Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A 24-year-old Sergeant assigned to Fort Stewart, GA, died in a PMV-4 mishap 13 September 2024 while on leave in Buena Vista, Georgia, at 0136 local. The Soldier was driving his vehicle when it left the roadway and struck a tree. Seat belt use, speed, and alcohol or drug involvement are currently unknown.

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

Safety tip

Drowsy driving kills — but is preventable. Learn about three factors commonly associated with drowsy-driving crashes and pick up some helpful tips to avoid falling asleep at the wheel. In this section, you’ll also find several resources and learn what National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is doing to help eliminate this risky behavior.

Sleepiness can result in crashes any time day or night, but three factors are most commonly associated with drowsy-driving crashes.

Drowsy-driving crashes:

1. Occur most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late afternoon. At both times of the day, people experience dips in their circadian rhythm — the human body’s internal clock that regulates sleep;
2. Often involve only a single driver (and no passengers) running off the road at a high rate of speed with no evidence of braking; and
3. Frequently occur on rural roads and highways.

How To Avoid Driving Drowsy

1. Getting adequate sleep on a daily basis is the only true way to protect yourself against the risks of driving when you’re drowsy. Experts urge consumers to make it a priority to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. For more information on healthy sleep, see In Brief: Your Guide to Healthy Sleep (PDF, 1.81 MB) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website.
2. Before the start of a long family car trip, get a good night’s sleep, or you could put your entire family and others at risk.
3. Many teens do not get enough sleep at a stage in life when their biological need for sleep increases, which makes them vulnerable to the risk of drowsy-driving crashes, especially on longer trips. Advise your teens to delay driving until they’re well-rested.
4. Avoid drinking any alcohol before driving. Consumption of alcohol interacts with sleepiness to increase drowsiness and impairment.
5. Always check your prescription and over-the-counter medication labels to see if drowsiness could result from their use.
6. If you take medications that could cause drowsiness as a side effect, use public transportation when possible.
7. If you drive, avoid driving during the peak sleepiness periods (midnight – 6 a.m. and late afternoon). If you must drive during the peak sleepiness periods, stay vigilant for signs of drowsiness, such as crossing over roadway lines or hitting a rumble strip, especially if you’re driving alone.

SHORT-TERM INTERVENTIONS

1. Drinking coffee or energy drinks alone is not always enough. They might help you feel more alert, but the effects last only a short time, and you might not be as alert as you think you are. If you drink coffee and are seriously sleep deprived, you still may have “micro sleeps” or brief losses of consciousness that can last for four or five seconds. This means that at 55 miles per hour, you’ve traveled more than 100 yards down the road while asleep. That’s plenty of time to cause a crash.
2. If you start to get sleepy while you’re driving, drink one to two cups of coffee and pull over for a short 20-minute nap in a safe place, such as a lighted, designated rest stop. This has been shown to increase alertness in scientific studies, but only for short time periods.

Tips provided by NHTSA.

A 26-year-old Specialist assigned to Fort Drum, New York, died in a PMV-2 mishap 15 September 2024 in Evans Mills, New York, at 1700 local. The Soldier was riding his motorcycle when he lost control, exited the roadway and struck a drainage ditch. He was reportedly wearing the proper personal protective equipment. Speed, alcohol/drug use and training are currently unknown. The New York State Police are leading the investigation.

Since FY19, the Army has lost an average of 28 Soldiers a year to PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the 34th PMV-2 fatality of FY24 and below the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety tip

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a crash to be speeding-related if any driver involved in the crash is charged with a speeding-related offense or if a police officer indicates that racing, driving too fast for conditions or exceeding the posted speed limit was a contributing factor in the crash. Speeding-related fatalities have generally decreased over the last decade, as shown in the figure below. However, speeding and racing increased during the early months of the pandemic in 2020. In 2021, there were 12,330 speeding-related fatalities, an increase of 8% from the 11,428 fatalities in 2020 (Stewart, 2023). Speeding was a contributing factor for 29% of fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States in 2021, the highest percentage since 2013 (NCSA, 2022; Stewart, 2023 ). Speeding is legally defined by States and municipalities in terms of a “basic speed rule” and statutory maximum speed limits. The basic speed rule generally requires drivers to operate a vehicle at a speed that is reasonable and prudent for roadway conditions. Deciding to take enforcement action is at the law enforcement officer’s discretion, which may be affected by weather, surface conditions, traffic volume, and special locations (e.g., work zones, school zones, or other environmental conditions). Statutory speed limits set maximum limits for different types of roads, and generally apply to all roads of that type even when the limits are not posted. Generally applicable limits can be superseded by specific limits posted for roadway segments, usually determined by an engineering study.

