Photo By Timothy Hale | A privately owned vehicle is towed away after a collision with a tactical military...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – As the weather turns warm, the speed of drivers on post roads here tends to increase.
Unfortunately, for many of these speeding drivers, the likelihood of getting into a collision with another privately owned vehicle or Army military vehicle also increases.
According to Fort Bragg safety and law enforcement officials, there are more than 2,800 motor vehicle collisions a year here. That averages out to between 50-55 per week.
The severity of the incidents range from small fender benders and minor personal property damage to severe or fatal injuries.
“You have 50 different types of drivers here,” said Lt. Jason Tatro, Fort Bragg Provost Marshal Office, Traffic Investigation. “You have individuals from every state … and all places drive differently. You have people from Nebraska that like country driving and people from New York that are bumper-to-bumper, honking their horn.”
He said the difference in driving styles is readily evident when travelling through the reservation, especially on Chicken, Manchester and Plank roads.
Throw in soldiers behind the steering wheels of mine-resistant ambush-protected and light medium tactical vehicles still using their driving styles they learned while deployed to combat zones and you have the potential for collisions, he said.
“You have big LMTVs, MRAPs and Humvees out there and you have people that are trying to get to work, they are late for PT, whatever … it’s a bad thing out there when it comes to traffic accidents,” Tatro said, adding there have been fatal incidents with speeds in excess of 120 mph on the reservation.
While ultimate responsibility lies with the driver behind the wheel, there is also command responsibility to ensure that everyone – military as well as civilians, is operating their vehicle safely.
“It’s key to the chain of command that they educate their employees – both civilian and military – that there is training going on,” said Joe Hafner, Fort Bragg Installation Safety Office accident investigator.
Hafner said it boils down to having situational awareness when you are behind the wheel.
“Keep your road rage in check. When there are military vehicles out there and you are in a no passing zone, make sure you are doing the right thing,” Hafner said.
He added that planning and considering the weather is key for a safe trip to and from work.
“Think about every time before you leave your house, that you want to come back to your house,” Hafner said. “If you keep that in the back of your mind you will be safe, because you don’t want to be involved in an incident that injures or possibly kills someone.”
North Carolina state laws include the Absolute Speed Law which means exactly what you think it does – do the posted speed or else. Not only do drivers stand to lose their lives or cut short the lives of others, there are also financial implications to speeding on the installation.
“If it is 50 miles an hour, it’s 50 miles an hour,” Tatro said. “If you are traveling 51, 52, you can receive a ticket.”
The PMO is currently tracking speeds on the roads through the reservation, Tatro said. Through this monitoring, they are able to determine if a large number of cars are exceeding the speed limit at a given time of the day.
“What that does is give us a good range of enforcement times,” he said. “We have written citation after citation out there. Some of the citations we write out there are in excess of $270.
Tatro said the fines for speeding can run from $250-$275 plus court costs. If someone driving an AMV is charged with causing a traffic incident, they may also face punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For non-military vehicles, state and possibly United States Codes may come into play, he said.
So given the potential for financial loss and possible loss of life, Fort Bragg officials hope drivers will slow down on installation roads.
“Nothing is that important. You just have to take your time out there,” Tatro said. “No matter what it is, it will be there.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.28.2014 07:53 |
| Story ID: | 121307 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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