R 161345Z JAN 04
FM CMC WASHINGTON DC(uc)
TO AL ALMAR(uc)
ALMAR
BT
UNCLASSIFIED
ALMAR 002/04
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC/CMC//
SUBJ/DECEMBER SAFETY MESSAGE//
RMKS/1.  DURING DECEMBER, SIX MARINES DIED IN
OFF-DUTY MISHAPS, ONE MARINE DIED IN AN ON-DUTY
MISHAP, AND TWO AV-8B AIRCRAFT WERE LOST IN
AVIATION MISHAPS.
A. OFF-DUTY.
(1) A LCPL DIED WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF HIS CAR
ON A HIGHWAY IN ARIZONA.  THE MARINE WAS EJECTED
FROM HIS CAR WHEN IT LEFT THE ROADWAY AND ROLLED.
HE WAS NOT WEARING HIS SEATBELT.
(2) ON CHRISTMAS EVE, A SSGT DIED AS A RESULT OF
INJURIES SUSTAINED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT
CAUSED BY A DRUNK DRIVER IN ANOTHER VEHICLE.
HIS SPOUSE IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION WITH A POOR
PROGNOSIS FOR SURVIVAL.
(3) A CPL SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES FROM A CHRISTMAS
DAY MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WHILE ON I-95 IN SOUTH
CAROLINA.  HE DIED THE FOLLOWING DAY.
(4) THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, A LCPL WAS KILLED IN A
POV DRIVEN BY A CIVILIAN WHO HAD BEEN DRINKING AND
LOST CONTROL OF HIS VEHICLE.  THE LCPL WAS NOT
WEARING A SEAT BELT.  ANOTHER MARINE PASSENGER
(CPL) SUFFERED MASSIVE HEAD/FACIAL INJURIES, HE IS
IN CRITICAL CONDITION.
(5) IN HAWAII, A CPL DIED WHEN HE WAS EJECTED FROM A
VEHICLE THAT LEFT THE ROADWAY AND THEN ROLLED ON TOP
OF HIM.  THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN BY HIS CIVILIAN BROTHER
WHO HAD BEEN DRINKING ALCOHOL.  THIS MARINE WAS NOT
WEARING A SEATBELT.
(6) A LCPL DIED WHILE ON LIBERTY IN JACKSONVILLE, FL.  
THE MARINE HAD BEEN DRINKING ALCOHOL AT A PARTY, FELL
ASLEEP AND COULD NOT BE AWAKENED BY HIS FRIENDS.    
B.  ON-DUTY.  ONE MARINE DIED AND ANOTHER WAS INJURED
WHEN THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT VEHICLE
WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY IN TEXAS.  THE VEHICLE
ROLLED DURING THE CRASH AND EJECTED THE SGT FROM THE
VEHICLE.  BOTH MARINES WERE WEARING SEATBELTS.  
C.  AVIATION.  
(1) AN AV-8B CRASHED ON FINAL APPROACH TO MCAS YUMA.  
THE AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED CONTROL PROBLEMS AND THE PILOT
EJECTED SAFELY.
(2) A SECOND AV-8B WAS LOST WITHIN A WEEK OF THE FIRST
MISHAP PERFORMING A FUNCTIONAL CHECK FLIGHT NORTH OF YUMA.
2.  OBSERVATIONS / TRENDS.
A.  AS WE LEAVE THE HOLIDAYS BEHIND US, TAKE A MOMENT TO
REFLECT ON THE MARINES LOST IN VEHICLE CRASHES.  IN CONCERT
WITH THE SECOND QUARTER SAFETY THEME:  EMPOWERMENT,  REALIZE
WE CANNOT WIN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST PREVENTABLE MISHAPS WITHOUT
ACTION ON EVERYONE S PART.  WE HAVE THE POWER TO PREVENT
MANY OF THE SENSELESS LOSSES DESCRIBED ABOVE.  ONE MAJOR
STEP IS TO USE ALCOHOL RESPONSIBLY. FOUR OF THE SIX OFF
DUTY DEATHS IN DECEMBER INVOLVED ALCOHOL.  RE-DEDICATE
YOURSELVES TO REDUCING THIS RISK AND OTHERS IN ALL YOUR
ACTIVITIES.    
B.  THE SECOND ISSUE I WANT TO ADDRESS IS THE IMPORTANCE
OF SEAT BELT USE.  THREE OF SIX FATAL MISHAPS INVOLVED
OCCUPANTS WHO DID NOT USE SEATBELTS, AND IN TWO OF THE
REMAINING THREE MISHAPS SEAT BELT USE IS UNKNOWN.  
THERE ARE REAL BENEFITS FOR SEAT BELT USE.  NATIONAL
STATISTICS INDICATE 73% OF RESTRAINED OCCUPANTS WHO
WERE IN A FATAL CRASH LAST YEAR SURVIVED; OF THOSE WHO
WERE NOT RESTRAINED, ONLY 43% SURVIVED.  IN CRASHES, 73%
OF ALL VEHICLE OCCUPANTS WHO WERE EJECTED DIED; ONLY 1% OF
RESTRAINED OCCUPANTS WERE EJECTED.  BE SMART AND SAFE,
WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT.
3.  SEMPER FIDELIS, M. W. HAGEE, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS,
COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS.//