Commander's Blog

Near Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2015, a tractor-trailer crashed due to the trucker being distracted. His tooth was causing him tremendous pain, so he took both hands off the wheel and extracted the offending tooth! The tooth was found in his shirt pocket.

I know what you are thinking; this is a crazy antic to attempt while driving. Yet, as we enter the more accident prone summer days, it is important we plan ahead, even for dental issues, and avoid becoming a headline.

During the month of June, the Army, in partnership with the National Safety Council, wants us to focus on planning ahead, remaining safe and protecting ourselves from harm. One key focus area is off-duty driving. In fact, per Allstate's statistics, summer is the most dangerous time of the year for driving with August historically having the highest number of fatal car accidents. In 2013, August had 3,136 fatal car accidents, and July and September had over 2,900 fatal accidents both months.

What makes summer driving so dangerous? One reason is during the summer months there are more teens on the road learning how to drive. This unavoidable lack of experience can lead to questionable judgment and increased risk for accidents. Last month one of our own families experienced this first hand. They were driving the speed limit, seat belts were secured and they were driving a safe distance from the car in front of them when they were side swiped by a new teen driver. The teen, with his mom in the passenger seat, was pulling into their subdivision. He was nervous and became distracted by a honking horn when he slammed into the driver's side door. Luckily the only one hurt was the Ford Edge.

In addition to more teens on the road, there are more cars on the road in the summer, full of happy vacationers. This adds to congested roads, which make driving conditions more difficult, especially in the DC metro area. It also results in a higher rate of road rage, in fact the national average of fatal road rage incidents more than doubled between 2009 and 2013, and this doesn't reflect the thousands of unkind acts drivers inflict on each other daily that don't result in a fatal accident.

Some of the other factors increasing the hazard of summer driving are road construction, more bicycles and motorcycles on the road and the bright sun in your eyes.

Prevention and planning may take some time up front, but might spare you from dealing with the headache, or worse, from a car accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends you plan your longer trips with breaks in your driving. During your breaks you can get something to eat and drink, return phone calls or text messages or change drivers. These are important reminders, not only for a longer road trip, but also are great tips for our daily local commute. Also, don't forget your sunglasses and a bottle of water to stay hydrated.

Enjoy the sunshine and warm weather, but drive safe, be alert and plan ahead.

Army strong!

COL William Geesey