2ID Driver's Safety Improves

This really isn’t surprising:

The number of traffic incidents involving U.S. military vehicles has dropped sharply since two schoolgirls died in 2002, according to 2nd Infantry Division figures.

The 2nd ID recorded 292 military vehicle accidents, ranging from minor to serious, during fiscal 2002. That number has dropped each year since.

So far in fiscal 2007, which ends Sept. 30, the division has logged 40 accidents.

Although several 2nd ID camps have closed in the past five years, division officials attribute the drop largely to an increased safety focus since the schoolgirls’ deaths in 2002.

First of all, driver’s safety programs in 2ID are quite thorough. At times the safety procedures approaches levels of absurdity, but with the strategic consequences one fatal traffic accident can have you can never be too safe. This is the approach the division is taking and this has definitely contributed to reduced accidents.

Secondly, the reduction in soldiers and the closing of camps has played a big part in reducing accidents. Less soldiers means less chances for an accident. Also before the camps closed you had vehicles driving in between these camps to conduct military business. Now with units consolidated on camps not as much driving off post is needed.

Next, the infrastructure in northern Kyeongi Province is improving with more highways and roads being widened and sidewalks installed. There is still plenty of work that needs to be done but the improvements are definitely noticeable. These improvements also help prevent accidents.

Lastly, units are not going out to the field as much as in prior years. This has dramatically reduced the number of convoys going off post. Also the convoys that are going off post that include tracked vehicles are often being loaded on trucks.

There are many reasons for the reduction in accidents and is not solely driven by the 2002 accident.  Anyway any reduction in accidents is good news, but all it takes is one fatal accident to have strategic consequences.  That is why the sooner the USFK relocation to Camp Humphreys is completed the better because then 2ID soldiers will not have to worry about driving in the congested and dangerous roads of the current 2ID area of operations that are notorious for traffic accidents.