No US Airmen were lost during the holidays

By Northwest Military News Team on January 22, 2014

It's easy to get careless during the holidays. For those lucky enough to grab time off from work, year-end exhaustion can cause bad decisions, especially with an increase in travel.

According to Natalie Eslinger of the Air Force Safety Center Public Affairs, Air Force Airmen there were no Airmen lost between Dec. 21, 2013, and Jan. 1 - a first since 2010.

"Every Airman owns a piece of this milestone," said Maj. Gen. Kurt F. Neubauer, Air Force chief of safety. "It means Airmen did everything right: designated drivers, no distracted driving, and travel planning were among the risk-management techniques used. Commanders, supervisors, friends, family and wingmen are also winners."

"The efforts of all Airmen in keeping safety a priority contributed to this achievement," said Bill Parsons, Air Force chief of ground safety.

The Holiday/Winter Safety Campaign, which ran Nov. 22, 2013, through Jan. 2, ended with four Class A fatalities, as did the FY13 campaign. Of those, one involved a private motor vehicle, one involved a motorcycle, and two were sports and recreation-related. Overall, there was a decrease in reported mishaps resulting in injuries. During the campaign period, there were 122 Class C mishaps (42 on duty and 80 off duty), representing a decrease of more than 31 percent from the same time last year.

No time to loosen up. Valentine's Day is staring us straight in the face.