Safety Crucial During Critical Days of Summer

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5/1/2007 -- NORFOLK (NNS) -- Every year motor vehicle accidents claim the lives of Sailors, especially during the Critical Days of Summer, Memorial Day through Labor Day.

According to the Naval Safety Center, as the volume of vehicles on roadways increase so does the risk of mishaps, injuries and deaths, and by practicing traffic safety regularly, Sailors not only protect themselves and loved ones but others on the road.

The Naval Safety Center tries to keep mishaps down by hosting a variety of presentations and trainings to help Sailors identify motor vehicle safety hazards and prepare them for safer road trips.

A program called Travel Risk Planning System (TRiPS) plans whole road trips and identifies possible problems before drivers get behind the wheel. The Navy and Marine Corps version of the program started in August 2006 and with more than 30,000 service members registered, 18,000 travel risk assessments have been completed with a successful zero fatality rate.

“A Sailor goes onto the safety center’s Web site and completes a TRiPS risk assessment where they answer questions pertaining to their vehicle and future trip plans,” said Dale Wisnieski, a traffic and motorcycle safety specialist at the Naval Safety Center.

“The risk assessment will then say whether the trip is low, medium or high risk and give some scenarios of members that have died in accidents. Once the entire assessment is complete, an email is sent to the Sailors’ supervisor which opens up any problematic areas from the assessment to be discussed,” said Wisnieski.

“The whole idea is to get people thinking about their upcoming trip, get supervisors involved with their personnel and help Sailors plan a safe trip,” he added.

Master Chief Machinist's Mate (SW/AW) James Cooke, traffic safety specialist at the Naval Safety Center/Traffic Safety Division, provided some simple tips that could mean the difference between life, injury or death after getting behind the wheel.

“Don’t drink and drive, always wear a seatbelt, don’t drive [when you're] fatigued and take breaks every two hours or so when traveling long distances,” said Cooke.

Cooke also suggested keeping realistic thoughts about travel time and avoiding road rage.

The Navy is having one of its best years regarding motor vehicle-related fatalities in more than five years.

Dan Steber, media officer at the Naval Safety Center said 80 percent of motor vehicle mishaps involve human error and most people take the act of driving for granted.

“The most dangerous thing you do everyday isn’t what you do at work, it’s getting in your car and driving,” Steber said. “I don’t think we always take that so seriously and that’s part of the problem. We take it for granted that we’re in our car and everything’s fine, but more incidents and deaths happen there than they do at work.”

Sometimes just hearing motor vehicle accident stories isn’t enough to make an impact on a person’s daily routine.

Presentations like “Street Smart” drive the message home by allowing Sailors a chance to hear stories from families that lost loved ones in motor vehicle accidents. Those families sometimes bring in articles of clothing worn by the victim at the time of the accident.

“I think the presentations make a big difference because people get to see it firsthand, and it brings reality to them,” said Bonnie Revelle, a traffic safety specialist at the Naval Safety Center. “We just want to drive into service members’ minds that this can happen to them.”

As for motorcyclists, safety measures are just as important because bikes are no match for motor vehicles on the road. A simple mistake or misjudgment on the highway increases the rate for fatality.

“Riders that have not ridden in a couple years should take a refresher course to sharpen their skills, make sure the motorcycle is serviced regularly, follow all Department of Transportation proper protective equipment riding gear guidelines and obey speed laws,” said Wisnieski.

Although the Navy offers presentations and information about safety, commands share the responsibility in delivering this information throughout the fleet.

“All commands need to take responsibility for their Sailors and Sailors need to take care of each other,” said Wisnieski. “All commands should have emergency contact numbers that will allow Sailors to get home safely.”

Wisnieski urges all Sailors from senior to junior to always take the time to take care of a shipmate.

To access TRiPS and for more information visit www.safetycenter.navy.mil.

Source: US Navy