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War-zone accidents down; off-duty wrecks rise

Fatal accidents in the war zone declined sharply and claimed fewer soldiers’ lives in fiscal 2008, but the number of soldiers dying in off-duty accidents back home continues to creep up.

Motorcycle accidents once again top the list of off-duty killers, followed by accidents in sedans and other privately owned vehicles, according to data compiled by the Combat Readiness/Safety Center at Fort Rucker, Ala.

Of the 130 soldiers who died in privately owned vehicle accidents in fiscal 2008, 48 were in sedans, compared with 38 last year, and 51 were on motorcycles, up from 38 in fiscal 2007.

Sport bikes — lighter, more powerful motorcycles that accelerate faster and cost less than heavier cruisers — are the most popular motorcycles among soldiers, according to Army safety experts.

Of the 51 motorcycle accident fatalities, 37 occurred on sport bikes, compared with 29 in fiscal 2007.

Soldiers receive free basic and experienced rider courses through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and dozens of rider mentorship courses have sprung up across the Army. A new sport-bike course was launched May 30 and motorcycle simulators are being installed at several posts.

But the courses are only mandatory for soldiers who register their motorcycles on post. Army leaders said they are urging commanders to increase their awareness of those off-post riders and to encourage them to take the free courses.

“When you look at the data over the past two or three years, the sport-bike category keeps coming out as something of more of a concern,” Tad Davis, assistant secretary of the Army for environment, safety and occupational health, told Army Times.

“We need soldiers to under¬stand that motorcycles are risky, it’s a more unstable platform and you’re less visible to other motorists,” he said, pointing out that not all of the motorcycle crashes and resulting fatalities were caused by the soldier.

“If they don’t choose to register and ride on the installation, then as a leader, there’s an obligation on our part to work with that soldier to make sure they get as much of the training that’s available to them and reinforce the inherent higher risk you have operating a motorcycle.”

While the Army grapples with the challenge of reducing off-duty fatalities, the rate of on-duty accidental deaths was down in fiscal 2008 compared with last year, the data shows.

Class A aviation accidents decreased 52 percent from 2.56 accidents per 100,000 flying hours in fiscal 2007 to 1.22 per 100,000 in fiscal 2008. Thirteen soldiers were killed, compared with 37 who died in accidents the year before.

More than three-fourths of those fatalities occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, the data showed.

On-duty ground accidents in military vehicles also claimed fewer lives.

In fiscal 2008, 19 soldiers were killed in 22 accidents in Army motor vehicles such as Humvees and trucks, most of which occurred in the war zones. These numbers are down from fiscal 2007, when 37 soldiers were killed in 29 accidents.

Accidents in combat vehicles such as Bradley vehicles, tanks, Stryker vehicles and mine resistant ambush protected vehicles saw a sharp drop in fiscal 2008, with eight accidents resulting in seven deaths.

By comparison, in fiscal 2007, 11 soldiers died in 19 accidents.

There were no Bradley accidents in fiscal 2008 compared with 12 the previous year, according to the Army data.

Davis attributed the decline in on-duty accidents to the CRC’s aggressive campaign to promote the use of composite risk assessment tools in the war zones and the proliferation of Humvee rollover trainers.

“We now have more rollover simulators and have ramped up the emphasis we’re putting on it here in the states and in theater,” Davis said.