Focus on safety while traveling this Labor Day Published Sept. 3, 2009 By Steve Serrette 72nd Air Base Wing Safety Office TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. However, on the weekend intended to give United States workers a day of rest, an estimated 34.8 million Americans are expected to climb into their drivers' seats or board an airplane for a short Labor Day getaway. That's fine, but it also seems that once people get behind the wheel of a vehicle, they leave supervision, checklists or operational instructions behind. Unfortunately, it is when they are on their own that disaster usually strikes. It should surprise no one that the leading cause -- historically, around 80 percent -- of accidental deaths to our Air Force family members is private motor vehicle crashes. Our fiscal 2007 Critical Days numbers were consistent with this 80-percent trend, with a total of 17 fatalities. Four-wheeled PMVs accounted for eight of the fatalities. And five out of the 17 fatalities involved alcohol while motorcycle PMV fatalities accounted for six unwarranted deaths. In fiscal 2008, we lost 12 Air Force family members during those Critical Days. Four-wheeled PMVs accounted for four of the fatalities. Three out of the 12 fatalities involved alcohol while motorcycle PMV fatalities accounted for five unnecessary deaths. So far this year, as of Aug. 18, we have lost 14 of our Air Force family members. At the present, four-wheeled PMVs account for eight of the fatalities. Alcohol was involved in two of the 14 fatalities while motorcycle PMV fatalities have needlessly taken the lives of four members. All of these lives have been forever snuffed out. Not one of the fatalities has come from AFMC. It is very rare for a car crash to be so simple that it has only one cause. Most accidents are the result of a complex sequence of events that come together at a particular point in time -- the scene of the mishap. The circumstances and causes may have been different in all 43 of our fatalities over the past three years, but there was definitely one thing they all had in common -- they were preventable. If you choose to travel this Labor Day weekend, use personal risk assessment before all your actions and especially while traveling on our nation's highways and byways. Some North Americans may dispute the value and the importance of fuel conservation gains achieved by compliance with speed limits. But the dramatic improvement in highway safety and the savings in lives which result cannot be overemphasized. By complying with our traffic laws this Labor Day weekend, we can all improve our chances for a safe trip. The Tinker Safety office urges all Tinker personnel and their families to have a safe as well as an enjoyable happy weekend.