Don't become a statistic -- be safe over the holiday weekend

  • Published
  • By Gen. Gary North
  • Pacific Air Forces
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) --  Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September and is dedicated to the contributions all workers make to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Over this Labor Day weekend, encourage your Airmen to recharge with family and friends, but remember to always exercise sound safety practices and risk management.

The upcoming Labor Day weekend also marks the end of our Critical Days of Summer campaign and is historically the most dangerous weekend of the year for Airmen. Our Air Force has lost 11 fellow Airmen during this year's campaign.

Statistically, private motor vehicle fatalities are still the number one fatal mishap category. Of the 11 fatal mishaps across the Air Force, nine of them involved private motor vehicles.

Many of these motor vehicle fatalities involved some type of reckless behavior such as failure to wear mandatory personal protective equipment like seatbelts or helmets, excessive speed, use of alcohol, or extreme driving. We must turn this negative trend around and ensure a culture of safety based on risk awareness and prevention, both on and off-duty.

Prior to the Labor Day weekend, I expect you and your staff (as always) to emphasize the importance of driving safely, have a game plan for all activities, and take care of yourselves and your wingmen. We are counting on our leaders at every level to maintain our service focus on safety, and impress it on our Airmen, and by extension, their families, this holiday weekend and beyond. We must do everything possible to avoid preventable mishaps. Every one of our Airmen in uniform and our civilians are a combat resource for our Air Force. Again, I hope everyone has a pleasant Labor Day weekend. Be safe, rest up, and come back ready to defend our nation and our nation's most precious resources--our citizens!

Thanks to each of you and your team of professionals for all you do, every day.