “the tip” in Australia), the whole load actually has to be covered, per section 23115a in the California vehicle code:

No vehicle transporting garbage, swill, used cans or bottles, wastepapers, waste cardboard, ashes, refuse, trash, or rubbish, or any noisome, nauseous, or offensive matter, or anything being transported for disposal or recycling shall be driven or moved upon any highway unless the load is totally covered in a manner that will prevent the load or any part of the load from spilling or falling from the vehicle.

I’ve Seen Some Sketchy Stuff, And I Bet You Have, Too

So yes, there are rules. But as NHTSA and AAA pointed out, there are still far too many unsecured load-related crashes in the U.S., and I’m not surprised. Really, the only reason why I’m writing this article is that I’m regularly sketched-out by what I see on roads around LA. Like, this Nissan Frontier? Come on:

And look at all the random stuff in the back of this Ram:

This Nissan has a couple of bungee cords hooked to its wheel arches, but that’s about all:

This Super Duty has a bunch of junk just sitting in the bed, unsecure:

This Ram is a bit better, with a couple of straps holding the ladders in place:

And this Ram… well, it has a single small ratchet strap holding two couches in place — it works, but it’s not ideal, really. I’d throw a second one on there for good measure:

Look, I’m not trying to be a nark, and I myself have been guilty of improperly tying up loads in my vehicles. I’m not trying to create more rules and regulations; lord knows we have enough of them, and we don’t want to be like Australia, where you can’t even have your arm out the window when you drive. But this is just easy.

Here are NHTSA’s tips for securing loads:

Tips for Securing Your Cargo Properly

• Tie it down with rope, netting or straps.
• Tie large objects directly to your vehicle or trailer.
• Consider covering the entire load with a sturdy tarp or netting.
• Do not load excessive amounts of cargo in or on your vehicle or trailer.
• Always double-check your load to make sure it’s secure.

Ask Yourself

• Is there any chance of debris or cargo falling or blowing out of my vehicle?
• Is my load secured at the back, sides, and top?
• What would happen to my load if I had to brake suddenly, if I hit a bump, or if another vehicle hit me?
• Would I want my loaded vehicle driving through my own neighborhood?
• Would I feel safe if I were driving behind my vehicle?

Here’s AAA’s advice:

• Cover your load with a tarp, including loose items like gravel, mulch, grass, or dirt and secure it tightly to your vehicle.
• Use bungee cords and ratchet tie-downs for large items, fastening them directly to your vehicle or trailer. Use a cargo net for smaller, variable-sized items.
• Stack lighter items on lower and heavier items on top to keep loads stable.
• Never overload your vehicle or rely solely on cramming, as tightly packed items can still fly loose if not properly tied down.
• Tug and push on the load, as well as on tie-downs and netting, to ensure items stay in place.

In addition, AAA mentions tying a red flag to overhanging items, and AAA has some advice on rope-type:

… for bungee cords, they may work well at securing lighter items but generally come in handy for securing excess tarp and preventing it from flapping. Never secure a heavy load using bungee cords alone. If using rope, check to ensure that the condition of your rope is in good shape before securing your load, as rope tends to fray over time and can easily snap when tension is applied.

Now let’s talk about Australia’s rules — the ones in the aforementioned 20-page Load Restraint Guide.

Australia’s Load Restraint Guidelines

I spoke with Autopian contributor and friend Laurence Rogers about what I experienced when I met him almost two years ago: Australians are serious about securing loads. Every time Laurence would put something in the “tray” of his ute, he’d cover it. “What’s the deal with that?” I asked him. “That thing that you put in your bed isn’t likely to fall out.”

“It’s just the rules, mate,” he’d reply.

And indeed, the rules are no joke.

I’m not going to list off everything in the 20-page guide, but it starts by mentioning the basics:

You must restrain any load you are carrying on a light vehicle
so that it:

– Stays on the vehicle during normal driving conditions –
this includes heavy braking, cornering, acceleration and
even minor collisions.

– Doesn’t negatively affect the stability of the vehicle,
making it difficult or unsafe to drive.

– Doesn’t protrude from the vehicle in a way that could
injure people, damage property or obstruct others’ paths.

You must pick up any fallen load if it is safe to do so,
or arrange for someone to retrieve it.

This is all pretty straightforward stuff, though the next section about performance standards is a little more complex.

LOADING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

(1) A driver must not drive or tow a vehicle carrying a load unless:

(a) the load is restrained so that it can not move relative to the
vehicle, other than as permitted under (2); and
(b) the load is restrained by a system that, at a minimum,
prevents the load from moving in the circumstances stated
in (3).

(2) A load may be permitted to move relative to the vehicle if:
(a) the stability and weight distribution of the vehicle can not
be adversely affected by the movement; and
(b) the load can not become dislodged from the vehicle.
Examples of loads permitted to move under (2)
• loads contained, held, protected or enclosed within the
sides or enclosure of a part of the vehicle and restrained
from moving horizontally
• loads consisting of very light objects, or loose bulk loads,
that are contained, held, protected or enclosed within the
sides or enclosure of a part of the vehicle
• loads consisting of bulk liquids that are contained, held,
protected or enclosed within the sides or enclosure of a part
of the vehicle

(3) For (1)(b), the circumstances are that the vehicle is subjected to:
(a) any of the following, separately:
(i) 0.8 g deceleration in a forward direction;
(ii) 0.5 g deceleration in a rearward direction;
(iii) 0.5 g acceleration in a lateral direction; and
(b) if friction or limited vertical displacement is relied on to
comply with (a), 0.2 g accelerat

There’s lots of good stuff in that guide, including a description of various restraint methods:

And here’s a nice guide visual on how strap angle affects tie-down effectiveness, with 35 degrees being the minimum recommended strap angle (the guide recommends stacking stable packaging material to raise that angle, if necessary).

“In New South Wales it’s a $457 AUD fine and 3 demerit points for an unsecured load,” Laurence told me. “Our licence has up to 13 points available so it’s a big hit to the old licence.”

Laurence showed me his go-to strategy for securing of loads:

“Cargo nets/covers are required if you have lots of small items that are hard to strap down,” he told me. What you see above held tightly against a full interior set for a HQ Monaro coupe looks like a tarp, but it’s technically a vented net that doesn’t flap like a tarp would.

As for the holding the netting/load down, it’s all about straps, Laurence tells me. “Rope is all but verboten these days…Rope must be load rated and have markings to indicate such if it’s a load of any appreciable size/weight.”

“Utes commonly have a setup like on Mitch’s Navara here where you have multiple boxes for things and a cage between the boxes you can quickly shove items into and shut the door to save strapping some stuff down,” he said.

Securing Loads Is Easy Enough; We Should Take It Seriously