Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A 26-year-old Specialist assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, died following a motorcycle mishap on 16 July 2026 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at 2248 local. The Soldier was traveling on the interstate when he struck a concrete barrier. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Additional information is currently unavailable.

Since FY21, the Army has lost an average of 31 Soldiers a year to motorcycle mishaps. This mishap was the 23rd motorcycle fatality of FY26 and below the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety Tips

Motorcycle and highway safety is an active, shared responsibility across the entire formation, requiring riders to master defensive discipline and passenger vehicle drivers to maintain uncompromising situational awareness.

Safety Tips for Motorcycle Riders

• Scan and Adjust for Night Operations (SEE Process): At 2248 local and during late-night highway travel, low-light conditions severely degrade sight distance, depth perception, and contrast. Riders must actively employ the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Search, Evaluate, and Execute (SEE) process to identify interstate road hazards, expansion joints, cold asphalt, and debris well before they enter the motorcycle’s path of travel.
• Strict ATGATT Discipline (All The Gear, All The Time): Always ride fully equipped in certified protective equipment, including an impact-tested full-face helmet (DOT/ECE 22.06 or Snell-certified), abrasion-resistant jacket and pants with CE rated armor (Level 1 or 2), sturdy over-the-ankle boots, and full-fingered reinforced gloves to maximize impact protection and slide survivability at highway speeds.
• Maintain PMP Currency and Unit MSPC Engagement: Ensure mandatory Army Progressive Motorcycle Program (PMP) training requirements (Level I: Basic RiderCourse, Level II: Basic RiderCourse2 or Advanced RiderCourse) are current and documented. Actively coordinate with your battalion-level motorcycle safety program coordinator (MSPC) for mentorship rides, seasonal refresher briefings, and pre-ride T-CLOCS inspections.

Safety Tips for Passenger Vehicle Drivers

• Execute “Look Twice” Protocols at Intersections and Merges: Take a dedicated, intentional second scan before changing lanes or entering highway on ramps. Actively search for the narrow, single-headlight profile and silhouette of an approaching motorcycle.
• Eliminate Blind Spots and Check Mirrors Early: Motorcycles can disappear completely behind vehicle door pillars, window frames, and rear quarter-panels. Physically turn your head to check blind spots and signal intentions at least three to four seconds prior to initiating lane changes.
• Respect Left-Turn Hazards and Closing Speeds: Because of a motorcycle’s smaller visual profile, the human eye frequently misjudges closing speed and distance, creating an optical illusion that the rider is further away and moving slower than in reality. Never rush a left turn across opposing traffic or cut off a rider’s right-of-way.

Resources/Tools

• U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center (USACRC): The official hub for Army safety guidelines, regulations, safety tools and mishap reporting. Visit https://safety.army.mil.
• DoD Instruction 6055.04, DoD Motorcycle Vehicle and Traffic Safety Program: Implements policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes procedures for administering the DoD Motor Vehicle Safety Program to reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage caused by vehicular mishaps. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD.
• Army Regulation 385-10, The Army Safety and Occupational Health Program: Prescribes policy, responsibilities and procedures for safeguarding Army personnel and property, including PMV safety requirements.
• Travel Risk Planning System (TRiPS): An online tool designed to help Soldiers plan travel routes, analyze driving risks and mitigate fatigue prior to leave or pass travel. Visit https://trips.safety.army.mil.
• Motorcycle Safety Foundation: Offers valuable resources, riding tips and safety curricula for motorcycle operators. Visit https://www.msf-usa.org.

A 40-year-old Master Sergeant assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, died in a motorcycle mishap 8 September 2026 on the installation at 1200 local. The Soldier was returning from an off-post lunch when his motorcycle collided with a passenger car, resulting in a severe leg injury. A bystander applied a tourniquet to the Soldier’s leg, and emergency medical services responded to the scene. The Soldier was transported to a local emergency room, where he underwent surgery. During surgery, he suffered a stroke and died. Additional information is currently unavailable.

