ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
The cold weather is passing and summer is almost here. Along with warm weather come all the things that people do in search of summer fun such as baseball, cookouts, jogging, swimming and vacations. As the warm weather and summer activities increase, so does potential for accidents.
The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known to the Air Force as the "101 Critical Days of Summer" because many Air Force members try to squeeze too many activities into too few days, causing a lot of unnecessary mishaps.
Most mishaps occur mainly off base and during off-duty hours, when supervisory influence is least effective. Most of these mishaps occur because of unsafe practices and failure to adhere to established safety rules and procedures. Each summer, thousands of people are killed and hundreds of thousands are injured as a result of mishaps. People can keep accidents from ruining their summers by putting safety into every activity by knowing about the hazards of some summer activities.
Vehicular mishaps are the number one killers of Air Force personnel. Summer roads tempt too many drivers to speed. Trouble can strike anywhere; over one-half of all fatal traffic accidents happen near home. To cut back on vehicular accidents or their severity, follow the rules of the road; drive defensively and always use seatbelts.
The best way to ensure the safety of loved ones is to teach them to identify the hazard, assess the risks and make decisions that will have an impact on the safe outcome of family activities. With risk management, people gain another birthday, another anniversary, another laugh, another hug, another chance, another precious family moment.
Risk management has to be a part of our everyday life, especially during off-duty family activities.