Speeding can be dangerous on all types of roads, but particularly on non-interstate rural and urban roadways. In 2020 some 38% of speeding-related fatalities occurred on non-interstate rural roadways, another 49% on non-interstate urban roadways, 8% on interstate urban roadways, and 5% on interstate rural roadways (NCSA, 2022). These percentages do not, however, account for the extent of miles of each road type or VMT on these different road types.

Drivers widely admit to speeding in national surveys. Forty-three percent of drivers in a nationally representative online survey reported driving more than 15 mph over the limit on a freeway in the past month (AAAFTS, 2016). Almost the same percentage admitted to speeding more than 10 mph over the limit on a residential street within the past month.

Speeding becomes an element of aggressive driving when a vehicle’s speed substantially exceeds the prevailing travel speeds of other vehicles, and other driving behaviors contribute to unsafe conditions, such as tailgating, weaving, and rapid lane changes. Speeding is a more clearly defined problem than aggressive driving, and strategies to reduce speeding (and other serious traffic law violations) may provide a means to address the problem of aggressive driving. However, speeding is among the most complex traffic safety issues to address and requires a multi-disciplinary approach.

Tips provided by NHTSA.

A 20-year-old Private First Class assigned to Fort Liberty, North Carolina, died in a military parachuting mishap 12 September 2024 on Fort Johnson, Louisiana, at 2322 local. The Soldier was conducting a training jump when he experienced a malfunction of a T-11 main parachute during an airborne operation after exiting the C-17 aircraft. The Soldier was airlifted to the local community hospital where he died. The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center is leading an investigation into the mishap.

Since FY19, the Army has lost an average of one Soldier a year to military parachuting mishaps. This mishap was the first military parachuting fatality of FY24 and equal to the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

A 36-year-old Sergeant First Class assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, died in a PMV-4 mishap 5 May 2024 in Tyler, Texas, at 0700 local. The Soldier was riding in a vehicle traveling westbound on the highway when a semi-truck traveling eastbound attempted to pass other vehicles and struck them head-on. The specific circumstances of the mishap are currently unknown.

Since FY19, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 34th off-duty PMV-4 mishap of FY24 and below the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip

In 2019, head-on motor vehicle collisions were responsible for nearly 30% of the 16,700 U.S. roadway deaths that resulted from crashes with other vehicles, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).

You can help prevent a potential head-on collision before it occurs. The NSC has developed a lifesaving method for drivers to use: The four R’s.

Read the road ahead. Scan ahead to the top of the next hill, curve or intersection to recognize hazards. This’ll help you see and react faster if an oncoming vehicle crosses the centerline. Also, check the shoulder of the road to see if you’ve got room to pull over. Watch the space between the left front tire of any approaching vehicle and the center line. If the spacing is becoming smaller, that vehicle may be about to stray into your lane.

Drive to the right. Drive slightly to the right of center of your lane to create an extra space between you and other vehicles. On multi-lane roadways, leave one lane to the left open. When facing a head-on collision, drive right, onto the shoulder. Never swerve into the left lane. If the other driver instinctively pulls their vehicle back into the proper lane, you’ll have a collision in that lane.

Reduce your speed. If you see a hazard ahead, immediately reduce your speed. This gives you extra time and gives the oncoming driver time to recover and move back into the correct lane. Don’t slam on the brakes or swerve. And never stop your vehicle. If you stop completely, you may be struck from behind – and potentially pushed forward into the oncoming vehicle.

Ride off the road. If you have to choose between a head-on collision and riding onto the shoulder, your chances of survival are much better on the shoulder. If you must hit something, steer your vehicle to hit the object with a glancing blow rather than head-on. Every inch off center reduces the impact of the collision – and increases your chance for survival.