A Specialist assigned to Fort Rucker, Alabama, died in a PMV-2 mishap 8 October 2020 in Newton, Alabama, at 1625 local. The Soldier was operating his motorcycle when he collided with a vehicle that pulled out in front of him. He was transported to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Soldier was wearing all required personal protective equipment and had completed the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic RiderCourse I and II. The mishap is under investigation.

Since 2016, the Army has lost an average of 28 Soldiers a year to PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap is the first PMV-2 fatality of FY21 and above the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.


Motorcycles have use of the complete traffic lane. Do not share lanes with motorcycles.

Failure to yield the right-of-way to a motorcyclist is the most frequent driver error in collisions involving a motorcycle and another vehicle.

Drivers often do not see motorcyclists until it is too late. This is why it is important for drivers to continually scan the roadway in front, to the rear and to the sides.

Motorcycles accelerate, turn and stop more quickly than other vehicles. Bad weather, rough road surfaces or inexperience may cause a motorcyclist to fall. All of these are reasons why you should increase your following distance to four seconds or more when behind motorcycles.


Create a space cushion around your vehicle.

A space cushion is a buffer around your vehicle that you maintain to allow room to maneuver, if necessary. Know what is in your space cushion, scan frequently and maintain awareness of other vehicles.

Keep at least a three-second following distance in front of you – four or five seconds in inclement weather.

If another vehicle is tailgating you, use your turn signal and change lanes as soon as it is safe to do so.

If a driver near you is driving erratically or aggressively, put distance between you and the other driver by slowing down or changing lanes.

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