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VA, DOT, DOD Steer Vets toward
Safe Driving
January 12, 2009
Deadly Toll from Post-Deployment Car Crashes
WASHINGTON – With motor vehicle crashes being a leading cause of deaths
among combat veterans during the first years after their return home, the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Transportation
(DOT) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are working together to reduce
these accidents.
Today, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake, Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment Wayne Arny, and
Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
David Kelly announced the creation of a new program designed to identify
needed research involving recently returned veterans from Iraq and
Afghanistan and to increase awareness of the importance of safe driving
among newly-demobilized veterans.
“VA is committed to helping our returning heroes with world-class health
care and educational benefits, home loans, job training and now with a
specific safe-driving program,” said Secretary Peake. “Together with our
partners at DOT and DOD, we will be able to collect and analyze data that
will be used to develop a comprehensive outreach initiative to target
veterans with specific needs -- and ultimately to save lives.”
Experts in transportation safety, veterans’ health and medical care, and
public health are identifying gaps in current knowledge and developing a
strategic plan for addressing key research questions, in fields ranging
from epidemiology to psychology and biomechanics.
Participants in the strategic planning process include scientists and
policy officials from VA, DOT, DOD and Department of Health and Human
Services, as well as non-governmental experts. The resulting strategic
plan will lay out research needs and identify priorities for the
initiative.
“Our returning combat veterans have already put themselves in harm’s way
to protect our way of life. Now it’s our turn to take action,” said David
Kelly, Acting Administrator of the National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration (NHTSA). “NHTSA can offer knowledge and expertise to
address challenges such as these. Working side-by-side with the Department
of Veterans Affairs, we are committed to tackling this problem and
reducing the number of veterans killed and injured on our nation’s
roadways.”
The safe-driving initiative strives to increase awareness of motor vehicle
crashes among veterans and the importance of safe driving, seatbelt and
helmet usage, and other measures. To reach out to veterans and their
families, VA will create a national educational program using the
Department’s network of medical centers, community clinics, drop-in
counseling centers (Vet Centers), and veterans benefits offices.
The initiative will also include outreach to mobilize national veterans
service organizations; the nation’s governors and state police, safety
officers, and state highway safety officials; and the private sector -
including employers; automobile, motorcycle and sports vehicle dealers and
manufacturers; the motor vehicle insurance industry; and driving and
motorcycle racing enthusiasts’ organizations. NASCAR legend and safe
driving advocate, Richard Petty, will also be an active partner in the
initiative.
“Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) is thrilled to be working with
VA, DOT and DOD on such a worthwhile project to save veterans’ lives,”
said NASCAR legend Richard Petty. “We want to bring more attention to the
continuing problem of veteran drivers and their safety through our
involvement. Last year alone, RPDE operated over 1,100 event days, ran
almost 1 million miles on track and had a staff of professional drivers.
We have the commitment, the knowledge to teach, and the infrastructure to
take this initiative to many markets.”
According to the Department of Transportation, motor vehicle crashes are
the leading cause of death for all Americans between the ages of eight
through 34. Men constitute about 70 percent of all traffic deaths. In the
past decade, both deaths and injuries from motor vehicle crashes have gone
down in the United States, due to increases in seat-belt use and decreases
in alcohol involvement, among other factors.
Nonetheless, motor vehicle accidents remain a major concern in the
military and among veterans as the greatest cause of accidental
fatalities. Several studies have reported an increase in post-deployment
deaths among military personnel who served in a combat zone compared to
their non-deployed counterparts, who are in the military but not deployed
to a war, after both the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War. Preliminary
evidence also indicates this is the case with veterans from the Global War
on Terror.
For more information regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs and the
Department of Transportation’s safe driving initiative for veterans,
please visit
www.safedriving.va.gov.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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