A potential killer under our control - automobile safety

Combat Edge, Dec, 2001 by Dudley C. Riner

I was out with my wife and two daughters having a wonderful time at a remote-controlled car raceway on a quiet Saturday night. It was a normal evening until my First Sergeant arrived.

I could tell by his expression that something very serious had happened. He approached me and asked me to step outside. My mind raced as I followed him out to the parking lot where my squadron commander and the base chaplain met us. I could not imagine what could have happened that my supervisor would have to find me on a weekend.

My blood ran cold as my commander took me by the hand. He spoke with heartfelt sincerity as he told me that my mother, only brother and sister-in-law were killed several hours earlier when my brother's car collided with a semi-truck.

I remember saying, "No!" over and over again as I struggled to accept that my family was gone. I knew "how," but I wondered "why" the accident happened. The answer turned out to be something that each of us needs to take seriously: poor driving habits.

Every year, there are 83,000 vehicle accidents in the United States and 43,000 people die as a result. Most deaths could be prevented if drivers would take a few moments to respect the power of vehicles. An automobile is capable of inflicting tremendous physical damage. A car accident not only has the capability of destroying physical property, but it can sever precious family ties as well.

I believe my brother did not realize that his car could become a killer because he disregarded his seat belt. Nobody in the car, not even the children, were wearing a seat belt. The vehicle was estimated to be moving at 65 miles per hour 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. The momentum of the impact was equivalent to the destructive power of falling from a height of nearly seven stories. Additionally, the car's maximum occupancy was exceeded, which they think played a role in the accident. The car, designed to hold four individuals, had three adults and three children crammed inside.

Why the car unexplainably veered to the left into the truck's path was never officially determined. Allegedly, the semi-truck driver saw a child in my brother's car moving from the back seat to the front. The driver stated that my brother was turned toward the rear seat, one hand on the steering wheel. This caused him to accidentally steer the car into the path of the oncoming truck. They collided with enough force to rip the rear axle off the truck's trailer. It's a miracle that my three nephews survived.

My brother had served 4 years in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., and was in the Gulf War. I am sure he considered facing the Iraqi Army a real danger, but like most of us, he may have taken the destructive power of his car for granted.

Don't take your car for granted. Keep it in good running order, not just for your safety, but for the safety of others. My brother's car had rack-and-pinion steering, which was in need of repair. I had driven the car 2 weeks before the accident, and I noticed I could turn the steering wheel half a turn before the worn teeth of the steering gear would engage and turn the car. My brother continued to drive the car, although the vehicle was unfit for highway use. That worn steering gear may have contributed to the accident, but it only played a minor role in comparison to my brother's attitude toward driving safety.

A cavalier attitude toward driving safety is more dangerous than a single worn part. We should have a deep respect for the incredible power of momentum. A bird might as well be a brick to a fast-moving jet aircraft. A single bird can totally destroy a jet engine or tear a hole in an aircraft's fuselage or windscreen. My brother and his wife were killed instantly when their car hit the rear axle of the truck's trailer. The sheer power of inertia is a terrible force to contend with in a collision. It is a killer force that we have to respect, and that respect should include good driving practices.

The continuing success of a military mission depends directly on our ability to make sound decisions -- on and off duty -- about our personal safety If someone is injured in a car accident, they may not be able to uphold their duties they have sworn to fulfill. All injuries directly impact personal readiness and our ability to mobilize worldwide. Whether it's in peacetime or wartime, our country needs us to be fully operational so we can accomplish the mission.

By following good driving practices we can protect ourselves, our family, our military mission and others, who are on the roads. Unlike those remote-controlled cars I was watching on that fateful night, real car crashes have serious consequences. I have begun to recover from the night's shock with the help of several Air Force chaplains and close friends. My tragic loss has shaken me into a new awareness of the importance of driving safety.

I do not blame my brother for the accident. In my mind, he fell prey to a complacent attitude that we all have experienced at one time or another. Please let my words have meaning for each of you so that together we can reduce the number of traffic fatalities in the United States.