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Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

About Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

PLRs are intended to be used as an engagement tool for leaders to discuss the hazards and trends impacting Soldier safety and readiness. A PLR contains only basic information, as the investigation is ongoing, but provides sufficient background to allow leaders an opportunity to communicate risk at the Soldier level.

 

PLR 23-067 - PMV-4 Mishap Claims One Soldier's Life

Posting Date:   /   Categories: Preliminary Loss Reports, PMV-4

A 20-year-old Specialist assigned to Vilseck, Germany, died in a PMV-4 mishap 30 June 2023 at 1955 local. A group of Soldiers was traveling in a vehicle when the driver ran off the road and struck a tree. The German polizei responded and pronounced the rear passenger dead at the scene. The driver and front passenger were wearing seat belts; however, it is currently unknown if the rear passenger was wearing a seat belt. Speed reportedly was a contributing factor in this mishap. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for the German polizei 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 24th PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip

Speeding awareness.
For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities. 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

  • Decreased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger

  • Increased degree of crash severity leading to more severe injuries

Safety driving tips
  • Give yourself more time: You can start by leaving a few minutes early, that might mean you have to wake up a little earlier as well. Always take into consideration how long the drive from point A to point B, factoring in time if the time of day will have more traffic.

  • Note speed limits wherever you drive: It’s all too easy to go with what feels comfortable and not worry about what the speed limit sign says. But speed limits are set with safety in mind, factoring safety and road conditions. Make sure you’re paying attention to and following speed limits.

  • Identify triggers: Speeding doesn’t always happen when you’re running late. Stress and anger could be triggers as well. Learning your personal triggers can help you learn how to stop speeding all together.

  • Check your speedometer: Might seem silly but just like any other mechanical or electronic component, your vehicles speedometer can get out of alignment. If you find yourself passing other vehicles often, yet your speedometer says you’re going the speed limit, you might want to go to auto repair shop to have your mechanic look at your speedometer.

  • Use the cruise control: This is the easiest way to prevent speeding! You can easily set the pace you want based on the current traffic and speed limit for the road you’re on. *Be sure to cancel the cruise control if you find yourself in a high-risk area like active construction zone and never use cruise control in wet or icy weather.

  • Check your tires: You will wear your tires out quicker by driving fast often. Bald tires or those with low air could cause tire blowouts when driving.

  • Use calming exercises: If you find that one of your triggers to speeding is stress or anger, calming exercise like breathing routines could help reduce these feelings – and your speed. You may have to experiment with different methods to take your mind off your stress or anger, such as listening to calming music or breathing exercises.

  • Try technology aka cell phone: No, I do not mean use your cell phone while driving, however, some apps can be used safely and help you drive slower. Most navigating apps have built-in speed monitoring when you set a route. The app will notify you when you have started going too fast.

  • Know the cost: If you haven’t had a speeding ticket yet, you will. Research the speeding laws in your local area and state. You might be surprised the financial cost of just one speeding ticket. Too many tickets could also lead to a suspended license. Not only does speeding cost you with legal fees, but you will also likely pay more at the pump if you regularly speed. Going faster uses more gas. A couple extra bucks that pump today might not seem like much, but it does add up.

  • Find adrenaline rushes elsewhere: If you are an adrenaline junkie, you might feel like you need to drive fast for the thrill. Rather than making public roads less safe, consider moving your need for speed to another activity.

  • Don’t keep up with speeders: Even if you’re obeying the speed limit, others may not. Resist the temptation to keep up with them and avoid letting them influence your driving habits to get you to go faster. Simply let them go around.

  • Don’t keep up with speeders: Even if you’re obeying the speed limit, others may not. Resist the temptation to keep up with them and avoid letting them influence your driving habits to get you to go faster. Simply let them go around.

  • Always stay aware of the situation: If traffic is slowing down ahead of you, there’s probably a good reason. You should slow down, too, avoiding any hazards up ahead.

