Army Loss II

PRELIMINARY LOSS REPORT 06111



MOTORCYCLE CRASH CLAIMS 1 SOLDIER'S LIFE - ACCIDENT



A 1st BCT, 3rd ID Soldier was killed on 18 April 2006 at 0015 local in Hinesville, Georgia as a result of a motorcycle crash.  The 18-year-old Soldier was riding with a civilian female passenger on a Honda CBR 600 motorcycle he had purchased the week prior.  The Soldier attempted to negotiate a curve, lost control, and ran off the road.  He was not wearing his helmet because he gave it to his passenger who received minor injures.  The Soldier was transported to the local medical center where he later died as a result of severe head trauma.  The Soldier had just received a Safety Briefing from his commander at a unit formation covering motorcycle safety and procurement prior to purchasing the motorcycle.  He had not attended an Army approved MSF course and speed was a factor in this crash.  



Including this accident, there were 52 Class A-C Army Privately Owned Motorcycle and All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) accidents in FY06 compared to 69 for the same time frame in FY05.  These 51 accidents have resulted in 20 fatalities compared to 20 Soldier deaths for the same time frame in FY05.



Consider the following TTPs to prevent a motorcycle accident:

ü     Leaders emphasize Soldiers must wear a DOT-approved motorcycle helmet at all times and then make on-the-spot corrections when observing them doing otherwise.  The Motorcycle Safety Foundation recommends a full-face helmet for maximum protection in the event of an accident.

ü     Speed kills.  Educate Soldiers on the risks associated with failure to adhere to posted speed limits. Speeding lessens the time the driver has to react to vehicles entering the flow of traffic. Learn more about the cost of excessive speed from the US Department of Transportation's Think Fast website.

ü     The Army-approved Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Course teaches basic, experienced, and graduated training for all riders.  It is required before a Soldier is allowed to operate a motorcycle.  For details on training see MSF.



* Preliminary Loss Reports (PLR) are provided to leaders for awareness, trends, and TTPs.  Our Army depends on you to disseminate PLRs to the lowest levels of your formation in order to help high risk troops understand the impact of decisions made on and off duty.



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