thedrifter
12-03-02, 07:00 AM
By Jeanette Steele
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 30, 2002
The military branch known for strict discipline is having a hard time persuading troops to buckle up and drive safely.
The Marine Corps leads the services in automobile fatality rates in a year when all military vehicle deaths on and off base are up 35 percent to 321, a four-year high.
Of those, at least 46 were Marines, giving the Corps a high rate compared to the larger services.
Even with a war on, vehicle accidents claim more lives than combat and training combined.
That's why the Marine Corps launched a nationwide seat-belt campaign this week in conjunction with law enforcement agencies and the National Safety Council's "Click It or Ticket" program.
All services are participating, but the Marines took the lead for the Pentagon.
"We have a very youthful population," Col. Randolph Alles, commander of Marine Aircraft Group 11 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, said Tuesday. "A lot of them think, not only can they shoot their weapon well, but they also feel like they are invincible."
Miramar's 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing lost seven Marines to traffic accidents in the past two years. Six of the Marines weren't wearing seat belts, officials said.
Tuesday, cars turning into the Marine Aircraft Group 11 parking lot were stopped. Anyone wearing a seat belt was rewarded with a can of soda. No one was caught without a belt, but the penalty would have been a ticket.
"They do an excellent job on base," said Chuck Hurley, National Safety Council vice president, at a base media conference. "But when the Marines leave base, often on leave, three and four in a car, they are not always as well buckled."
The seat-belt enforcement push will last through this weekend, Marine officials said.
On Monday, more than 1,000 Marines took a turn strapping into a device called "The Convincer." Simulating a 15-mph collision, the contraption's seat slides down an eight-foot incline and crashes to a stop at the end.
"It's a pretty good jolt," said Maj. Troy Warshel, who demonstrated the device at the press conference. "The seat belt stops you, but your head snaps forward."
Sempers,
Roger
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 30, 2002
The military branch known for strict discipline is having a hard time persuading troops to buckle up and drive safely.
The Marine Corps leads the services in automobile fatality rates in a year when all military vehicle deaths on and off base are up 35 percent to 321, a four-year high.
Of those, at least 46 were Marines, giving the Corps a high rate compared to the larger services.
Even with a war on, vehicle accidents claim more lives than combat and training combined.
That's why the Marine Corps launched a nationwide seat-belt campaign this week in conjunction with law enforcement agencies and the National Safety Council's "Click It or Ticket" program.
All services are participating, but the Marines took the lead for the Pentagon.
"We have a very youthful population," Col. Randolph Alles, commander of Marine Aircraft Group 11 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, said Tuesday. "A lot of them think, not only can they shoot their weapon well, but they also feel like they are invincible."
Miramar's 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing lost seven Marines to traffic accidents in the past two years. Six of the Marines weren't wearing seat belts, officials said.
Tuesday, cars turning into the Marine Aircraft Group 11 parking lot were stopped. Anyone wearing a seat belt was rewarded with a can of soda. No one was caught without a belt, but the penalty would have been a ticket.
"They do an excellent job on base," said Chuck Hurley, National Safety Council vice president, at a base media conference. "But when the Marines leave base, often on leave, three and four in a car, they are not always as well buckled."
The seat-belt enforcement push will last through this weekend, Marine officials said.
On Monday, more than 1,000 Marines took a turn strapping into a device called "The Convincer." Simulating a 15-mph collision, the contraption's seat slides down an eight-foot incline and crashes to a stop at the end.
"It's a pretty good jolt," said Maj. Troy Warshel, who demonstrated the device at the press conference. "The seat belt stops you, but your head snaps forward."
Sempers,
Roger