ROAD RUBBLE A BIG HAZARD TO DRIVERS CHP BATTLES JUNK ON FREEWAYS.

Byline: Nathan Kurz Special to the Daily News

From runaway chickens to fresh produce, mattresses to ladders, there's always a plethora of potentially dangerous debris during the summer for freeway travelers.

Though there is no agency that tracks the number of accidents caused by freeway debris, any freeway rubble certainly represents a major road hazard for motorists driving at high speeds.

It's a given that on a daily basis, a California Highway Patrol officer has to clear debris from the freeway.

``You name it, we've seen it,'' said CHP Officer Wendy Hahn of the Newhall station. ``If you've seen it in someone's truck, it's probably been on the freeway before.''

And there are even commodities you might not expect. Officer Steve Coombs has seen several tons of cheese spilled on the Golden State Freeway. Michael Myles, director of maintenance for the state Department of Transportation, encountered a missile and a dead horse.

More common objects are mattresses, ladders, tires and everyday trash. According to Myles, most of the trash on freeway shoulders has been thrown out windows by male drivers from 18 to 25 years old.

The standard police procedure for cleaning up freeway debris - called an 11-25 in police lingo - is fairly simple. Two units will approach the scene. One car will weave in and out of traffic to create a ``traffic break.''

Meanwhile, with the freeway temporarily clear of traffic, the second officer will remove the rubble from the roadway.

Caltrans is also responsible for freeway cleanup, whether it be through its sweeping program, Adopt-a-Highway program or community service court referrals. Myles says Caltrans picks up enough debris to fill the Los Angeles Coliseum 11 feet deep.

If you are a motorist who loses something that was secured to your car on the freeway, the best course of action is to pull over on the right shoulder and call the California Highway Patrol, according to Coombs.

``Trying to remove the debris yourself is just about the most dangerous thing you could do,'' he said.

Coombs believes drivers too often load their vehicles beyond their capacities, frequently causing secured objects to spring loose onto the road. In his experience, it is the number one mistake made by motorists when packing heavy objects.

``You've got people overloading vehicles in ways that (they) are not meant to be loaded,'' he said. ``You don't put two mattresses in a Nissan Sentra.''

Additionally, Coombs says drivers regularly swerve away from freeway debris, often causing collisions, when they should be employing other methods.

``Their first reaction is to swerve,'' he said.

Instead, Coombs says, drivers need to stay at the speed limit and create what he calls a ``defensible gap'' - giving enough room on all sides of the car so that they can safely slow or change lanes without causing accidents.

This can only be achieved if the driver maintains what he calls a ``high visual horizon'' or, in other words, a great awareness of what's going on a half-mile down the road.

``That way, the driver has plenty of time to react,'' Coombs said.