Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A 28-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion, Seattle, Washington, died in a PMV-2 mishap 7 October 2024 in Bellevue, Washington, at 1310 local. The Soldier was operating his motorcycle when a vehicle turned in front of him, causing a collision. Motorcycle training, personal protective equipment and alcohol or drug use are currently unknown. Local law enforcement officials are conducting an investigation.

Since FY20, the Army has lost an average of 29 Soldiers a year to PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the fifth PMV-2 fatality of FY25 and below the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip

1. Check Your Blind Spots
Drivers should make it a habit to perform a ‘head check’ by looking over their shoulder before making any lateral moves. Additionally, adjusting your mirrors to minimize blind spots and being extra vigilant in high-traffic areas can help detect motorcycles. It’s also a good idea to anticipate a motorcyclist’s movements; if traffic is slowing down, a motorcycle may decide to change lanes quickly, and being aware of this possibility helps in preventing accidents.

At intersections, a quick double-check can make a big difference. Motorcycles might approach more quickly than anticipated or come from directions you might not initially see. Taking an extra moment to look can prevent a turn that cuts off or collides with a motorcycle.

2. Use Your Signals Early
Effective communication through signals is essential for safe driving, particularly when sharing the road with motorcycles. Early signaling gives motorcycle riders enough time to react to your actions, whether you plan to turn or change lanes. This is crucial because motorcycles are more agile and can change speed or direction suddenly in response to your movements.

It’s also important to ensure your vehicle’s signaling devices are working properly. Regular checks and maintenance keep these vital tools functional, preventing miscommunication or accidents caused by a burned-out signal bulb.

3. Maintain a Safe Following Distance
Keeping a safe distance from all vehicles is a basic rule of the road, but it’s especially important when following motorcycles. Motorcycles can stop much quicker than cars can, and they are also more susceptible to changes in road conditions. A safe following distance ensures you have time to react if the motorcycle in front of you stops abruptly or swerves to avoid a hazard.

4. Be Cautious at Intersections
Intersections are hotspots for vehicle accidents, and the dynamics of motorcycles can complicate these situations further. Drivers should exercise additional caution at intersections, taking extra time to look for motorcycles. Because of their smaller size and speed, motorcycles might appear farther away than they are, or be obscured by other vehicles, leading to misjudgments in gap assessments.

When approaching an intersection, especially when preparing to turn left, it’s crucial to anticipate that a motorcycle could be crossing your path or speeding up to make the light. These situations are often where misjudgments occur, as the motorcycle’s speed and distance might be harder to calculate than those of larger vehicles. Making eye contact with riders, if possible, can also help gauge their intentions and ensure mutual awareness.

5. Avoid Distractions
Distracted driving is a leading cause of road accidents, and even a momentary lapse can be fatal, especially when motorcycles are involved. Engaging with your phone, adjusting the radio, or other distractions can impair your ability to react to the quick movements of motorcycles.

Keeping your full attention on the road helps you stay aware of your surroundings, including any motorcycles that might be maneuvering around you or changing speeds quickly.

6. Watch for Lane Splitting
Lane splitting, where a motorcycle drives between two lanes of stopped or slowly moving cars, is legal in some states. It allows motorcyclists to navigate through traffic jams more efficiently than cars can. However, it requires car and truck drivers to be particularly vigilant, as motorcycles may appear alongside them suddenly.

7. Respect Weather Conditions
Adverse weather conditions pose a significant challenge for motorcyclists. Rain, fog and strong winds can reduce a rider’s ability to control their bike and decrease visibility. As a car or truck driver, it’s crucial to adapt your driving behavior under these conditions to avoid putting motorcyclists at further risk.

8. Understand Motorcycle Signals
Motorcycle signals can sometimes be confusing. Unlike cars, not all motorcycles have self-canceling turn signals, which can lead some riders to forget to turn them off after a maneuver. As a driver, it’s important to not always rely on the assumption that a signaling motorcycle is about to turn or change lanes.