Since FY21, the Army has lost an average of 31 Soldiers a year to motorcycle mishaps. This mishap was the 22nd motorcycle fatality of FY26 and below the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety Tips

Critical Takeaways for All Soldiers

• Routine routes carry high risk: Midday routine travel, lunch runs and short transit trips often invite complacency. Hazards do not disappear because a route is familiar or close to base.
• Intersection and urban dynamics: Midday traffic leading to and on military installations features high-density merging, turning vehicles and distracted drivers. Riders must maintain total situational awareness and anticipate unexpected movements from four-wheeled vehicles.
• Impact of lower extremity protection: Motorcycle collisions frequently exert severe crush and impact forces on the lower body. High-grade armored riding boots and impact-rated pants provide vital protection against crush injuries, compound fractures and severe lacerations.
• Immediate first-aid readiness: The application of a tourniquet at the scene highlights the critical importance of battlefield first-aid skills. Every Soldier and rider should carry trauma medical supplies and maintain proficiency in applying them.

All The Gear, All The Time (ATGATT)

• Head and eye protection: Always wear a Department of Transportation (DOT), SNELL or ECE 22.05/22.06-approved full-face or modular helmet, securely fastened. Ensure shatter-resistant eye protection is worn if riding with an open face shield.
• Abrasion resistance and body armor: Wear a heavy-duty motorcycle jacket and riding pants constructed of leather or abrasion-resistant synthetic materials (such as Cordura or Kevlar) equipped with CE-rated impact armor in the shoulders, elbows, back, hips and knees.
• Hands and footwear: Wear full-fingered, abrasion-resistant gloves with palm and knuckle protection, along with sturdy, over-the-ankle leather boots with non-slip soles.
• High visibility: Incorporate retro-reflective and brightly colored outer garments during daylight, dusk, dawn and nighttime operations to maximize visibility to other motorists.

Defensive Riding and Intersection Awareness

• Apply the S.E.E. strategy: Continuously Search the riding environment 12 seconds ahead for hazards, Evaluate potential conflict points (cross-traffic, blind spots, turning vehicles) and Execute decisive control actions (adjusting speed, lane position or route).
• Intersection vigilance: The vast majority of multi-vehicle motorcycle mishaps occur at intersections where drivers turn across a rider’s path. Cover your brakes, reduce speed, establish lane dominance and maintain escape routes when approaching intersections, driveways or access control points.
• Buffer zones and space cushions: Maintain at least a three- to four-second following distance behind vehicles in front of you. Never linger in passenger car blind spots or ride directly alongside other vehicles.
• Speed management and predictability: Obey posted installation and municipal speed limits. Adjust speed for curves, traffic congestion and sightlines. Signal early and brake smoothly to communicate intentions clearly.

Official Safety and Training Resources

• U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center (USACRC): The official hub for Army safety guidelines, regulations, safety tools and mishap reporting. Visit https://safety.army.mil.
• DoD Instruction 6055.04, DoD Motorcycle Vehicle and Traffic Safety Program: Implements policy, assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures for administering the DoD Motor Vehicle Safety Program. Visit https://www.esd.whs.mil/DD.
• Army Regulation 385-10, The Army Safety and Occupational Health Program: Prescribes policy, responsibilities and procedures for safeguarding Army personnel and property, including PMV safety requirements.
• Travel Risk Planning System (TRiPS): An online tool designed to help Soldiers plan travel routes, analyze driving risks and mitigate fatigue prior to leave or pass travel. Visit https://trips.safety.army.mil.
• Motorcycle Safety Foundation: Offers valuable resources, riding tips and safety curricula for motorcycle operators. Visit https://www.msf-usa.org.

