A study released this week from AAA shows the alarming numbers of crashes, injuries and deaths caused by road debris. There were over 200,000 reported crashes in the U.S. from 2011 to 2014 caused by stuff that didn’t belong on the streets. These wrecks caused around 39,000 injuries and an alarming 500 deaths.
These numbers may be staggering, but they make sense.
The WSB Traffic Center receives an average of at least two to three road debris reports every day for metro Atlanta alone. So if you multiply that over a three year period and throughout the entire United States the number gets quite large.
The most reported obastacles we see at WSB are tires, ladders and mattresses.
With so much junk clogging the highways and byways, what’s a motorist to do?
AAA offers two main tips to motorists to keep from causing debris. Vehicle maintenance is paramount in avoiding tire failures on the road. Besides fixing something when your vehicle isn’t operating properly, maintenance includes simply not driving when something is wrong. Those actions would help keep drive trains from coming loose or tires blowing out and damaging other vehicles on the freeways.
The next tip, of course, is to properly secure loads. I admittedly get nervous when driving behind a work van with eight ladders on it.
Please, tie the equipment down on your truck and make sure the chain is secure on the trailer!
If you buy a mattress, paying to have it delivered is worth avoiding the hassle and the risk of losing it. And if you have to drive with an oblong object in your vehicle, try and stay off of the freeway, so you are not traveling at high speeds.
AAA recommends this tips to avoid and/or lessen problems with road debris.
- Don't just look in front of you, but instead also check 12-15 seconds ahead of you on the road, to give you more time to react to a problem.
- Don't tailgate the car ahead.
- Slow down if you know you are about to hit debris, so it causes less damage.
- Be extra mindful of places where animals often cross the road during spring and fall months and reduce your speed there. Always try to maintain open space in front of your vehicle (to provide a braking zone) and an open space on at least one side (so there is a space to change lanes and avoid debris).
As you can see, there is even more to do to avoid debris than there is to prevent causing road obstructions. Seeing these massive numbers of crashes, injuries, and deaths should really inspire us to do all of these things and remind us how much distracted driving can make us more vulnerable to hitting debris and possibly getting hurt.
Be vigilant and call 511 for a HERO Unit or 911 for the police if you see debris in the road. And plan ahead by listening for traffic 24 hours a day on News 95.5/AM750 WSB, so you know what is ahead of you.
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