Joint Winter Safety Campaign stresses safety in driving, outdoor recreation

  • Published
  • By Tyler Hemstreet
  • Staff writer
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  In collaboration with the Defense Department's Joint Winter Safety Campaign, which began Dec.1 and runs through Feb. 28, safety officials here are asking Airmen to use extra caution while driving and partaking in outdoor activities. 

The Air Force is working with other military services to unite their collective resources in the war against fatal mishaps. The target audience continues to be those under age 26, who averaged 62 percent of fatalities during recent winters, according to the Air Force Safety Center.

The DoD's leading cause of death remains automobile and motorcycle mishaps. During the Fall Safety Campaign, 15 Airmen died in preventable mishaps. Forty-seven Airmen died from December through February in the last three years, with vehicle-related fatalities accounting for 63 percent of that total. Twenty percent of those Airmen were female, and 19 percent were on leave, according to the center.

The recent large winter storm here really strikes home the fact that Airmen need to be careful out on the roads, said Ken Heath, 62nd Airlift Wing chief of ground safety.

"We had a number of incidents of rollover accidents," Mr. Heath said. "Fortunately, no one was seriously injured."

To avoid those types of incidents, safety officials are advising Airmen to allow more time for their morning commute, allow a larger following distance between the cars in front of them and simply slow down.

The same "take it easy" mentality applies when it comes to winter outdoor recreation and activities such as snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding, Mr. Heath said.

Wearing the proper safety equipment and staying within the limits of one's abilities is key to staying safe, he said.

"When you start to get tired and are thinking about doing one more run, it's a good idea to stop," Mr. Heath said. "On the last few runs toward the end of the day is usually when people start getting hurt."

Safety officials are also encouraging leaders at all levels to continue to emphasize safety during the Winter Safety Campaign -- especially prior to Airmen going on leave.

Leadership tools are available online at the Winter Safety Campaign site at http://afsafety.af.mil/SEGWinter%20Campaign/Winter_Campaign_2008.shtml for military users and at https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf/USAF/ep/globalTab.do?channelPageId=-336215&command=org for AF Portal users, to help your mishapprevention efforts, along with links to other DoD service safety sites.

(Information from an Air Force Safety Center release was used in this story.)