A Private First Class assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, died in a Government Motor Vehicle (GMV) mishap 14 September 2026 on the installation at 1800 local. The Soldier was operating an M997A3 that departed a dirt tank trail and came to rest on the passenger side. The Soldier was pronounced dead at the mishap site by first responders. A second Soldier was transported to the installation hospital for treatment. Additional information is currently unavailable.

Since FY21, the Army has lost an average of five Soldiers a year to on-duty GMV mishaps. This mishap was the fifth on-duty GMV fatality of FY26 and below the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety Tips

Operator Discipline and High-Risk Driving Factors

• Mandatory 100% Restraint Compliance: Ensure drivers and all passengers are securely fastened in factory three-point harnesses before the vehicle moves. Seat belts remain the single most decisive factor in preventing fatal ejections, severe head trauma, and lethal blunt-force injuries during abrupt rollovers and tank-trail departure events.
• Terrain-Disciplined Speed and Rollover Awareness: Match tactical vehicle speed strictly to unpaved surface conditions, visibility, and vehicle architecture. High-center-of-gravity platforms such as the armored M997A3 possess narrow rollover thresholds, demanding deliberate steering inputs, disciplined deceleration, and heightened caution along soft shoulders, ruts, and washed-out trail edges.
• Active Crew Coordination and Anti-Distraction Discipline: Enforce an absolute zero-tolerance standard for mobile phone and personal device use during operation, foster continuous vehicle commander and driver crosstalk regarding ground navigation and surface hazards, and empower Soldiers of all ranks to immediately call a halt if speed, fatigue, or trail conditions compromise crew safety.

GMV Readiness and Mission/Trip Planning

• Rigorous Before-Operation PMCS: Conduct disciplined preventive maintenance checks and services prior to dispatch, giving rigorous technical scrutiny to tire pressure, tread wear, steering linkage integrity, suspension stability, and full brake responsiveness under loaded armor configurations.
• Targeted Route Reconnaissance and Ground Hazard Identification: Review terrain profiles, grade changes, culverts, drainage ditches, and loose gravel corridors during pre-mission safety briefs to anticipate unstable trail shoulders prior to driving during low-visibility transition windows such as dusk (1800 hours).
• Environmental and Adverse Condition Adjustments: Expand following distances and decelerate well below posted tactical speeds during low-sun glare, heavy dust, rain, or slick surface conditions, ensuring all vehicle lights are operational and clean to clearly delineate trail boundaries and embankments.

Shared Roadway Awareness

• Respect Heavy Armor and Commercial Blind Zones (“No-Zone”): Maintain expansive standoff buffers around heavy tracked combat vehicles, large tactical transports, and commercial tractor-trailers. Heavy vehicle operators face severe blind spots directly behind, closely ahead, and along their wide right flanks.
• Controlled Intersection and Trail-Crossing Management: Approach trail junctions, civilian access crossings, and tank trail intersections at prepared-to-stop speeds, executing deliberate left-right-left visual scans to positively verify right-of-way and oncoming traffic before committing through the crossing.
• Vulnerable Road User and Dismount Protection: Exercise extreme situational awareness near bivouac perimeters, motor pools, field training assembly areas, and marked pedestrian crosswalks by yielding completely to foot traffic and strictly obeying installation-wide buffer speeds.

Roadside Emergencies and Lifesaving First Aid

• Immediate Scene Security and Secondary Collision Mitigation: Safely position warning triangles or chemical light markers well up-trail and down-trail, engage four-way hazard flashers immediately, and establish a clear standoff perimeter away from unstable slopes and active traffic lanes to prevent secondary vehicle collisions.
• Accessible In-Vehicle Trauma Readiness: Verify that every military vehicle is staged with a fully stocked, serviceable combat lifesaver (CLS) bag or Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) containing rapid-access combat application tourniquets (CAT), pressure dressings, and vented chest seals.
• Rapid Casualty Stabilization and Grid Evacuation Reporting: Prioritize immediate life-threatening extremity hemorrhage control using the CAT, maintain strict cervical spine precautions without moving casualties unless an imminent vehicle fire hazard exists, and rapidly transmit precise eight-digit grid coordinates or landmark markers to emergency dispatchers to expedite aeromedical or ground evacuation.