When following a motorcycle, watch for hand signals as well. Motorcyclists often use hand signals to indicate turns or stops when the electronic signals are not working, or as an extra measure of safety.

9. Yield to Oncoming Motorcycles
Turning left in front of an oncoming motorcycle is a common cause of serious traffic accidents. The smaller profile of motorcycles can make it difficult for drivers to judge their speed and distance accurately. Always err on the side of caution and assume that the motorcycle is closer and approaching faster than it appears.

Before making a left turn, look specifically for motorcycles, and wait until they have passed safely. Misjudging the speed of an oncoming motorcycle can lead to a collision, with the motorcyclist usually suffering more severe consequences.

10. Be Aware of Road Hazards
Small objects or irregularities in the road surface that may be minor annoyances to car drivers can pose serious dangers to motorcyclists. Potholes, oil slicks, puddles, debris, and even small animals can cause a motorcyclist to lose control.

When driving near motorcycles, be aware of the road conditions ahead. If you spot a potential hazard, give the motorcyclist time and space to navigate safely around it. Do not swerve suddenly to avoid an obstacle without ensuring it is safe to do so, as this could startle a motorcyclist riding nearby.

11. Night Driving
Visibility is crucial for safe driving, and at night, the risk of accidents increases. Motorcycles are less visible than cars because of their smaller size and single headlight, which can sometimes blend into the lights of other vehicles.

When driving at night, make sure your headlights are properly adjusted so they illuminate the road effectively without blinding other drivers. Keep an eye out for the distinctive single headlight of motorcycles. Extra vigilance is needed because motorcycles can appear suddenly from the darkness, especially at intersections or when they are overtaking.

12. Group Riding
Motorcyclists often travel in groups, which can be intimidating to other drivers. It’s important to understand that group riding is a safety practice for motorcyclists, as it makes them more visible and allows riders to watch out for each other.

When encountering a group of motorcyclists, avoid cutting through the group. This can be dangerous, as it disrupts the group’s dynamics and can confuse the riders, leading to potential accidents. Instead, treat the group as a single large vehicle. Give them plenty of space, and only pass if you can see that the road ahead is clear and you can overtake the entire group safely and swiftly.

13. Pass with Care
When overtaking a motorcycle, do so swiftly and give them as much space as possible. The turbulence created by your vehicle can be unsettling for motorcyclists. Pass cleanly and quickly to minimize the time spent side by side, reducing the impact of air displacement on the motorcycle.

Ensure you have sufficient space to return to your lane; cutting in too close after passing can force the motorcyclist to brake suddenly or swerve, leading to dangerous situations. Always use your signals when passing to communicate your intentions clearly, allowing the motorcyclist to prepare for your actions.

14. Be Predictable
Sudden moves by cars and trucks can be particularly dangerous for motorcyclists. Maintaining a predictable pattern of behavior — signaling intentions well in advance, sticking to your lane, following traffic signals, and not making abrupt stops or changes in speed — can significantly enhance road safety.

This predictability allows motorcyclists to anticipate your actions and respond appropriately. For instance, if you gradually slow down to stop at a light, a following motorcyclist can do the same without abrupt braking, which might lead to a skid or rear-end collision.

15. Educate Yourself and Others
Understanding the unique challenges faced by motorcyclists and educating other drivers about these issues is vital for creating a safer driving environment. Share the knowledge you gain about motorcycle safety with your family and friends. Advocate for motorcycle safety in your community, perhaps by supporting or organizing road safety workshops.

Sharing the road safely with motorcyclists is not just about following rules; it’s about fostering a culture of mutual respect and understanding. By being vigilant, considerate and informed, drivers can significantly reduce risks and ensure that the roads are safe for all travelers, regardless of how many wheels their vehicle has.

Tips provided by Strong Law

A 26-year-old Sergeant assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, died in a PMV-4 mishap 26 October 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at 1030 local. The Soldier was operating his vehicle with a passenger when they collided with a fuel truck. The Colorado Springs police and fire departments responded to the scene. The passenger was transported to the local hospital for treatment, where their current status or prognosis is unknown. Speed is suspected to be a causal factor. The involvement of alcohol or seat belt use are currently unknown.

