You’re taking the giant donation pile to the thrift store. Maybe you’re helping someone move. You pile it all into the pickup bed.

You know you have to secure your load. But what does that really mean? Does that require a tarp?

Unless you’re going to the dump, the answer is “not necessarily” — which is not very helpful. And after reading today’s column, you might want to use one anyway, no matter how good your Tetris-like packing skills.

The Back to Driving School takeaway? Better to be on the safe side.

“They are not required to tarp or strap their load; however, if an officer sees what he or she believes are items unsecured, they can be cited for it (expect them to document it with photographs),” Trooper Mark Francis said. “What people don’t realize is that bumps in the road or wind can shift the load and then make it unsecure.”

Even where state law offers an explicit exemption for covers, there’s no guarantee. State law allows loads of dirt, sand or gravel to go uncovered if drivers maintain six inches of freeboard. That’s the distance from the top of the load to the top of the truck or trailer bed.

“However, you can still have that freeboard and still loose rocks or dirt and therefore be cited or arrested,” Francis said.

A cover is required if you’re taking a load to the dump. Snohomish County Public Works requires that loads be “properly covered with a tarp or net and secured with rope, bungee cords, netting or straps,” according to JR Myers, a Snohomish County Public Works solid waste project specialist.

Vehicles arriving at Snohomish County solid waste and recycling facilities with unsecured loads are fined, from $5 to $10.

A little more than 600 customers were fined by Snohomish County through June this year for unsecured loads, with fines totaling about $3,300. They represented just 0.2 percent of the total number of loads that came in to county facilities over those six months.

In general, there’s good reason to take extra precautions.

Nationally, more than 200,000 crashes involved debris on U.S. roadways over the last four years, according to research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. There were 39,000 injuries and more than 500 deaths between 2011 and 2014.

About two-thirds of debris-related crashes were the result of items falling from a vehicle due to improper maintenance and unsecured loads. That’s up 40 percent since 2001, the first year the foundation studied the issue.

The most common types of vehicle debris are parts of the vehicle itself, such as tires or wheels, or tow trailers becoming separated. But debris from unsecured loads also were a top source.

Every state now has a law that requires drivers to secure their loads.

Washington lawmakers passed Maria’s Law in 2005. If a person’s failure to properly secure a load results in injury or death, offenders can face fines of up to $5,000 and prison time. Even if no one’s hurt, litter laws also can bring fines, starting at over $100.

Drivers in general should maintain a cushion of space around their vehicle and keep a safe following distance from other vehicles.

“Continually searching the road at least 12 to 15 seconds ahead can help drivers be prepared in the case of debris,” said William Van Tassel, manager of Driver Training Programs for AAA. “Always try to maintain open space on at least one side of your vehicle in case you need to steer around an object. If you see you are unable to avoid debris on the roadway, safely reduce your speed as much as possible before making contact.”

The Washington Department of Ecology and Washington State Patrol offer informational videos on how to secure loads on YouTube (search “Washington state secure your load”) and at www.litter.wa.gov/secure.html.

How to secure a load

Tips on how to secure a load from a Washington State Patrol and Department of Ecology video at youtu.be/aFk45Sbye3o:

• Don’t exceed your vehicle’s weight limits

• Make sure the tailgate closes securely and will stay that way

• Balance items and strap large items directly to the vehicle to prevent shifting

• Try to keep items below the top edge of the truck bed or trailer to better resist wind

• Use straps, ropes or chains that are in good condition, preferably webbed straps with tightening ratchets that are rated for twice the weight of your load

• Cargo netting is good for holding smaller, lighter items in place

• Consider other tools to prevent shifting, such as cargo bars, non-skid mats and weights

• When everything’s secure, consider covering it all with a tarp

Another video suggests lining a trailer or truck bed with a large tarp before loading items, then bringing the edges of the tarp up and over the items and putting straps over all.

Find past topics in the Back to Driving School series on the Street Smarts blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/street-smarts.