  • Don’t be intimidated by tailgaters: Some speeders will even ride your tail in an attempt to intimidate other drivers into driving faster. Don’t let this happen. Keep a safe speed and allow speeding tailgaters to go around you or move over to a right lane so they can easily pass you on the left.

  • Stop speeding before it stops you.

 

 

PLR 23-066 - PMV-4 Mishap Claims One Soldier's Life

Posting Date:   /   Categories: Preliminary Loss Reports, PMV-4
 

A 22-year-old Specialist assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas was the single occupant in a PMV-4 rollover on 3 July 2023 at 0715 local. The Soldier was ejected and was found unconscious 50 feet from his vehicle. Emergency medical services life flighted the Solider to a local hospital where the medical trauma team performed emergency surgery due to traumatic brain injury. The Soldier was placed in intensive care following surgery but died later that evening from his injuries. The Soldier was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the rollover. Drugs and alcohol are not considered contributing factors in this mishap.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 23rd PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

 

Safety tip
If someone told you there’s a secret to significantly cutting your chance of a fatal injury in a motor vehicle crash, you’d want to know it, right?

It’s called a seat belt. Spread the word.

In the instant you buckle up before 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 huge return on the investment of the mere seconds it takes to put on a seat belt.

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 91.6% in 2022. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.

 

Overview
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 91.6% in 2022. Seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017. Understand the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt and learn what you can do to make sure you and your family are properly buckled up every time.

 

Seat belts save lives
Seat belt use rate in 2022 was at 91.6% 50% percentage of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2021 who were unrestrained.

In 2021, 26,325 passenger vehicle occupants were killed. About 50% of those killed were not buckled (based on known seat belt use.)

Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts, in 2017 alone.

 

The consequences of not wearing, or improperly wearing, a seat belt are clear:

Traffic safety facts

1. Buckling up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from the vehicle in a crash, which is almost always deadly.

2. Air bags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an air bag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up.

3. Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.

The benefits of buckling up are equally clear:

a. If you buckle up in the front seat of a passenger car, you can reduce your risk of:

  • Fatal injury by 45% (Kahane, 2015)

  • Moderate to critical injury by 50%


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b. If you buckle up in a light truck, you can reduce your risk of:

  • Fatal injury by 60% (Kahane, 2015)

  • Moderate to critical injury by 65% (NHTSA, 1984)


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The top 5 things you should know about buckling up

 

57% of those killed during the nighttime in 2021 were unrestrained

1. Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.
Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers. Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle; being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly.

2. Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them.
If you don’t wear your seat belt, you could be thrown into a rapidly opening frontal air bag. Such force could injure or even kill you. Learn about air bag safety.

3. Guidelines to buckle up safely.
The lap belt and shoulder belt are secured across the pelvis and rib cage, which are better able to withstand crash forces than other parts of your body.
Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.
The lap belt rests across your hips, not your stomach.
NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.

4. Fit matters.
Before you buy a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you.
Ask your dealer about seat belt adjusters, which can help you get the best fit.
If you need a roomier belt, contact your vehicle manufacturer to obtain seat belt extenders.
If you drive an older or classic car with lap belts only, check with your vehicle manufacturer about how to retrofit your car with today’s safer lap/shoulder belts.

5. Seat belt safety for children and pregnant women.
Find out when your child is ready to use an adult seat belt and learn about seat belt safety when you’re pregnant.


 

PLR 23-063 - PMV-4 Mishap Claims One Soldier's Life

Posting Date:   /   Categories: Preliminary Loss Reports, PMV-4

A 47-year-old Active/Guard Reserve Master Sergeant assigned to the United States Army Reserve, San Antonio, Texas, died in a PMV-4 mishap 17 June 2023 in San Antonio, at 0031 local. The Soldier reportedly was driving when a civilian vehicle traveling in the wrong direction crashed into her vehicle. The San Antonio Fire Department, San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) and emergency medical services responded to the scene. The Soldier was extricated from the vehicle, transported to the local hospital and pronounced dead upon arrival by the attending physician. The specific circumstances of the mishap, including speed and the Soldier’s use of a seat belt, are currently unknown. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for the SAPD 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 22nd PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip
Ways to avoid wrong-way drivers
A wrong-way driver barreling toward your vehicle is perhaps one of the most frightening events to experience on the road.

