A 20-year-old Private First Class assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, died in a PMV-4 mishap 28 May 2023 on the installation at 0200 local. The Soldier was riding with four other Soldiers when their sedan (Vehicle 1) struck a curb and collided with a truck (Vehicle 2) carrying three occupants and traveling in the opposite direction. Two Soldiers were ejected from Vehicle 1. Emergency medical services transported all passengers to the local hospital for treatment and evaluation. One Soldier in Vehicle 1 was pronounced dead, and the driver is hospitalized in stable condition with serious injuries. The three other passengers in Vehicle 1 sustained minor injuries and were released. The driver of Vehicle 2 suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken ankle, while the truck passengers were evaluated and released. Three of the five Soldiers in Vehicle 1 were wearing seat belts. The safety point of contact is awaiting toxicology results.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 19th PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip
Every day, about 37 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes. In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths — a 14% increase from 2020. These deaths were all preventable.

Driving after drinking
Driving after drinking is deadly, — yet it continues to happen across the United States. If you drive while impaired, you could get arrested or, worse, be involved in a traffic crash that causes serious injury or death.

About 31% of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher). In 2021, there were 13,384 people killed in these preventable crashes. In fact, on average, over the 10-year period from 2012-2021, about 10,850 people died every year in drunk-driving crashes.

In every state, it’s illegal to drive drunk, yet one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 39 minutes in the United States in 2021.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for teens and about a quarter of fatal crashes involve an underage drinking driver. In 2021, 27% of young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes had BACs of .01 g/dL or higher.

To reduce alcohol-related fatal crashes among youth, all states have adopted a minimum legal drinking age of 21. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that minimum-drinking-age laws have saved 31,959 lives from 1975 to 2017.

In 2021, the highest percentage of drunk drivers (with BACs of .08 g/dL or higher) were the 21- to 24-year-old age group and 25- to 34-year-old age group. Men are most likely to be involved in this type of crash, with four male drunk drivers for every female drunk driver.

Tips provided by NHTSA

 

ANALYZE IT   |   TRAIN IT   |   DOWNLOAD PDF