BAGHDAD - As of Feb. 2009, when the 1st Cavalry Division assumed command of the Multi-National Division-Baghdad area of operations, there have been 81 military vehicle accidents.
Forty-four of those have been accidents involving the hulking Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, and 37 involved humvees.
According to Mr. Dale Smith, the safety director for the 1st Cavalry Division since 2002, speed is the biggest, single-most cause of accidents for MND-B Soldiers.
"If [drivers] keep their speed down, they don't have vehicle control problems," said Smith, from Harker Heights, Texas.
As the weather here transitions from the heat of summer to the rains of fall, Smith emphasized that tactical vehicle drivers need to use caution during inclement weather and when driving near canals, where soft road shoulders can cause rolls into the water.
"Leaders and noncommissioned officers need to enforce the standards," said Smith. "That's a big issue."
Smith stressed that leaders and NCOs can engage and reinforce drivers' skills training by conducting rollover drills, making sure all crew members use restraints, ensuring that tire pressure is correct on their vehicles, employing composite risk management, and briefing road conditions and hazards before each mission.
The Soldiers of D Troop, Division Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cav. Div. spend a large amount of their time here on the road.
"We've been through the rollover training and it was good," said Pfc. Aaron Hoyt, from Mobile, Ala., assigned to D Troop. "You get the feel of a rollover, [what to watch for] and it's not something I'd want to feel out on sector, so it makes me think about what we're doing to be safe."
D Troop leaders use time-tested methods to ensure their Soldiers are trained and prepared to handle dangerous situations on the road.
"The briefings we get prior to mission teach us what to be aware of and what to do in the event of an accident," said Spc. Donald Thomson, tactical vehicle driver with D Troop from Des Moines, Iowa. "They keep us focused."
Spc. Jermaine Ellis, from Tampa, Fla. agreed, saying that he is always on the lookout for obstacles in the road and maintains a constant check of the vehicle's speed.
Training, situational awareness and mission safety should not stop. They should be constantly implemented, tweaked to particular missions and assessed for efficiency so that accidents don't happen. Vehicles can be replaced; Soldiers cannot.
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