With the increasing popularity of home-improvement shows, many Floridians have decided to tackle projects around the house. Unfortunately, some DIYers do not take steps to property secure the items they buy before driving home.
The AAA Foundation reports that unsecured cargo causes as many as 200,000 car accidents every single year. Here are three ways an unsecured load may put you and your passengers at risk of serious injury or even wrongful death.
1. Flying objects
When you drive on the highway, you may reach speeds greater than 70 miles per hour. If an unsecured object flies off a vehicle in front of you, you may have little choice but to collide with it. Even light-weight objects may smash through your windshield. As a result, you may suffer an injury from the object itself or from broken glass.
2. Road debris
If you are not immediately behind a vehicle when its cargo breaks free, you may not have to worry about a flying object hitting your vehicle. Road debris may be just as dangerous, unfortunately. If you run over something on the roadway, a tire blowout or another type of vehicle damage may make safely driving your car, truck or SUV virtually impossible.
3. Evasive maneuvers
You do not have to run over road debris for it to be dangerous. If you do not notice unsecured cargo on the roadway early enough to maneuver around it, you may reflexively jerk the steering wheel or slam on your brakes.
Either way, taking last-minute evasive maneuvers may increase your chances of having a life-changing automobile accident.
