Evasive driving maneuvers like speeding and sudden lane changes are a must for troops driving in dangerous environments where there may be roadside bombs, like Afghanistan.
But the driving habits that can save a soldier’s life when deployed can cause an accident and maybe death when the soldier returns home.
A 2012 study, by the insurance company USAA, showed that deployed military members have a 13 percent higher risk of being in an accident after returning stateside.
There are other risk factors for at-fault accidents according to the USAA Returning Warriors Driving Safety Report 2012:
- Army Veterans accidents increased 23 percent; Marines 12.5 percent; Navy 3 percent and Air Force 2 percent.
- Drivers younger than 22 are more at risk (a 25 percent increase) while those over 29 have a 7.5 percent increase
- Drivers with 3 or more deployments are most at risk with a 36 percent increase in at-fault accidents; 2 deployments saw 27 percent increased; 1 deployment had a 12 percent increase.
The insurance company that only serves military and their families created an online survey for members returning from deployment. It has a dual purpose, to gather additional data about risk factors and to alert combat veterans of the driving dangers and offer safety tips such as:
- Don’t start out driving at night or in heavy traffic
- Plan out your route ahead of time
- Avoid things that might cause you concern like narrow roads
The online assessment asks simple questions and is short according to John Bird, a retired Navy admiral and senior vice president for military affairs at USAA. He quelled any concerns that the data would be used against the driver.
“I will tell you our whole company business is built on trust. We absolutely are not using this data to raise rates or to affect policies for those military members,” Bird said. “In sharp contrast, we’re using this data as we do so much data across all insurance areas to go toward prevention.”
Additionally, USAA is offering a $25 incentive to a spouse or military member within six months of returning from deployment.
Bird said the company estimates that about 5,000 of its members return monthly.
EDITORS NOTE: The original version of this story has been changed. There is no accurate estimate on the number of USAA members who have participated in the survey.
