An 18-year-old Private assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, died in a PMV-4 mishap 1 January 2024 in Gaffney, South Carolina, at 0020 local. The Soldier was on block leave returning to the installation in a vehicle driven by a civilian. The vehicle crossed the centerline and collided with another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. The South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene and pronounced both the Soldier and driver dead. Reportedly the Soldier was wearing his seat belt but not the driver. Speed was likely a contributing factor. It is unknown if alcohol was involved.

Since FY19, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 11th fatality of FY24 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Speeding and alcohol impairment often coincide; this varies with driver age. While 24% of speeding drivers under age 21 involved in fatal crashes are alcohol impaired (BAC = 0.08+ g/dL), 40% or more in the 21 to 54 age groups are impaired. The percent of alcohol-impaired drivers falls sharply to 33% among 55-64-year-old drivers and continues to decline as the driver’s age increases.

The proportion of speeding-related crashes to all fatal crashes in 2021 decreased as the age of the driver increased. The proportion of female drivers who were speeding is smaller than male drivers across all age groups. Young male drivers in the 15-20 and 21-24-year age groups were the most likely to be speeding at the time of fatal crashes. In 2021, at least 31% of male drivers in these age groups that were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash, compared to 19% of female drivers in these two youngest age groups.

Data provide by National Safety Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.