During critical days of summer, Army safe is Army Strong

Today's issue of the Belvoir Eagle highlights the installation's annual Safety Day, at which the community came together to re-educate ourselves about safety in our homes and workplaces and in our travels.

In his recent letter to all servicemembers, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates urged leaders to intensify their safety efforts during the 101 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

He reminded us that in the summer of 2008, DoD lost 87 servicemen and women in private motor vehicle collisions, of which more than half occurred on motorcycles.

I join with him in reiterating to all Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and civilians to exercise good judgment and drive safely during this period of high risk.

To help us do that, DoD makes valuable tools and resources available for everyone to make safety a part of our planning for summer fun and travel. I recommend two of them which can be found at https://safety.army.mil/:

Composite Risk Management is a five-step decision-making process used for identifying hazards and controlling risks across the full spectrum of Army missions, functions, operations and activities. This is easily adaptable to any activity you may undertake.

The Travel Risk Planning System is an automated trip-planning tool that incorporates the principals of CRM.

Finally, statistics show most automobile accidents happen within two miles of a person's home; so, please remember a few key elements of safe driving before this long weekend:

• Never drink and drive.
• Get adequate rest before you get on the road and plan rest breaks.
• Make sure all vehicle occupants wear seatbelts.
• If you ride a motorcycle, wear your personal protective equipment. It saves lives.
You are the most precious component of our great Belvoir and armed forces communities. Let's be Army safe, so we can continue to be Army Strong.