This happens a lot. I try to avoid all vehicles towing trailers. I will go out of my way to stay far clear of them, especially the large tractor/trailers.
Ditto. I have seen unsecured objects fall from trailers on the interstate more times than I can count...ALWAYS keep your distance.
Absolutely. I HATE being next to any trailer or big rig. In North Idaho, there are log carriers all over and every now and then they spill their loads. You don’t want to get crushed by falling logs.
Like you, I give all big loads and trailers a very wide berth.
I was on the former elevated Skyway coming out of the city of Buffalo. The car in front to our right had a sheet of plywood tied to the roof with some string. It came of and smashed into the car next to us. The car kept going. We followed it and called it into the police.
This was in the 1980s before cell phones.
A friend was following a truck full of lumber. He braked hard and the boards flew off the bed of the truck and went thru her windshield. She got hit right below her eye socket. They did a good job of putting her face back together but took many surgeries. Don’t know if the guy had insurance or any more of the details.
I carry some crazy stuff on the rack that goes into my hitch receiver. Rated up to 200kg. Most recent large object was a small gun safe from Costco, maybe 250#.
I also have lots of cinch straps and know how to use them. There was plenty of extra strap capacity.
But your point is well taken. A lot of folks are clueless on securing loads.