Dangers Of Roof Racks
The Problem With Unsecured Loads
Many of us have, over the years, seen either our own fathers, or the fathers of other families who have thought they could transport anything in the world on top of their car or truck, as long as they simply reached out a window and tried to hold it down with sheer willpower alone. If you haven’t seen it in person, then you have probably seen a video or a meme! It’s an exaggerated joke, but it definitely illustrates a very real and present danger on our streets today: unsecured loads or improperly secured loads on top of a car or other vehicle.
Below, our friends from Blaszkow Legal, PLLC discuss the dangers of roof racks.
Not Every Vehicle Is Made To Haul
Some vehicles are designed to transport freight and other items, like pickup trucks and vans. These vehicles do so generally safely, in the bed and in the cargo area, respectively. Small cars, however, are not designed to have things on top of them! So, aftermarket roof racks can be installed to add some additional haulage space to that small car. The safest methods out there are cargo containers that attach to the racks.
Improperly Secured Loads Are A Danger
But even then, some people still strap, tie, or just place things on top of cars, the country over. This is rarely done with malice, but it can be done negligently, and indeed recklessly. Improperly secured loads can fly off and cause very serious car accidents.
Anything that is being transported outside of the cab or interior of a vehicle has to be properly secured. This means tied down to prevent it from moving or otherwise falling off of the vehicle.
Tying down itself also has important caveats:
- It does not mean a simple bungee cord around the top, one window to another
- This might prevent an object from moving side to side, but what about front to back?
- What if that vehicle slams on the brakes?
This could cause the load to continue forward through the force of inertia, sliding off of the car and into another vehicle!
Secure It Right Or Don’t Haul It
If you are going to transport something on top of a vehicle, then it must be secured properly—not just with an arm and willpower, but with straps and other equipment to prevent it from moving and potentially causing serious injuries. If you affix it to the car, then at the end of the day, you are responsible for it.
When an item flies off of one vehicle and hits another, serious injuries can occur. In that instance, the person doing the transporting—who did not properly secure the load—may be found liable for the crash, even though their own vehicle did not actually hit someone else’s. The operation of the hauling of the freight may be enough!
Call A Lawyer If You’re Injured
If you have been hurt in a car or truck accident, when a load has shifted or otherwise come off of another vehicle, call a motorcycle accident lawyer accident lawyer right away!
The longer you wait, the harder you make it for the attorney to find the evidence that is needed to prove the case—and win!