SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Highway Patrol officials are urging drivers to properly secure their loads as summer travel increases on Utah roads, following multiple incidents of vehicle damage and potential safety hazards.
Joe Bonham, owner of Alpine Foreign Repairs, knows firsthand the damage unsecured loads can cause during his daily commute.
"The problem is I come from Draper everyday on the freeway early in the morning," Bonham said.
"There's construction trucks hauling their trailers with stuff in the back and they never clean their rocks off, and the rocks are falling down and they bounce up and hit your windshield," he added.
As a car repair specialist himself, Bonham understands the high cost of these damages, but was surprised by how frequently they occur.
"I've replaced my windshield 4 months ago, and with the newer cars, it costs more," Bonham said. "And then two months later I had another rock hit my window and I had to get that fixed."
UHP recently posted to social media that two different vehicles were hit in a single week due to unsecured loads.
Sgt. Jarron Bennion emphasized the importance of load security, especially during this dangerous travel period.
"We're in the 100 deadliest days right now, and it's already hard enough without things falling off of vehicles causing more problems, so do everything you can to keep your loads secure," Bennion said.
The consequences of unsecured loads can be far more serious than property damage.
"We've had incidents where debris has fallen off of a vehicle and it's gone through a windshield and seriously injured or killed people," Bennion explained.
David Beck, operations manager for Valley Glass, reports seeing numerous customers with damage from improperly secured items.
"Construction forming fall off trailers and hit windshields, road signs get hit and run over and hit windshields," he said, "so anything that's in the road, so anything that's in the road is potential."
UHP troopers frequently encounter various types of unsecured materials on roadways.
"On larger vehicles or trucks that are either beds, you'll see sand or gravel and stuff," Bennion said.
Bonham also noted that even seemingly minor debris like sand can cause significant damage to vehicles.
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