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Fewer summertime deaths for sailors, Marines

Fourteen sailors and 14 Marines lost their lives in off-duty recreational, motor vehicle and pedestrian mishaps during the 15 weeks of summer that ended on Labor Day.

While the losses are tragic, the news does come with a silver lining: those are the Navy’s lowest totals of the past 10 years, and the second-lowest for the Marine Corps. The Navy deaths fell 42 percent from the total of 24 off-duty vehicle mishap deaths in 2009, according to Naval Safety Center figures. The Corps experienced one less fatality than last summer’s total of 15, a seven percent reduction.

Safety Center officials were pleased to see the numbers fall and feel their summertime message of “Live to play, play to live” resonated throughout the force.

“Those are pretty good numbers,” said Marine Corps Col. Mark Erb, the center’s deputy commander, during an interview Wednesday. The results continue a trend of generally safer off-duty behavior that has continued through the entire fiscal year, which began in October 2009.

“Without jinxing ourselves here, we’re having a great FY ’10 as well,” he said. “We’re on track to have one of our best years ever, if not the best year ever, in many categories.”

In addition, alcohol-related mishaps were down 50 percent overall, with a 71 percent reduction in the Navy and a 33 percent drop-off in the Corps, Erb said.

“Responsible use of alcohol seems to be improving,” Erb said.

But drinking too much at any given time is still a concern, particularly the prevalence of alcohol abuse in sexual assaults, Erb said, citing data collected by other Navy agencies.

“People seem to have gotten the message on drinking and driving … over-consumption of alcohol is still a concern,” Erb said. “Our sailors and Marines are consuming too much alcohol; they’re making poor decisions.”

Irresponsible drinking, Erb said, “lowers inhibitions and leads to risky behavior, and puts sailors and Marines in danger.”

Erb called on “each sailor and Marine” to apply what he termed “time-critical risk management” to all decision-making, both on and off duty.

“Think through the pros and cons of what you’re about to do,” Erb said. “I’m not saying don’t do things that are enjoyable, but make sure you understand the risks that you’re taking, and that you manage those risks to achieve a successful outcome.”