Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A Specialist assigned to Camp Humphreys, South Korea, died in a PMV-4 mishap 21 August 2022 in Pyeongtaek-Si, South Korea, at 0143 local. The USAG-Humphreys AP Provost Marshal Office was notified by traffic investigators of a possible drunk driving-related traffic accident resulting in a fatality. The driver failed to maintain their lane and struck a guardrail. The mishap Soldier (passenger) was ejected from the vehicle and found unresponsive at the scene of the accident and later declared dead.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 27th PMV-4 fatality of FY22 and below the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.


Buckle-up

-One of the safest choices drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt – the national use rate was at 90.3% in 2020. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017.

-Of those killed during the nighttime in 2019, 55% were unrestrained. In the instant you buckle up when driving or riding in the front seat of a car or truck, you cut your risk of a fatal injury in a crash nearly in half. That’s a massive return on the investment of the brief moment it takes to put on a seat belt.

-Seat belts are the single-most effective safety technology in the history of the automobile. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study of lives saved by vehicle technologies found that, between 1960 and 2012, seat belts saved more lives — 329,715, to be exact — than all other vehicle technologies combined, including air bags, energy-absorbing steering assemblies and electronic stability control.

-Every day, about 28 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 52 minutes. In 2019, these deaths reached the lowest percentage since 1982 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started reporting alcohol data — but still, 10,142 people lost their lives. These deaths were all preventable.


Drinking and driving is a serious offense in Korea

-Driving while intoxicated (this means a blood alcohol level of over 0.05%) is punishable by imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of up to 3 million won.
-Driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.05-0.35% is punishable by law, and those with over 0.36% are arrested and detained.
-Anyone who has been caught drinking and driving on three previous occasions is automatically detained, regardless of the degree of intoxication.
-Penalties:
*Drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.05% to 0.09% will have their license suspended for 100 days.
*Those found with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.10% or more than 0.05% when involved in an accident resulting in loss of life will have their license revoked.
*Drivers who refuse an alcohol level test face cancellation of their license.

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A 29-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, on deployment orders in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, died in a PMV-4 mishap 27 July 2022 in Klaipeda, Lithuania, at 1800 local. The Soldier was operating a rented vehicle and was stopped at a drawbridge while it was in the raised position. The vehicle moved forward into the open gap, falling into the Dane River. Local divers recovered the Soldier’s body shortly after the event; however, the cause of death is still undetermined. This mishap is under investigation by the Lithuanian authorities.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to off-duty PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 26th PMV-4 fatality of FY22.

 

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A 29-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, died in a PMV-4 mishap 2 August 2022 in Temple, Texas, at 0500 local. The Soldier was reportedly traveling northbound and was involved in a three-vehicle crash. The Temple Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) discovered the Soldier dead when they arrived on the scene. Specific information about the mishap is currently unavailable. The safety/unit points of contact are waiting for the TDPS to release its final report.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 24th PMV-4 fatality of FY22 and below the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

 

A 21-year-old Specialist assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, died in a PMV-4 mishap that occurred 23 July 2022 in Lake City, South Carolina, at 0545 local. The Soldier was traveling westbound when he crossed the centerline and collided with an SUV traveling eastbound. He sustained severe injuries to his head, abdomen, and left ankle and was medically evacuated to the local hospital. The two occupants of the SUV were pronounced dead on the scene. The Soldier died 1 August during surgery. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s (SCDPS) initial report, speed was a contributing factor; however, the use of a seat belt and the involvement of alcohol and drugs are currently unknown. The mishap is still under investigation by the SCDPS.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 23rd PMV-4 fatality of FY22 and below the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

Speeding is more than just breaking the law. The consequences are far-ranging:

•Greater potential for loss of vehicle control.
•Reduced effectiveness of occupant protection equipment.
•Increased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger.
•Increased degree of crash severity leading to more severe injuries.
•Economic implications of a speed-related crash; and increased fuel consumption/cost.

For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities. In 2017, speeding was a contributing factor in 26% 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.

Impact of Drowsiness on Driving

Driving while drowsy is similar to driving under the influence of alcohol:
•Drivers’ reaction times, awareness of hazards and ability to sustain attention all worsen the drowsier the driver..
•Driving after going more than 20 hours without sleep is the equivalent of driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% – the U.S. legal limit.
•You are three times more likely to be in a car crash if you are fatigued.

A driver might not even know when he or she is fatigued because signs of fatigue are hard to identify. Some people may also experience micro-sleep – short, involuntary periods of inattention. In the 4 or 5 seconds a driver experiences micro-sleep, at highway speed, the vehicle will travel the length of a football field.