PRESS RELEASE

Cargo safety program takes aim at traffic injuries, road debris

A new safety and prevention program for road debris is targeting the growing incidence of traffic fatalities and commuter accidents caused by unsecured loads.
The “Tie It Down” program is targeted at light & medium-duty open-bed trucks and trailers in North America. It helps local and national organizations improve cargo safety awareness and compliance.

“When drivers are transporting items–whether it’s heavy furniture or Christmas trees–they need to make sure the load is secured,” said Sgt. Dusty Morrison of the California Highway Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Unit.

Drivers frequently load vehicles with sheets of plywood or other wind-catching items and don’t tie them down properly, Sgt. Morrison said. Cargo often is loaded into a pickup bed or trailer without any kind tie-downs or netting.

“Drivers think the items are heavy enough they won’t blow out,” Morrison said.
Morrison learned firsthand about the hazards of unsecured loads when his patrol car was hit by a sheet of plywood as he drove on a San Bernardino freeway. Although he was unharmed, the incident turned Morrison into an advocate for cargo safety.
“Drivers discover their load isn’t as secure as they thought,” Sgt. Morrison said. “Items shift, come loose and fall into traffic.”

The Tie It Down program was developed by the Transportation Cargo Safety Organization, a new group dedicated to highway safety. The organization is collaborating with governmental agencies, trade associations and manufacturers across the United States.

Early industry supporters of the program include the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Cargo SafetyWeb, a tie-down manufacturer, and SensibleDriver.com, an educational website for car care.

The program enlists local business, agencies and associations with help on:
-Cargo safety education
-Compliance solutions
-Manufacturer specials
-Community and victim support

“Cargo safety saves lives and reduces traffic accidents,” said Bruce Foggy, president of the Transportation Cargo Safety Organization. “Educating drivers about the hazards is one of the simplest and most effective ways to solve the problem.”
Foggy is a founding member of the Transportation Cargo Safety Organization. He has more than 20 years of experience in the cargo industry. His company, Cargo SafetyWeb, is the only manufacturer that offers a cargo net product that has been certified by the American Rigging & supply, San Diego, CA.
For more information about the Tie-It Down Program, call the Transportation Cargo Safety Organization at (916) 386-4274.

Road Debris Facts

• According to the Washington State Patrol, 294 citations were issued in 2007 for debris escaping from vehicles. Unsecured loads account for some 60% of all litter on Washington’s roadways. It amounts to more than 12 million pounds of debris—enough to fill Safeco Field—and costs the state about $4 million dollars in yearly cleanup expenditures.
• The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that road debris causes 25,000 accidents and up to 90 deaths a year (the group's definition of a debris-related fatality differs from a Reader's Digest report estimating 427 deaths in 2003 alone).
• Punishment often is a citation and small fine for littering or failure to secure a load. The outcome isn't unusual: "In most states, the fine for littering is higher than the fine for an improperly secured load," AAA Foundation president Peter Kissinger, said.
• In the Sacramento metro area, the Department of Transportation picks up about 252 tons of trash annually.
• In 2005, the California Department of Transportation Maintenance Division spent approximately $55 million in highway litter removal. In addition, litter removal by the Adopt A Highway Program participants saved the Department about $15 million.
• The annual cost to California’s public agencies for clean-up, disposal and prevention of litter is $375.2 million (according to the Earth Resource Foundation).
• In 2005, Sacramento ranked 23rd nationally, with a $619 million loss in productive time and unnecessary fuel consumption while stuck in congested traffic.
• According to the California Department of Insurance, statewide loss incurred for 2007:
  • $5.2 billion: private auto/physical damage
  • $6.4 billion: private auto/liability
  • $755.9 million: commercial auto/physical damage
  • $1.1 billion: commercial auto/liability

Although unknown at this time, a conservative estimate is that 15% of the above losses are attributed to road debris from unsecured loads.

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Founding members

Auto World Marketing an automotive marketing firm and Cargo SafetyWeb, the manufacturing partner and sponsor who provide the compliant solution to the program, founded Transportation Cargo Safety Organization. The Cargo SafetyWeb is the only certified cargo net on the market. Together we are seeking retail and distribution partners or just anyone who would like to help make a difference by proactively protecting the environment against unsecured loads and improving highway conditions in the State of Washington and across the nation.

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One Incident Can Change A Life

Remembering Maria’s tragedy and the collateral damage an unsecured load can cause.  Around midnight on February 22, 2004, Maria Federici was driving her 2001 Jeep Liberty south on Interstate 405 near Seattle, on her way home from work.
Up ahead, a wall unit fell from a U-Haul trailer. The wooden structure burst apart, big chunks flew into her SUV.
One five-foot piece shot through the windshield. It hit Federici in the head, shattering her face. Surgeons worked nearly 16 hours to rebuild her face.
Extensive rehabilitation followed. Federici can talk now, but can't see, smell or taste. To this day she still suffers severe headaches and regular numbness on her left side.
Maria’s family and friends were the driving force to the current unsecured load laws in Washington with fines starting at $216.00 for non-compliance. The driver and rental company were found to be negligent and Maria was awarded a $15,000,000 settlement, the largest in state’s history.
No amount of money could restore what she has lost and we need help to educate every hauler or potential hauler on the dangers of unsecured loads.

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January 9, 2006, TACOMA, WA - One man was killed and a five-year-old child was critically injured after a large tow truck that swerved to avoid a loose tarp on Interstate 5 and smashed into their vehicle.

Washington State Patrol Trooper J.J. Gundermann said the tarp came off a large truck just after 8 p.m. and billowed into southbound traffic, sending vehicles swerving out of the way along I-5 near 56th Street.

A large tow truck that was pulling an empty passenger bus was caught behind the tarp and smashed into another car while trying to get out of the way.

The 23-year-old man driving the car that was hit died at the scene and a young child who was riding in the car was critically injured, Gundermann said..

The Tie It Down program goal is to bring cargo safety and awareness to all open-bed vehicle drivers and provide simple solutions to easily and safely secure tarps, plywood or whatever they’re hauling.

The Cargo SafetyWeb is the product the Tie It Down program recommends for drivers to use when hauling any load. It’s certified, quick and easy solution that safeguards any load  – Just cover, hook and go!

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www.tcsafey.org	www.cargosafetyweb.com

Cargo Safety Saves Lives!