Courtesy Photo | Safety starts with me – School buses in Germany don’t look like school buses in...... read more read more
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Back to school starts soon, and the 405th Army Field Support Brigade Safety Office is asking that we exercise extreme caution while operating our motor vehicles on the roads, especially when approaching areas where there may be small children and when traveling along school bus routes and nearby schools and daycare centers.
As part of the Army’s 101 critical days of the summer safety and the 405th AFSB’s “safety starts with me” campaign, Leann Fraka and LaShaun Chappel want people to be safe – and when it comes to back to school – keep our children safe, too.
Micheal Dean has been working at the 405th AFSB’s Logistics Readiness Center Bavaria Drivers Testing and Training Station on Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, Germany, for more than four years. He said the rules of the road in Germany are very different than the U.S.
“And this is true when it comes to our children and the school buses here in Germany,” said Dean who is the lead DTTS instructor for Garmisch, Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr. “We should always exercise extreme caution, slow down and stay observant near the schools and along the bus routes.”
“Watch out for children crossing roads unexpectedly. A lot of accidents are caused by distracted driving. During the school season and whenever you are operating a vehicle, pay attention and take your time. There’s no rush,” Dean said.
Rabih Youness is an employee at the Kaiserslautern Military Community Student Transportation Office. He said when a bus stops to drop off or pick up students, be careful. In fact, he recommends stopping and waiting.
“When we provide training for our students, we tell them to wait until the bus leaves and look both ways before crossing the street,” said Youness, “but for the drivers, always be on the lookout and check to see if any students are passing from the other side of the bus.”
Stephen Todd, a transportation specialist at 405th AFSB’s Logistics Readiness Center Ansbach, said school buses in Germany don’t look like school buses in the U.S. The German school buses look like regular metro or city buses. There will be an orange sign on the back of the bus with an illustration of two children walking, though. That’s the differentiation.
“If you see that their turn signal is on this means they're about to pull over, and you cannot pass them at normal speed. It’s safer to just stop and wait, but if you do decide it’s safe to pass you must reduce your speed to walking speed,” said Todd, who has worked at the Drivers Testing and Training Station on Katterbach Kaserne for 16 months.
Todd also stressed the importance of motor vehicle safely in Germany and Europe, in general. He talked about priority roads and understanding the rules of the road. For example, when approaching an intersection while not on a priority road, the vehicle to the right always has the right-of-way. Also, road signs, he said. There are a lot of road signs in Germany and Europe that may not be familiar to U.S. licensed drivers. For that reason, Todd recommends studying and learning all the German and European road signs. And then there’s the autobahns, he said.
“Literally this weekend on the way back from Rammstein, I saw a terrible accident with a Mercedes-Benz station wagon on the autobahn. It was going too fast, lost control and ended up flipping several times before colliding into the guardrail,” he said.
“It’s fun being on the autobahn where it’s unlimited and unrestricted, and you can go as fast as you want, but please do not do that,” said Todd. “Even the most experienced drivers can make a mistake. All it takes is a split second. Please slow down and be sensible.”
"The discipline you display on the battlefield and in your profession must extend to the road. Driving comes with the responsibility to protect yourself, your fellow Soldiers, and civilians, also your family. Drive sober, buckle up and stay focused. Your readiness and the readiness of this brigade depend on it," said Col. Ernest Lane II, the commander of the 405th AFSB.
“With school starting soon, pay special attention to the children. They will be crossing streets, running to bus stops, and playing near the roadways,” Lane said. “Slow it down in heavily populated areas, especially where there are children. Let's take this moment to renew our commitment to our families, friends, coworkers and neighbors, and be extra safe while operating our motor vehicles on the road.”
The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center has many valuable tools and resources when it comes to operating a motor vehicle. Learn about driving safety briefing tools, alcohol and accidents, distracted driving, TRiPS, and more at USACRC’s automobiles webpage at https://safety.army.mil/OFF-DUTY/Automobiles.
The 405th AFSB is the premier logistics integrator and synchronizer for U.S. European Command, enabling readiness solutions to ‘Support the Warrior’ by operationalizing U.S. Army Materiel Command capabilities and delivering readiness within the U.S. Army Europe and Africa areas of responsibility at the point of need.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging AMC’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2025 01:18 |
| Story ID: | 545463 |
| Location: | KAISERSLAUTERN, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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