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Tools that save lives

  • Published
  • By commentary by Keith Williams
  • Air Force Ground Safety
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  In my 24 years as a safety professional, I've encountered too many fatalities and more injuries than I care to count. Losing one life is too many, but it's the preventable accidents that linger in my memory.

In February 2013, an Airman acting as a spotter for a large vehicle backing up somehow wound up behind the vehicle and pinned between the vehicle and a concrete block wall. The spotter suffered fatal injuries. The investigation revealed that the spotter did not follow training and did not ensure the driver knew that he was in the space between the vehicle and the wall. Since the spotter did not let the driver know his location, the driver backed up the vehicle.

Driving vehicles in reverse is one of the most dangerous driving maneuvers most of us will ever make. It is so dangerous because we don't do it very often. While we drive thousands of miles going forward each year, we only drive a mile or two in reverse each year. According to the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 210 deaths and 15,000 injuries occur annually due to accidents caused by vehicles backing up.  In comparison, since 2008, the Air Force had two fatalities and one permanent disability as well as more than 200 injuries due to vehicle backing. In addition, there has been hundreds of thousands dollars in property damage caused by this type of accident.

Unfortunately, even armed with this knowledge, backing accidents continue to happen and they are frustrating for everyone. These collisions are preventable and while most only involve simple property damage, some lead to very serious injuries or even tragic fatalities as in the situation cited above. So what can you do to avoid becoming a statistic?

Over the years, vehicle manufacturers have developed a multitude of devices to assist drivers when placing a vehicle in reverse. In-vehicle cameras, back-up sirens, proximity detection devices such as radar and sonar and extended mirrors (on large vehicles) are somewhat common now or will become standard on many large and small vehicles in the near future.

What about those vehicles where it won't become standard or vehicles that are "grandfathered" due to date of manufacture? The only answer is training and awareness. You must obtain the proper training (to include backing up) before operating a motor vehicle and you must be aware of your surroundings before operating any motor vehicle.

There are many sources of guidance on vehicle safety that include when operating a vehicle in reverse such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 and OSHA 29 CFR 1926.601. Air Force Instruction 91-203, Air Force Consolidated Occupational Safety Instruction, has several chapters that address backing up as well. The genesis of your vehicle training plan should start there. Other key guidance can be found in Air Force Manual 24-306, Manual for the Wheeled Vehicle Operator, which is essential to having a thorough training plan. Your vehicle training plan must be referenced in your job safety training outline.

Another key factor is hands-on driving. Any vehicle operator should demonstrate that they can operate a vehicle safely. Generally, this is left up to the Vehicle Control Officer or Vehicle Control Non-Commissioned Officer to validate. A government vehicle similar to what you operate daily (sedan, coupe or small truck) may only require some verbal instruction, however, a large truck or a tactical vehicle requires further instruction and more than just a drive-it-around- the-block guidance. You must be familiar with the vehicles' capabilities, e.g. must press down hard on the brakes or the blind spots that large vehicles usually have. This hands-on knowledge is vital to vehicle mishap prevention.

A factor that can't be overlooked is distracted driving. While operating a motor vehicle, your focus must be on just that, operating the vehicle. Perform all of your adjustments such as radio station, mirrors, etc. prior to putting the vehicle in motion.

It goes without saying (and is specified in AFI 24-301, Vehicle Operations) you cannot operate a government motor vehicle while using a hand-held wireless phone or text messaging equipment. The second, and maybe the greatest factor in vehicle mishap prevention, is risk management. Risk management is the one tool you can use when no other tool is available. The question, "Am I being safe?" is all you need to get started. Some vehicle operations require a more deliberate risk management process where you assess all of the risks which will then be addressed at the appropriate level for risk reduction. Most of us can use real-time risk management to assess what we need to do prior to backing up. For example: Am I in a congested area? Will I be able to see my spotter at all times? These are questions that can be easily answered right away.

When a spotter is used, they must also think risk management and clearly understand the need to perform the task correctly and safely. We must understand why there have been so many backing accidents and why we have fatalities that could have easily been prevented. Training is important and required but risk management is indispensable. When backing up in a vehicle, let's all use the tools we have and save equipment. And more importantly, save lives.