Approximately 350 people a year lose their lives because of a wrong-way driving collision, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. While wrong-way crashes are relatively uncommon, comprising about 3% of all motor vehicle accidents, they are the leading type of motor vehicle accident to result in a fatality.

In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) estimates the fatality rate to fall between 12 and 27% higher than all other types of collisions.

Anticipate what's ahead
It's very important to look at the road ahead and anticipate any possible dangers. Look beyond the first few cars ahead and scan the entire width of the roadway — not just ahead in your own lane.
By doing so, you increase your odds of spotting a wrong-way driver sooner, giving you more time to move out of the way in a scenario where every second counts.

Caution at night and on weekends
NTSB research finds that 70% of wrong-way crashes occur between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The data also shows there are more wrong-way collisions on weekends as opposed to weekdays.
At nights and on weekends, the uptick in wrong-way accidents may be due to alcohol-impaired drivers who comprise many wrong-way drivers.

Drive in the right lane
Wrong-way drivers tend to drive in the left lane. In fact, seven out of nine wrong-way crashes occur in the lane closest to the median, notes the NTSB.

Avoid distractions
As always, it's imperative to stay alert to the roadway by avoiding distractions such as eating, fiddling with the radio or manipulating a cellphone. In the event a wrong-way driver suddenly appears, having your full attention on the road could save your life.

Pull over to the right
If you see a wrong-way driver coming toward you, do your best to pull over to the shoulder. Don't apply the brakes. It's better to swerve out of the way, and you will likely only have a few split seconds to react.

Call 9-1-1
If you manage to avoid a wrong-way driver, make sure to report it immediately while you are stopped on the side of the road. You could help save someone's life.

Tips provided by Automotive Fleet Marrianne Matthews and NTSB
 

 

PLR 23-059 - PMV-4 Mishap Claims One Soldier's Life

Posting Date:   /   Categories: Preliminary Loss Reports, PMV-4
A 30-year-old Sergeant First Class assigned to South Camp Vilseck, Germany, died in a PMV-4 mishap 5 June 2023 at 2040 local. The Soldier was driving his normal route from work to home when he was involved in a head-on collision. Emergency medical services was called to the scene and provided first aid. The Soldier was resuscitated and airlifted to a local hospital, where he died. The Soldier was wearing his seat belt when first responders removed him from the vehicle. The safety point of contact is awaiting more information to confirm mishap specifics and toxicology.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 21st PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip
Head-on motor vehicle collisions are deadly. In 2019, they 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 will 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 centerline. 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 must 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.


Tips provided by NSC Safety and Health Magazine
 

 

PLR 23-056 - PMV-4 Mishap Claims One Soldier's Life

Posting Date:   /   Categories: Preliminary Loss Reports, PMV-4
A 19-year-old Private First Class assigned to Fort Detrick, Maryland, died in a PMV-4 mishap 28 May 2023 at 0800 local. Two Soldiers were traveling in a vehicle that departed the road on the west side of an exit ramp. The vehicle became airborne twice, striking multiple ditches down a sharp grade before hitting a rock that caused it to land upside down submerged in a creek. The two Soldiers were extracted from the vehicle by emergency medical services personnel. One Soldier was pronounced dead at the scene. The other Soldier was transported to a local hospital and is in critical condition. Both Soldiers were wearing their seat belts. The safety point of contact is awaiting more information to confirm if speed, alcohol or drugs are possible contributors.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 20th PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip
Research shows that on-ramps and off-ramps are some of the most common places crashes occur on highways, as drivers traveling at different speeds enter, exit and merge. According to one study published in the Journal of Safety Research, interstate exit and entrance ramps are the most common site of highway crashes per mile driven.