Since FY20, the Army has lost an average of 36 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the first PMV-4 fatality of FY25 and less to the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety tip

Top 10 Tips to Avoid Distractions While Driving

• Fully focus on driving. Do not let anything divert your attention, actively scan the road, use your mirrors and watch out for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Store loose gear, possessions and other distractions that could roll around in the car, so you do not feel tempted to reach for them on the floor or the seat.
• Make adjustments before you get underway. This includes adjusting your seat, mirrors and climate controls before hitting the road. Also, decide on your route and check traffic conditions ahead of time.
• Finish getting ready at home – instead of once you get on the road.
• Snack smart. If possible, eat meals or snacks before or after your trip, not while driving. On the road, avoid messy foods that can be difficult to manage.
• Secure children and pets before getting underway. If they need your attention, pull off the road safely to care for them. Reaching into the backseat can cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
• Put aside your cell phone. Never text, read email, play video games or scroll the internet or social media while driving.
• If you have passengers, let them be your co-pilot so you can focus safely on driving.
• If another activity demands your attention, instead of trying to attempt it while driving, pull off the road and stop your vehicle in a safe place. To avoid temptation, turn your phone off or store it somewhere you cannot reach it before heading out.
• As a general rule, if you cannot devote your full attention to driving because of some other activity, it’s a distraction. Take care of it before or after your trip, not while behind the wheel.

Tips provided by AAA.

A 26-year-old Sergeant assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas, died in an on-duty government motor vehicle (GMV) mishap 26 October 2024 on the installation at 2030 local. The Soldier was pinned between a HEMTT PLS/trailer and a box truck while the vehicle was backing into an enclosed ammunition supply point vehicle holding area. He was transported to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No other injuries or damage was reported. The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center is leading an investigation into the mishap.

Since FY20, the Army has lost an average of five Soldiers a year to GMV mishaps. This mishap was the first on-duty GMV fatality of FY25 and below the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip

While the investigation into this mishap is ongoing, the following tips are based on historical information for like events that could prevent future vehicle mishaps and mitigate injuries:

• Ensure vehicle operators do a thorough walkaround the vehicle prior to moving it.
• Proper use of a ground guide will prevent Soldiers from being pinned between vehicles.
• Ground guides should never position themselves directly in front of or behind the vehicle they are ground guiding.
• Operators should stop the vehicle immediately if they lose sight of the ground guide.

For more tips and information, see https://safety.army.mil/ON-DUTY/Government-Motor-Vehicle/Ground-Guiding.

A 26-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, died in a PMV-2 mishap 12 July 2024 in Crestview, Florida, at 0200 local. The Soldier was riding his motorcycle when he took a sharp turn too fast, lost control and crashed into a church. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Motorcycle training, personal protective equipment, and alcohol or drug use is currently unknown.

Since FY19, the Army has lost an average of 28 Soldiers a year to PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the 36th PMV-2 fatality of FY24 and below the number of fatalities for this same time last year.

Safety tip

Motorcycle Night Riding – Top 6 Safety Tips

How To Stay Safe When You Ride at Night?

You will find precious few statistics on night riding specifically; however, it should be obvious that riding at night is more dangerous than riding during the day.

Riding a motorcycle at night is a lot like driving a car at night, except you have less than half as much rubber keeping you on the road. And your "windshield" is much smaller. Even if your ride of choice is a Honda Goldwing, you're still less visible than a Toyota Camry on the road. Where a car has fenders and bumpers separating its driver from traffic, you have little more than your wits and your limbs doing the same job when you're on your motorcycle. The stakes are a lot higher. You need to be a lot more careful. You need to know what you're up against and take steps to protect yourself in order to stay safe when you ride at night.

Tip 1: Contact patch
This will come up again, but your "contact patch," the little patch of tire touching the pavement or asphalt, is what keeps you from flying off the road when you ride your motorcycle around a corner. It's not obvious at first, but your bike has less than half the rubber on the ground as your car – even though it has exactly half as many tires.

