ARLINGTON, Va. - Behind the wheel this holiday, you can make road kill and you can be road-killed, but Air National Guard safety officials said they hope you avoid both.
Safety experts at the Air Guard Readiness Center are releasing information to help Guardmembers become better defensive drivers.
Col. Marcus Quint, director of safety for the Air Guard, is urging all Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen and their families to use defensive driving to return unharmed from their holiday travels and New Year's road trips.
"The number one killer of Guardsmen is traffic accidents," said Quint. "I would love to see us get serious about defensive driving and take the time to acknowledge its importance."
In a few days, Quint's office will distribute 2,000 printed brochures on defensive driving techniques to Airmen serving in the National Capital Region (NCR). The brochures include common sense tips for winter diving, what steps to take after an accident and how to avoid or handle animal strikes.
(See attachment) In the long term, Quint said they hope to produce more defensive driving guides and widen their distribution nationwide and to all Air Guard units.
"If the cost of these brochures prevents a single fatality, it will more than pay for itself," he said.
Statistics from the Air Force Safety Center show 63 percent of Air Force fatalities are from private motor vehicle mishaps. Quint said contributing factors include cell phone use or "texting" while driving as well as not preparing for the local weather conditions.
"Pay attention to the weather forecast before you drive, and put down that cell phone," Quint said. "It's just irresponsible to call or text from behind the wheel."
The office also hopes to tailor their brochures to seasonal and regional driving needs.
"A lot of people don't know what driver services are available in their communities," said Quint. He explained his concern with local Guardmembers broken down on the NCR's busy highways.
"Please, don't get out on these busy highways to change a tire," he said. "Call the experts to come and safely do it for you."
Quint said that roadside assistance and traffic safety initiatives in some states are strong, while others are nominal. He encouraged Guardmembers to take full advantage of every local opportunity to become safer drivers.
"It's amazing how much you can learn even after thirty years of driving experience," he said. "Defensive driving not only protects you and your passengers, but everyone else on the road as well."