Risk Management Magazine

Every day, accidents occur throughout the country due to distracted drivers. While cellphones are often to blame, other factors can contribute to these mishaps, such as a driver’s psychological state. The following story illustrates the extent to which mental distractions can affect an individual’s ability to focus behind the wheel.

Just after midnight, there was a knock on the door to my containerized housing unit. I opened it to see my platoon leader (captain) and platoon sergeant standing there grimly. I knew we hadn’t crashed, but by the looks on their faces, I knew something happened.

Prior to our deployment, my unit was told we’d be getting three M114 HMMWVs equipped with the Automatic Fire Extinguishing System (AFES). Since no one knew anything about the AFES, we were given a nice PowerPoint presentation to explain the system’s capabilities. While the presentation was informative, it later became apparent that a few of us didn’t pay close attention to it.