PLR 23-051 - PMV-4 Mishap Claims One Soldier's Life
A 22-year-old Specialist assigned to Camp Merrill, Georgia, died in a PMV-4 mishap 20 May 2023 at 0200 local. The Soldier was driving back to the barracks from another Soldier's home when his vehicle exited the road while he was negotiating a curve at a high rate of speed. The vehicle became airborne, overturned and contacted multiple trees before hitting a larger tree, causing the vehicle to rotate before landing in a ditch. The Soldier was the sole occupant in the vehicle. Emergency medical services arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene. The Soldier was wearing his seat belt at the time of the mishap. The safety point of contact is awaiting the toxicology report.
Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 18th PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.
Safety tip
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration speeding endangers everyone on the road. In 2021, speeding killed 12,330 people. We all know the frustrations of modern life and juggling a busy schedule, but speed limits are put in place to protect all road users. Learn about the dangers of speeding and why faster doesn’t mean safer.
Dangers of speeding
For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities. In 2021, speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities.
Speed also affects your safety even when you are driving at the speed limit but too fast for road conditions, such as during bad weather, when a road is under repair, or in an area at night that isn’t well lit.
Speeding endangers not only the life of the speeder, but all people on the road around them, including law enforcement officers. It is a problem we all need to help solve.
Alcohol
Every day about 37 people in the United States die in drunk driving crashes — that's one person every 39 minutes. In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths — a 14% increase from 2020. These deaths were all preventable.
How alcohol affects driving ability
Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely.
As alcohol levels rise in a person’s system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Then it passes into the bloodstream where it accumulates until it is metabolized by the liver. A person's alcohol level is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood. This is called blood alcohol concentration (BAC). A BAC of .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter (g/dL) of blood, crash risk increases exponentially. Because of this risk, it’s illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah where the BAC limit is .05.
However, even a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability. In 2021, there were 2,266 people killed in alcohol-related crashes where a driver had a BAC of .01 to .07 g/dL.
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