Why is that?
It's because your bike leans through corners. Your car's suspension is designed to keep your tires straight up and down when you drive around a corner. Your bike's suspension does no such thing. Your motorcycle's tires are designed to rest on their "fat spot" when you lean your way through a corner.

What does this mean for motorcyclists?
It means you need to be more careful. Regardless of what kind of motorcycle you ride, it's capable of hair-raising speeds around corners. That doesn't mean you have to put all of your bike's grip to good use, especially at night, when you might not be able to see the road and its hazards as well as you can during the day. It pays to slow down when you ride at night. We'll talk more about this toward the end of the article, but the first thing you should do when you ride at night is SLOW DOWN.

Tip 2: Safety equipment

We swear by "ATGATT," and we think you should, too. What does ATGATT stand for? It stands for All The Gear, All The Time. All the gear means all the gear. It means wearing a helmet, leather gloves, an abrasion-resistant jacket and pants, and a good pair of riding boots every single time you leave the house on your motorcycle. A road racer wouldn't dream of going out on a hot track wearing anything less than a one-piece leather suit, armored boots, a back protector, gauntlet gloves, and a good helmet with a sparkling clean visor. For some reason, many motorcyclists think it's OK to head out on the street – with all of its hazards, including cars and debris on the road – wearing significantly less gear.

It's not OK. It's not safe.

You shouldn't ride your motorcycle during the day without gear, let alone at night, when visibility is significantly reduced.

Tip 3: Visibility
It's not your visibility you should be worried about. You have plenty of control over how well you see at night. You can take steps to ensure you can see as well as you possibly can:

• Ensure your visor is clean by wiping it down with Windex and a paper towel
• Get your eyes checked
• Make sure you're wearing the right corrective lenses

Your family will thank you after you finish telling them the story about how Bambi ran out in front of you and lived to tell his family about it, too.

You need to be able to see and see well if you're going to ride your motorcycle at night. By the same logic, everyone else on the road needs to be able to see and see well, too. But you have absolutely no control over other people's eyes, windshields, and judgment. How can you protect yourself against people who are too lazy to keep their windshields clean or too distracted to see you?

You can't.
All you can do is assume nobody on the road can see you and ride accordingly. This is how I ride all the time, even during daylight hours, but it's at least twice as important after the sun goes down. I never, ever assume someone else can see me. The stakes are too high when I'm riding my motorcycle. If I assume they can see me, and they hit me because they can't, the consequences are bigger than a fender bender. Like every other rider in the world, I don't like missing out on my life because I'm laid up in the hospital after someone hit me on my motorcycle.

Even if it's someone else's fault, I don't want to have to deal with it. I don't want to deal with missing work, with being hurt, with having to think about my family worrying about me when they get the news that I went down. That's why I assume nobody can see me when I'm on my motorcycle, and why I ride accordingly.

Making yourself more visible.
Although it's a good idea to assume nobody can see you when you're riding your motorcycle, there are steps you can take to make yourself more visible to other people on the road. Your nighttime gear should be covered in reflective tape. You can buy gear with reflective tape or add it later. Depending on the motorcycle laws where you live, you may want to consider modifying your headlights and brake lights, making them flash when activated by installing a modulator.

If you hang out with a lot of guys who ride, a huge part of motorcycling is social, you'll hear stories about how motorists are attracted to flashing lights, especially when they're drunk and driving at night. The story usually involves a person who installed a flashing light on his bicycle and was hit by a drunk driver attracted by the flashing light. As a motorcyclist, you have to be riding too slow to be safe in order to have a driver attempt an unsafe pass on a two-lane road, drunk or not. The flashing light on the rear end of your bike, assuming it's legal where you live, goes a long way toward making sure drivers know you're in front of them.

Tip 4: Maintaining your bike
We don't often consider basic maintenance a safety measure, but we should. Compared to a car, your motorcycle is a finely tuned machine. The torque-specs on its fasteners are lighter. Depending on your choice of bike, the engine itself may be a load-bearing part of the frame. Compared to a car, your motorcycle makes a ridiculous amount of power for its weight.

