A 31-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to the Florida Army National Guard on Active-Duty Special Work (ADSW) orders died in a PMV-4 mishap 9 July 2022 in Clay County, Florida, at 2140 local. The Soldier lost control of his vehicle, which overturned after striking a tree. The Soldier was found partially ejected through the sunroof. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Clay County Fire and Rescue Department at 2153. It’s currently unknown if speed or alcohol were contributing factors to the mishap.
Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 30th PMV-4 fatality of FY22 and below the number of fatalities for the same time period last year.
Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,142 lives in 2020.
Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.
Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.
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 90.4% in 2021. 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.
The Top 5 Things You Should Know About Buckling Up
58% OF THOSE KILLED DURING THE NIGHTTIME IN 2020 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.
3. Guidelines to buckle up safely
-The lap and shoulder belts 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
If you’re pregnant, make sure you know how to position your seat and wear a seat belt to maximize your safety and the safety of your unborn child. Read our recommendations below or view the instructional diagram version of our seat belt recommendations for pregnant drivers and passengers.
How Overcorrecting Leads to an Auto Accident
When a driver turns the steering wheel too hard it can cause the car to lose control. The driver then turns the over direction to correct the situation, but usually more than needed. This is known as overcorrecting. At slow speeds, this is not a problem. However, at highway speeds, a car has less tolerance for hard turns. The car is likely to spin out, rollover, or otherwise veer out of control.
An example of when a driver might overcorrect is swerving to avoid an object in the roadway such as a deer. Yanking the steering wheel hard and making the car veer off the road at high speeds leads to many car accidents.
How to Recover from Overcorrecting Before the Car Crashes
1. Firmly hold the steering wheel straight. If the ground of the shoulder of the road is soft, your car will pull to the right. Resist this pull by firmly holding onto the steering wheel while driving straight. Do not attempt to pull the vehicle to the left.
2. Take your foot off the accelerator while continuing straight. If necessary, you could also apply the brake some.
3. Slowly make your way back onto the road. Once you’ve allowed the car to slow down, ease your right wheels gently back onto the roadway. If the edge is too high, come to a complete stop before pulling back onto the road.
Tips from Parke/Gordon Personal Injury Attorneys and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)