Unsecured Loads are No Laughing Matter, warn police

It’s the latest Facebook sensation – and for all the wrong reasons.

Facebook page Dash Cam Owners Australia has more than half a million followers, and most of the posts come from drivers doing dumb things on the road, or observing others breaking the rules.

One of the page’s photo albums, titled “she’ll be right mate”, contains over 100 images ranging from the ridiculous to the incredulous. It chronicles the crazy choices people make transporting goods from one place to another, putting not only themselves, but also other road users at risk.

One photo depicts a couch being transported unsecured on a roof, with two passengers holding it down.

Another displays a van carrying a children’s back yard swing set, with nothing securing it but the driver’s arm.

Another shows a ute with a precariously stacked heap of furniture, held on with two flimsy looking ropes.

One of the most recent additions is a driver with one hand out her window, holding on to a mattress dubiously tied to the roof of her car with a thin rope.

Huge interest

The page creator, who only wants to be known as Troy, says he created the page in March and it has attracted so much interest that he simply cannot post all of the pictures sent

Troy says while he realises the page has huge entertainment value, he hopes that it also serves as educational tool.

“Drivers need to be aware of how to safely transport and secure a load, … even a small item coming loose can have deadly consequences,” he says.

Police warnings

While the pictures illustrate good old fashioned Aussie ingenuity, police warn that drivers who are breaking the law will be punished.

“We take a common sense approach to this offence.  Basically, if any vehicle has a load or is towing a trailer with a load, that load must be secured or covered so that none of the load could be thrown from the vehicle in the event of an accident or fall from the vehicle when in motion”, Police Sergeant Scott Beverley says.

Under section 292 of the Road Rules (2008), driving/towing an unsecured load, a load causing instability or an overhanging load comes with a penalty of $433 and 3 demerit points.

As the Christmas holiday season revs into gear, there’s a stronger police presence on our roads and drivers are well-advised to comply with the road rules.

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