Resources/Tools

• U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center (USACRC): The official hub for Army safety guidelines, regulations, safety tools and mishap reporting. Visit https://safety.army.mil.
• USACRC Government Motor Vehicle On-Duty Safety Page: The central hub managed by the USACRC containing the Driver’s Training Toolbox, safety messages, common hazards, posters, videos, and passenger van safety guidance. Visit https://safety.army.mil/ON-DUTY/Government-Motor-Vehicle.
• Unit Training Assistance Program (UTAP) Registry: The baseline portal where you must register your credentials first to access individual resources and download content hosted within the Driver’s Training Toolbox. Visit https://cpeground.army.mil/Equipment/Unit-Training-Assistance-Program-UTAP/.

Regulatory Publications

• Army Regulation 600-55, The Army Driver and Operator Standardization Program: Baseline policy for GMVs. It dictates the selection, testing, and formal licensing rules for all military-unique wheeled/tracked vehicles and commercial-style GMVs.
• Army Regulation 385-10, The Army Safety and Occupational Health Program: Prescribes policy, responsibilities and procedures for safeguarding Army personnel and property, including on-duty GMV operations.
• ATP 5-19, Risk Management: The doctrinal manual used by GMV dispatchers and convoy commanders to perform route recon, identify tactical terrain hazards, and fill out deliberate risk assessments prior to dispatching any GMVs.

A 34-year-old Army civilian assigned to Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, died in an Industrial/Occupational mishap 10 September 2026 on the installation at 1300 local. While conducting the new employee tour portion of the onboarding process in an air traffic control tower, the Army civilian lost his footing and fell down the stairs, resulting in a head injury. Emergency medical services transported him to a local hospital, where he died days later. Additional information is currently unavailable.

Since FY21, the Army has lost an average of one Army civilian a year to Industrial/Occupational mishaps. This was the third on-duty Industrial/Occupational Army civilian fatality of FY26 and above the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety Tips

Air traffic control towers tend to have limited space in the stairwell and operational areas. Caution should be taken to ensure visitors are aware of the potential hazard from slips, trips and falls. This includes visitor safety briefings prior to entry into the tower.

A Specialist assigned to Fort Myer, Virginia, died in an off-duty Sports, Recreation and Physical Training mishap 6 September 2026 in Washington, D.C., at 2339 local. The Soldier was swimming in the Potomac River and did not resurface. Local law enforcement and emergency services personnel immediately began search-and-rescue efforts. The Soldier’s body was recovered and he was pronounced dead. Additional information is currently unavailable.

Since FY21, the Army has lost an average of eight Soldiers a year to off-duty Sports, Recreation and Physical Training mishaps. This mishap was the fourth off-duty Sports, Recreation and Physical Training fatality of FY26 and below the number of fatalities for this same time last year. This was also the fourth off-duty water-related fatality of FY26.

Safety Tips

• Swimming in open water: Swimming in open water (lakes, rivers, ponds and the ocean) is harder than in a pool. People tire faster and get into trouble more quickly. A person can go underwater in a murky river or lake, making them difficult to find, or be swept away in currents.
• Obey signs: Obey signs near rivers and lakes. Look for "No Swimming" or "No Diving" signs and obey them. They are there for your safety.
• Never swim alone: Never swim alone and swim in a lifeguarded area, especially if you are not a strong swimmer.
• Be cautious of sudden dropoffs: Be cautious of sudden dropoffs in lakes and rivers. People who can’t swim or aren’t strong swimmers have slipped into deeper water and drowned.
• Stay sober: Stay sober when on or in the water. Alcohol and other drugs increase the effects of weather, temperature and wave action.

For more information on water safety, please visit the following link: https://safety.army.mil/OFF-DUTY/Sports-and-Recreation/Water-Safety.