48 Unsecured Load Statistics

by

These unsecured load figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Unsecured Load Statistics

The main findings are:

  • More than 800 fatalities per year are attributed to unsecured loads (annual figure reported by NHTSA).
  • From 2018–2023, estimated road-debris crashes totaled 319,724: 139,701 striking or struck by a falling object, 145,436 striking a non-fixed object, and 34,586 after avoiding an object.
  • The study’s 2018–2023 total included 325 K-level crashes involving a vehicle struck by or striking a falling object (United States possible-debris crash sample).
  • In the 426 Michigan crash reports reviewed, vehicle parts were identified in 116 reports and represented a weighted 28.8% of crashes (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review).
  • FMCSA recorded 748 no/improper heavy-vehicle or machine securement violations in CY2022 (United States FMCSA national MCMIS table).
  • All 50 states and the District of Columbia reported having unsecured-load statutes for commercial and non-commercial vehicles (GAO review reported 2012).
  • About 850 people are killed each year in crashes involving objects in the road (annual figure reported by NHTSA).
  • From 2018–2023, estimated road-debris deaths totaled 433: 101 in falling-object crashes, 122 in non-fixed-object crashes, and 210 after avoidance.
  • The study’s 2018–2023 total included 422 K-level crashes involving a non-fixed object in the road (United States possible-debris crash sample).
  • Miscellaneous cargo appeared in 67 reviewed Michigan reports and represented a weighted 18.7% of crashes (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review).
  • FMCSA recorded 820 no/improper heavy-vehicle or machine securement violations in CY2023 (United States FMCSA national MCMIS table).
  • Reported unsecured-load penalties ranged from $10 to $5,000 across the 50 states and District of Columbia (GAO review reported 2012).
  • Almost 19,000 people are injured each year in crashes involving objects in the road (annual figure reported by NHTSA).
  • From 2018–2023, estimated road-debris injuries totaled 32,802: 13,419 from falling-object crashes, 11,114 from non-fixed-object crashes, and 8,269 after avoidance.
  • The study’s 2018–2023 total included 650 K-level crashes after a driver avoided an object (United States possible-debris crash sample).

Contents

Unsecured load statistics: national crash deaths and injuries

  • More than 800 fatalities per year are attributed to unsecured loads (annual figure reported by NHTSA). (Drive Safe: Secure Your Load)
  • About 850 people are killed each year in crashes involving objects in the road (annual figure reported by NHTSA). (Drive Safe: Secure Your Load)
  • Almost 19,000 people are injured each year in crashes involving objects in the road (annual figure reported by NHTSA). (Drive Safe: Secure Your Load)
  • Passenger vehicles account for 73% of vehicles in crashes involving objects in the road (annual figure reported by NHTSA). (Drive Safe: Secure Your Load)
  • Unsecured-load law violations can carry fines of up to $5,000 (current NHTSA guidance accessed 2026; United States; state-specific penalties). (Drive Safe: Secure Your Load)

NHTSA presents this as an attributed annual figure; it is not a count of all unsecured-load incidents.

Object-in-road crashes include more than human-caused unsecured loads.

Object-in-road crashes include natural debris and other sources.

The denominator is vehicles in object-in-road crashes, not all vehicles on the road.

The maximum varies by jurisdiction and is not a national average.

Road-debris crash statistics by collision type and severity

  • From 2018–2023, estimated road-debris crashes totaled 319,724: 139,701 striking or struck by a falling object, 145,436 striking a non-fixed object, and 34,586 after avoiding an object. (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • From 2018–2023, estimated road-debris deaths totaled 433: 101 in falling-object crashes, 122 in non-fixed-object crashes, and 210 after avoidance. (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • From 2018–2023, estimated road-debris injuries totaled 32,802: 13,419 from falling-object crashes, 11,114 from non-fixed-object crashes, and 8,269 after avoidance. (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • The annual average was 53,287 road-debris crashes, with a 95% confidence interval of 47,314–59,260 (annual average across 2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • The annual average was 5,467 road-debris injuries, with a 95% confidence interval of 4,825–6,109 (annual average across 2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • The annual average was 72 road-debris deaths, with a 95% confidence interval of 55–89 (annual average across 2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • In the falling-object category, the annual averages were 23,284 crashes, 2,237 injuries and 17 deaths (annual average across 2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • In the non-fixed-object-in-road category, the annual averages were 24,239 crashes, 1,852 injuries and 20 deaths (annual average across 2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • In the avoidance category, the annual averages were 5,764 crashes, 1,378 injuries and 35 deaths (annual average across 2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Nearly 90% of estimated debris-related crashes involved a vehicle striking or being struck by a non-fixed object (2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Avoidance crashes accounted for 25% of injuries and 49% of deaths in the study’s debris-crash estimates (2018–2023). (The Safety Impact of Road…)

AAA describes these as estimated road-debris crashes, not confirmed unsecured-load crashes.

Categories are road-debris mechanisms; unsecured cargo is only one possible debris source.

AAA’s national estimates are inferred from crash-system data and a Michigan narrative review.

Confidence interval reflects the study’s estimation procedure, not a direct census.

Estimate covers road debris broadly, not only unsecured loads.

The category includes any falling object identified by the study, not solely cargo.

The category includes objects already at rest or falling in the roadway.

Avoidance crashes are not limited to unsecured-load sources.

AAA’s wording is approximate and concerns road debris, not unsecured loads alone.