Follow these common-sense tips to reduce your chance of being hurt in a highway merging accident:

  • If possible, move over when other cars are trying to merge.

  • Adjust your speed appropriately when another driver is trying to merge.

  • Do not try to speed past a truck that is merging.

  • Do not slam on your brakes or swerve if you miss an off-ramp.

  • Be wary of other drivers behaving dangerously near on-ramps and off-ramps.

  • Stay out of a semi-truck’s blind spots when approaching an on-ramp.

  • Do not speed when exiting or entering a highway, especially on loop ramps.

  • Follow posted speed limits and warning signs when traveling through work zones.

There was an 18.4% increase in the number of Americans who died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2021, compared to the first half of 2020, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals — highlighting the need for safe and responsible driving. Freeway driving can be challenging for anyone as it involves merging into high-speed traffic and typically maintaining speeds of 65 mph or over, as well as dealing with large, fast-moving commercial trucks. Fortunately, by learning the proper freeway driving rules and best practices, you can avoid accidents and stay safe on the road.

Enter and exit correctly
A freeway entrance ramp helps you enter the freeway and merge safely with the flow of traffic. So, when entering the freeway from the ramp, always make sure you’re driving at the same speed as the vehicles traveling in the freeway’s right-side lane — otherwise you risk causing a collision. Most entrance ramps are designed to give drivers enough time to accelerate, so they enter the freeway at the right speed. If you enter the freeway at the wrong speed, surrounding drivers may need to suddenly brake, accelerate, or change lanes to prevent hitting you — so don’t be afraid to speed up to match highway speeds when using the ramp. And, when exiting the freeway, be sure to slow down only when you reach the exit ramp and not while you’re still on the freeway (again, to avoid causing accidents). Exit ramps are designed for deceleration and typically terminate at a traffic light or stop sign.

Obey speed limits and road rules
According to the NHTSA’s Summary of State Speed Laws the basic speed rule on the highway “requires vehicle operators to drive at a speed that is reasonable and prudent.” So, you may find it necessary to drive slower or faster than the speed limit in some situations and it’s not uncommon for drivers to go at least 10 mph over the limit on freeways. That said, adhering to the speed limit is best practice — particularly in commercial areas where police often establish speed traps to force drivers to slow down. In addition to obeying speed limits, freeway driving involves following other standard rules, include not tailgating use the farthest left lane only for passing; and don’t drive in another vehicle’s blind spot. Always check your blind spots on busy freeways and keep an eye out for motorcyclists. If your car breaks down, you should also switch on your hazard lights, use your turn signal, and move your car off the road (unless you’re unable to move it). Most often, emergency telephones are located on the right shoulder.

Also, be mindful of commercial trucks — they commonly travel on freeways and the number of crashes involving 18-wheelers has increased over the past few years. Accidents involving trucks often result in severe injuries due to their sheer weight and size.

Choose the right lane
It’s also key to drive in the right lane. If you’ll be traveling at slower speeds, you need to be in the right lane. Semi-trucks must often stick to the right lane by law in many states as they’re large, slow-moving vehicles. So, if the passing traffic to your right is moving quicker than you, you know you’re in the wrong lane. Alternatively, if you’ll be traveling at faster speeds, you’ll need to pick the left lane. The farthest left lane, although commonly called the “fast lane,” is for passing. If you’re in the left lane, be careful not to stay there indefinitely as there’ll always be faster drivers coming up behind you. Also, if you spot a disabled vehicle, be sure to move over a lane to give them enough room. In fact, moving over is a legal requirement in many states.

Freeway driving can be challenging for anyone, yet, with the right best practices, you can stay safe on the road. By entering and exiting correctly, obeying speed limits, and choosing the right lane, you can ensure that you arrive safely at your destination.

Tips provided by Jebaily Legal and NHTSA
 

 

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