Have a safe and healthful Veterans Day

On Wednesday we celebrate Veterans Day. On this special day, we pause to honor the men and women who serve today, and those who served in the past, to protect and defend the American way of life.
Veterans Day is also the first cold weather holiday leading into winter, and the first after the return to standard time. Please take the extra time to plan accordingly to successfully combat adverse weather.
To help ensure a safe and healthful Veterans Day holiday, the following driving safety tips are provided:
• Use alcohol responsibly. Don't drink and drive and don't let others drive drunk. If you do drink, use a designated driver.
• It is mandatory for all Soldiers on leave, pass, or temporary duty to use the TRiPS online POV composite risk assessment tool at https://safety.army.mil before driving.
• Combat aggressive driving and do not succumb to "road rage" or react aggressively to the unsafe acts of other drivers. Drive at appropriate speeds, use safety belts, and, yield the right-of-way, if necessary.
On trips of over 100 miles or two hours, take rest breaks. A five-minute stop every two hours to walk around and "get the blood flowing" is one of our best defenses against driving fatigue ... the third leading cause of fatal traffic accidents.
I challenge everyone, military and civilian, family-member or friend, to do the right thing and look out for others. Be safe and enjoy the Veterans Day holiday without loss. In our Army family, everyone is important.
Remember, Army Safe is Army Strong!