Shares refer to estimated road-debris outcomes across the three crash mechanisms.

  • The study’s 2018–2023 total included 325 K-level crashes involving a vehicle struck by or striking a falling object (United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • The study’s 2018–2023 total included 422 K-level crashes involving a non-fixed object in the road (United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • The study’s 2018–2023 total included 650 K-level crashes after a driver avoided an object (United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Possible-debris A-level injuries numbered 3,008 in falling-object crashes, 2,768 in non-fixed-object crashes and 4,351 in avoidance crashes (2018–2023; United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Possible-debris B-level injuries numbered 9,380 in falling-object crashes, 10,188 in non-fixed-object crashes and 11,614 in avoidance crashes (2018–2023; United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Possible-debris C-level injuries numbered 13,493 in falling-object crashes, 10,656 in non-fixed-object crashes and 12,356 in avoidance crashes (2018–2023; United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Possible-debris property-damage-only crashes numbered 145,909 for falling objects, 185,965 for non-fixed objects and 43,902 for avoidance crashes (2018–2023; United States possible-debris crash sample). (The Safety Impact of Road…)

K denotes the study’s fatal-crash severity category; these are possible-debris cases, not final national estimates.

Possible-debris classification is broader than unsecured cargo.

A-level is the study’s injury-severity category; the table reports possible debris involvement.

B-level is the study’s injury-severity category; the table reports possible debris involvement.

C-level is the study’s injury-severity category; the table reports possible debris involvement.

These are possible-debris cases and do not identify whether cargo was unsecured.

What falls from vehicles: cargo and debris composition statistics

  • In the 426 Michigan crash reports reviewed, vehicle parts were identified in 116 reports and represented a weighted 28.8% of crashes (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Miscellaneous cargo appeared in 67 reviewed Michigan reports and represented a weighted 18.7% of crashes (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Tools and building materials represented a weighted 16.4% of the Michigan crash-report sample (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Natural debris represented a weighted 14.4% of the Michigan crash-report sample (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Road-construction materials represented a weighted 9.1% of the Michigan crash-report sample (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Miscellaneous other debris represented a weighted 7.3% of the Michigan crash-report sample (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)
  • Unknown debris represented a weighted 5.3% of the Michigan crash-report sample (2018–2023 Michigan crash-report review). (The Safety Impact of Road…)

Michigan sample; vehicle parts were mostly tires and are not necessarily unsecured loads.

Miscellaneous cargo included furniture, recreational equipment and grills; the sample is not a national census.

Category includes ladders, lumber, pallets and wheelbarrows; source is a reviewed crash sample.

Natural debris includes trees, branches, dirt and roadkill, so it is not an unsecured-load measure.

Category includes concrete, gravel and rocks and is broader than unsecured cargo.

Residual category; not a direct unsecured-load measure.

Unknown category reflects insufficient description in the crash narrative.

Commercial load-securement violation statistics

The reported fMCSA recorded figures cover United States FMCSA national MCMIS table.

Measurement period FMCSA recorded (violations)
CY2022 748
CY2023 820
CY2024 539
CY2025 139

Source: Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table.

  • FMCSA’s CY2026 year-to-date table recorded 53 no/improper heavy-vehicle or machine securement violations (CY2026 year-to-date snapshot 2026-03-27; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)
  • No/improper securement of vehicles violations were 353 in CY2022, 327 in CY2023 and 262 in CY2024 (CY2022–CY2024; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)
  • No/improper securement of vehicles violations were 88 in CY2025 and 18 in the CY2026 year-to-date snapshot (CY2025 and CY2026 year-to-date snapshot 2026-03-27; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)
  • Light-weight-vehicle improper securement violations rose from 0 in CY2022 to 33 in CY2023, 249 in CY2024 and 441 in CY2025 (CY2022–CY2025; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)
  • The light-weight-vehicle improper-securement category had 276 violations in the CY2026 year-to-date snapshot (CY2026 year-to-date snapshot 2026-03-27; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)
  • No/improper securement of roll-on/roll-off or hook-lift containers was recorded 484 times in CY2022, 525 in CY2023 and 280 in CY2024 (CY2022–CY2024; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)
  • No/improper securement of roll-on/roll-off or hook-lift containers was recorded 35 times in CY2025 and 19 times in CY2026 year-to-date (CY2025 and CY2026 year-to-date snapshot 2026-03-27; United States FMCSA national MCMIS table). (Traffic Enforcement Violations: National Table)

Enforcement counts reflect recorded violations, not prevalence among all loads.

The report is subject to later updates as data are reported.

Partial-year snapshot, not comparable with full calendar years.

Counts combine federal and state entries shown in the table and reflect enforcement activity.

CY2026 is partial-year and the report can be updated.

These are recorded commercial enforcement violations, not all light trucks on the road.

Partial-year snapshot and subject to updates.

Category concerns specified commercial containers, not pickup loads generally.

CY2026 is partial-year and the report is updateable.

Unsecured-load laws, penalties and highway-litter statistics

This is a legal inventory at the time of the GAO review, not a current-law update.

Reported statutory penalties at the time; not amounts actually collected.

GAO noted the figure includes roadway debris generally and cannot isolate unsecured loads.

Based on nine hotspot surveys, interviews and land-use review; not all Utah roads.

Based on nine hotspot surveys and source estimation; not a direct count of unsecured loads.

Regional estimate from selected survey sites.

Table of contents