That's what makes it so much fun to ride!

The stakes are high enough during the day. But they get even higher at night.

Let's say you're coasting to a stop at night, using the engine to do most of the braking, when your chain snaps because you went all summer without checking its tension. Your bike lurches forward, and you dive on the front brake before you run into the F-150 stopped at the light in front of you. But it's nighttime! Remember? You fail to see the patch of gravel on the road and tuck the front, falling down before coming to a stop underneath the F-150. If you're lucky, you can use your bruised ego to help you pick your bike up again and call someone to tow you home. If you're not so lucky, your family will get some very, very bad news about you.

If you don't have the skills or the tools to maintain your bike by yourself, make sure you budget enough money every year to have it done for you. Motorcycles aren't as good at staying shiny-side-up when they break as cars are, so make sure your bike is in tip-top shape before you ride it. You should have a pre-ride checklist, on paper or in your head, and you should treat riding your bike more like flying a plane than driving a car by using the checklist to make sure everything is safe before you ride.

Tip 5: I'm not joking – SLOW DOWN!

"Faster and faster… until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death."
– Hunter S. Thompson

You probably ride a motorcycle because you like to go fast. You like to go fast because it's thrilling, because it makes you feel like you're cheating death. As motorcyclists, going fast makes our hearts race, and that's exactly what makes riding a motorcycle an exciting way to get around. But the number one thing you can do to stay safe at night on a motorcycle is slow way, way down!

You can't see as much at night, including road debris that will bring you down faster than a banana peel in a Warner Brother's cartoon. You see even less when you're going faster than you should be going. You need to be even more careful if you ride a custom bike because there's a good chance your bike could go fast enough to outrun your headlamp if you bought it from an aftermarket retailer!

How could you possibly outrun your headlamp, given the speed of light is really, really fast?

Let's do the math.

At 80 miles an hour, you're screaming along at about 120 feet per second. If your headlight is just bright enough for you to see 120 feet in front of you, that gives you 1s to react to objects as they come into your field of vision. Even if you have reflexes fit for the drag strip, you will take at least 0.5s to react, leaving another 0.5s to do something about what's happening in front of you. I don't know about you, but I want more than a half a second to cheat death when I'm riding my motorcycle at night. That's why I slow way, way down.

Tip 6: Adjust your attitude

Motorcyclists aren't known for being cautious. If we were that cautious, we would all trade our bikes in for Volvos and call it a day. Popular depictions of motorcyclists paint us as revolutionaries, renegades, and criminals who care as much about other people's safety as we do our own. Very little, at best.

There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots. If you ever get a chance to hang around a group of motorcycle racers, you'll find they often refer to themselves as "pilots" instead of "riders" or even "racers."

That's because they recognize the dangers inherent to what they do, and they take steps to mitigate those dangers. A racer's number one job is to go fast. His next job is to conduct himself in such a way that going fast is as safe as possible, both for himself and his fellow racers. As a responsible motorcyclist, it's your job to take a cue from pilots and racers who make it a point to stay safe when they push the limits of their bodies and machines.

As a motorcyclist using public roads, your number one job is to stay safe regardless of what time of day you ride – for yourself, your family, and your fellow motorists. If you haven't already, it's time to stop pretending like you're invincible and start adopting an attitude concerned with safety and caution. Your future depends on it, and your family will appreciate the fact that you have stories to tell about riding your motorcycle instead of crashing it.

Tips and article from Michael Padway

A 28-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, died in a PMV-2 mishap 27 October 2024 in Tennessee at 1300 local. The Soldier was riding his motorcycle on the interstate when he was involved in a fatal traffic accident. Information regarding rider education courses, licensing, personal protective equipment usage or contributing factors is unknown. Local law enforcement officials are conducting the investigation.

Since FY20, the Army has lost an average of 29 Soldiers a year to PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the fourth PMV-2 fatality of FY25 and below the number of fatalities for the same time last year.