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    Trust Your Training 0 Military Ops & Training
    USACRC Editor

    Trust Your Training

    There are good reasons emergency procedures (EPs) are developed, committed to memory and rehearsed before conducting training or combat operations. The moment an emergency occurs is not the time to become creative or develop a better way to...
    An Accident Waiting to Happen 0 PMV-2
    USACRC Editor

    An Accident Waiting to Happen

    I could feel my SUV pulling to the right as the road noise grew louder. Because my vehicle was less than a year old, my supervisor gave it only a quick inspection before I took off. That’s not to say we pencil-whipped it, but we definitely...
    Build a Solid Foundation 0 Aviation
    USACRC Editor

    Build a Solid Foundation

    Under night vision goggles (NVGs), none of us could tell the area I picked was going to be soft, deep sand that grabbed us by the wheels the second we touched down. As the aircraft abruptly stopped, all of us were thrown forward and caught by our...
    NTC Best Practices 0 Military Ops & Training
    USACRC Editor

    NTC Best Practices

    The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Dagger,” 1st Infantry Division, executed a successful and safer-than-average large-scale combat operations (LSCO) National Training Center (NTC) rotation recently, primarily due to a deliberate...

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    Free and Clear

    Free and Clear

    JOHN M. BILLIAR
    Command Safety Office
    Fort Drum, New York

    It was 5:37 p.m. Just 23 minutes more (but who’s counting?) and I’d be on my way home. Then the motor sergeant walked in and directed me to move a trailer before I left. I begrudgingly headed outside only to find it snowing so heavily that every truck in the parking lot was blanketed in fresh powder. Being smarter than the average Joe, I had a brilliant idea. Instead of taking the time to warm the truck and clear the snow and ice, I would just roll down the window, drive with my head out and still be off duty on time. I hadn’t even driven 100 yards when I ran into a forklift someone left in the road. Needless to say, I didn’t get off duty on time.

    This less-than-stellar moment in my career happened many years ago. Back then, I knew that not clearing the windows was a stupid move, but I still felt I was incredibly unlucky that someone left a forklift in the road. Then I read a newspaper article that changed my belief that I was simply a victim of bad luck.

    The article stated that a 21-year-old man — the same age I was when I had my accident — pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular homicide for running over and killing an 85-year-old woman. Witnesses said they saw the man driving down the street with his head out the window because he couldn’t see through his frost-covered windshield. The driver told the police he never saw the woman because she was jaywalking across the street from his right. After reading the article, I realized my failure to assess the risk of my actions could have been much worse.

    Operating a vehicle with your head out the window may be the extreme in irresponsible winter driving, but if you live up north, you are sure to see motorists showcasing their “peephole driving” skills. Peephole driving is the death-defying act of peering through a Frisbee-sized porthole in the windshield. These drivers believe this enables them to still see pedestrians at crosswalks, cars in adjacent lanes, animals darting across streets or maybe even a forklift on the side of the road. Driving in snow and ice is already dangerous. Why make it worse by failing to clear the snow or frost off your vehicle?

    During winter, the most important thing a driver can do is to plan for extra travel time. This includes taking care of your vehicle before you leave the driveway. Make sure every glass surface is clear and transparent by using a snowbrush and/or ice scraper. Your side-view mirrors and all lights should be brushed and cleared as well. After all, you need just as much, if not more, visibility in poor conditions because of increased stopping distances and other drivers that fail to adapt to the slick road surface. A smart driver takes it a step further, though, and clears off the snow from the entire car. Failing to do so could result in the snow you left on the roof either sliding down and covering your windshield as you're slowing down or flying off onto someone else’s windshield, causing them to crash into you or another vehicle.

    Operating a vehicle without clearing off the snow and ice is not only dangerous, but also against the law in some states. And if you’re driving a military vehicle, you’re just plain wrong. If snow or ice on a vehicle contributes to a mishap, whether it’s due to you or someone else exercising poor judgment or actions, it’s not bad luck. It’s irresponsible and shows a total disregard for others’ safety. Take a couple extra minutes to do what’s right. Clear off those vehicles so you get to your destination safe and sound.

     

    • 15 December 2024
    • Author: USACRC Editor
    • Number of views: 439
    • Comments: 0
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