2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
When loading bulky objects, drivers are very unsafe when it comes to safety. In doing so, fatal consequences on the road can often be prevented.
By Felix Rehwald
"Attention, there is an object on the road near Sittensen on the A1 in the direction of Bremen" - every driver should be familiar with traffic announcements of this type. Many things tumble from the roofs of cars and loading areas every day, which often results in dangerous situations. This could easily be avoided if car and truck drivers were a little more careful.
Size doesn't matter
According to projections by the German Insurance Association (GDV), 25 percent of motorway accidents can be traced back to inadequate load securing on trucks. The damage as a result in 2004 was around 437 million euros. However, this does not yet take into account cases in which the charging of cars becomes independent. GDV expert Uwe Schieder in Berlin knows from personal experience that objects to be transported by car drivers are often as hair-raising as they are with trucks.
“There is a huge amount of uncertainty when it comes to load security,” says Schieder. It is irrelevant whether the lost load is a sofa or a smaller item: "Even if a shovel falls, the following driver instinctively brakes and tries to evade." With the result that the man behind him gets into him, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Trunk instead of roof
To prevent such situations from occurring, cargo must be properly secured. It is best to transport it in the trunk instead of on the roof, advises Bernd Herbener, load securing training manager at the Auto Club Europa (ACE) in Stuttgart. An alternative is transport in a trailer. Its walls prevent it from falling, and there are lashing eyes for securing the load with straps.
If transport on the roof is unavoidable, a roof rack system tailored to the type of car must be used. The operating instructions must be observed during assembly, because assembly errors are, according to ADAC, often the cause of a load that becomes independent. In addition, the maximum roof load must not be exceeded.
Straight through the roof
According to ACE expert Herbener, loads like a bundle of roof battens cannot slip around. Special mats were suitable for this. "When braking, the slats usually shoot forward like missiles," explains Herbener. The traffic experts can report accidents in which slats catapulted from the roof smashed through the bodies of other vehicles. Then the package has to be lashed with sturdy straps.
GDV spokesman Klaus Brandenstein explains that the liability insurance of the person who caused the accident must pay for damage caused by lost cargo. However, claims settlement is often a problem when it cannot be determined who the lost items belong to. In the worst case, anyone who has not memorized the license plate will have to pay for the damage themselves - unless they have fully comprehensive insurance, as fully comprehensive insurance also covers such damage.
Note readiness for braking
“The drivers themselves are also required to drive so that they are ready to brake,” says Brandenstein. If a sufficient minimum distance was not kept at high speed, there may be contributory negligence. If a questionable roof load is identified in advance, you should immediately drop back and change lanes,”advises ADAC spokesman Peter Hemschik in Munich. (dpa)
