04/22/08 Securing the Load

Securing the Load. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. With spring here, many people will be doing the clean up around the home and farm. So many of us just toss it into the back of the truck and tear off down the road, stuff flying everywhere. But this year you may see some lights following you. WARFIELD: This year as part of the state's little prevention campaign, "Litter And It Will Hurt," we really wanted to get out there and help educate home owners and business people alike of the need to properly secure your load to make our roads safer. That's Megan Warfield, Litter Programs Coordinator with the Department of Ecology. While debris falling off a truck is a litter problem, that same debris could cause a wreck and that is where the Highway Patrol comes in. WARFIELD: It is a ticket able offense. Driving with an unsecure load is a $216 dollar ticket and then if you do actually lose something and it causes property damage or bodily injury, you're looking at a misdemeanor with a much higher fine up to $5000 and possible jail time so it is a serious offense. Demonstrations were recently held around Washington to show the proper ways to secure your vehicle's load. WARFIELD: Through the campaign and our partnership with the State Patrol I think people are much more aware of this issue than they have been in past years. But I think there's still some confusion on people's parts  is this good enough? What does secure mean? So we've just created a video that takes people through certain senarios. You can request a copy of the video and get more tips on their website at www.litter.wa.gov. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.