Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A Sergeant assigned to Torii Station, Japan, died in a PMV-2 mishap 4 November 2022 in Okinawa, Japan. The Soldier was traveling northbound when a civilian vehicle making a right-hand turn struck his motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Soldier was wearing the required personal protective equipment and completed the mandatory Motorcycle Safety Foundation training. The Okinawa Prefectural Police Department responded to the scene. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for the local authorities to release their final report.

Since 2018, the Army has lost an average of 24 Soldiers a year to off-duty PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the fourth PMV-2 fatality of FY23.


Safety Measures During the Ride

1. Stay Conscious of Your Surroundings on the Road
It’s important to scan your surroundings while on the road, as it enables you to identify blind spots, other motorists who are nearby, and the road ahead. It also offers you enough time to react to any danger, which you probably couldn’t have seen if you were not vigilant.

2. Practice Proper Positioning on the Road
The correct posture for riding a motorcycle is when you sit with your back upright and the shoulders slightly tucked back and relaxed. Such a posture prevents you from launching and discomforting your neck.

Also, you should ensure you always stick to the right lane and avoid encroaching in the lanes meant for other motorists. You should also ensure there is enough distance between you and the motorist ahead, such that you don’t follow them too closely.

3. Stay in Gear, Always!
It’s vital to shift correctly and stay within a comfortable gear range when riding a motorcycle. In that case, don’t release the bike’s clutch lever suddenly. Instead, do it smoothly as its speed increases.

Generally, the more comfortable you are at using the gears, the safer you become.

4. Maintain Safety Speeds
Riding at a safe speed comes with many benefits. First, it offers you ample time to react when you face a potential hazard. Secondly, it allows you to maneuver through the traffic more calmly, which improves your safety.

5. Ride According to Your Ability and Skills
While it’s tempting to try some moves with a motorcycle when a beginner, it often leads to personal injuries. So, try to avoid tricks that could cause you harm.
 

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A Specialist assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, died in a PMV-2 mishap 3 November 2022 in Killeen, Texas, at 2130 local. The Soldier was on PCS leave when his motorcycle collided with an SUV that pulled out in front of him. The collision ejected the Soldier from the motorcycle and over the SUV. The Killeen Police Department (KPD) responded and pronounced the Soldier dead at the scene. He was wearing the mandatory personal protective equipment. It is currently unknown if speed or alcohol were contributing factors. The Soldier’s completion of the required Motorcycle Safety Foundation training has not been verified. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for KPD to release its final report.

Since 2018, the Army has lost an average of 24 Soldiers a year to off-duty PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the third PMV-2 fatality of FY23.


Riding a motorcycle is incredibly fun, but it can also be quite dangerous. Unlike passenger car drivers, motorcycle riders have nothing to protect them but helmets and safety gear, so when accidents occur, they tend to be serious.

While getting on a motorcycle and hitting the open road will always come with a little risk since there’s no way to control how other riders and drivers behave, there are ways motorcyclists can reduce their chances of getting into accidents. Read on to find some safety tips that will help.

1. Ride Defensively
The most common type of motorcycle crash is a left-turn accident. While not all of them can be avoided, defensive riding can make a difference.

Pay attention to what drivers are doing. If there’s a car waiting at an intersection to turn, assume the driver won’t notice an oncoming motorcycle unless he or she makes eye contact. If there’s a gap in traffic or a driver pulling onto the road who looks a little too anxious to make a turn, those are also signs that it’s time to slow down, get in the other lane if possible, and be prepared to take evasive maneuvers.

2. Stay Out of Blind Spots
Lane-switching accidents are almost as common as left-turn crashes. They occur primarily when riders are in drivers’ blind spots when cars switch lanes. As with avoiding left-turn crashes, it’s important to drive defensively and pay attention to what drivers are doing since they are less likely to see motorcycles, even when they are in clear view. Look for signs that a driver is about to make a lane change, such as:
•Using turn signals
•Checking mirrors
•Swiveling the head to check blind spots
•Turning the wheels

It’s also very important to stay out of blind spots by speeding up or slowing down. The best way for a rider to tell if he or she is in a driver’s blind spot is to look at the mirrors and check to see if the driver’s face is visible. If a rider can make eye contact with a driver, the driver should also be able to see the motorcycle.

3. Follow the Four R’s
Head-on collisions are less common than the two types of accidents described above, but they’re also more likely to be fatal. The National Safety Council sets forth guidelines for motorcyclists about how to avoid head-on collisions. They recommend following the four R’s. Motorcyclists should always:
•Read the road
•Drive on the Right side
•Reduce speed
•Ride off the road when an accident seems imminent

Reading the road refers to paying attention to what other drivers are doing. Driving on the right side is obvious and doing so makes it easier to merge onto the shoulder to the right to avoid head-on collisions. Reducing speed means slowing down as soon as a car starts swerving or a driver stops paying attention, which is important because even a 10-mph difference can be lifesaving.

Tips provided by Ada Martin for Poler Stuff
 

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A 20-year-old Specialist assigned to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, died in a GMV mishap 22 October 2022 in Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), Pennsylvania, at 1315 local. Four Soldiers in two M1120 Load Handling System (LHS) vehicles were traveling on the tank trail to pick up ammunition dunnage at a range. During the movement, the trailing LHS vehicle rear-ended the first vehicle. The first vehicle's flat rack entered and crushed the driver’s side of the second LHS vehicle’s cab. The driver of the second LHS was unresponsive and did not have a pulse when the other Soldiers in the convoy extracted her from the vehicle and performed immediate CPR. FTIG emergency services were notified of the accident and responded to the scene, where they pronounced the Soldier dead. The other three Soldiers were evacuated to Hershey Medical Center for precautionary reasons and evaluation.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of nine Soldiers a year to GMV mishaps. This mishap was the first GMV fatality of FY23 and the same number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

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An 18-year-old Private First Class assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, died in a PMV-4 mishap 23 October 2022 in Wayne County, Ohio, at 2302 local. The Soldier was a recent AIT graduate and was participating in the Hometown Recruiting Program. He was driving home with his younger brother when their vehicle left the road and entered a creek bed. The Soldier died and his brother remains in critical condition with significant injuries. According to a local news report, both occupants were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Western Holmes Fire and emergency medical services, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the Wayne County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene. Alcohol or drugs were not believed to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the third PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

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A 39-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Polk, Louisiana, died in a PMV-4 mishap 21 October 2022 in Rosepine, Louisiana, at 0228 local. The Soldier’s vehicle struck a concrete barrier at a high rate of speed and caught fire, resulting in his remains being unrecognizable. He was identified 24 hours later via dental records. The Soldier was wearing his seat belt and it is unknown if alcohol was involved. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for the Louisiana State Police to release its final report.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the second PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

NHTSA projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history.

Additionally, the traffic fatalities in the following categories showed relatively large increases in 2021, as compared to 2020:

•Fatalities in multi-vehicle crashes up 16%
•Fatalities on urban roads up 16%
•Fatalities among drivers 65 and older up 14%
•Pedestrian fatalities up 13%
•Fatalities in crashes involving at least one large truck up 13%
•Daytime fatalities up 11%
•Motorcyclist fatalities up 9%
•Bicyclist fatalities up 5%
•Fatalities in speeding-related crashes up 5%
•Fatalities in police-reported, alcohol-involvement crashes up 5%

For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities. In 2020, speeding was a contributing factor in 29% 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.

Speeding endangers not only the life of the speeder, but all the people on the road around them, including law enforcement officers. It is a problem we all need to help solve.

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