Base Safety office urges Airmen to take precautions while operating motor vehicles Published Jan. 17, 2014 By Air Force Master Sgt. April Lapetoda 380 Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Most people are aware of the dangers and consequences of motor vehicle mishaps, but some may become complacent when driving around the base at only 20 kilometers per hour. Even with a low speed limit, motor vehicular mishaps continue to lead the base in on-duty ground safety mishaps, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Carlos Rogers, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing ground safety manager. During 2013, there were 94 motor vehicle mishaps reported here, which accounted for 29 percent of all reported ground safety mishaps here. "This is cause for concern for two primary reasons," he said. "The first is that deployed service members are here to fulfill a mission and rendering a vehicle inoperable due to a vehicular mishap inhibits the unit's ability to complete the mission. "The second is that if a service member receives a serious injury during the vehicular mishap they may have to be redeployed back to their home unit and the unit will be left with one less person to accomplish the mission," Rogers continued. "This puts a lot of stress on the person's co-workers and others within the unit as they're forced to accomplish the mission without them." Not only are motor vehicle mishaps the second-leading cause of ground safety mishaps reported here, they are the leading cause of fatalities across the entire Air Force. "Motor vehicle mishaps continue to account for most of the fatalities in the Air Force," according to the Headquarters Air Force Safety Center's Fiscal Year 2012 report. "Tragically, we lost 33 Airmen in FY12 to (private motor vehicle) accidents..." The leading causes were reckless behavior, excess speed and alcohol, according to the report. Most of the vehicular mishaps here involve drivers running vehicles into fixed objects such as barriers, poles, sunshades, curbs, tire spikes, and even the base entry gate, said Rogers. "Many vehicular mishaps can be avoided if people just slow down," said Air Force Lt. Col. Chauncey Houston, 380 AEW chief of safety. "Even before you get to your vehicle, slow down as you're walking there - take a couple extra minutes to do a 360-degree check of the vehicle and its surroundings similarly to how security checks are already performed off base," he said. "This will help make you aware of any issues or concerns around your vehicle. Slow down, stop rushing to a vehicle, jumping in and driving off." The biggest thing drivers can do to minimize the risk of being in a vehicular mishap is to minimize distractions and focus on the task at-hand, said Rogers. "Turn down the radio, focus on the road and surroundings, and avoid talking on cell phones while driving," he said. Editor's note: This is part two of a two-part series focusing on safety.