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HOCKENHEIM, Germany — Soldiers and civilians of the 7th Civil Support Command, based out of Kaiserslautern, participated in a driver’s improvement course March 7. The course was hosted by a German automobile services company to prepare them for different and demanding road conditions that may occur on Europe’s roads.
The course began with a safety briefing about the condition and layout of the track, along with safety rules and regulations, followed by a track orientation drive around for participants.
The importance of this type of training correlates with vehicular fatality statistical data. According to the U.S. Army Reserve Command Safety Office, during fiscal year 2012, there have been seven privately owned vehicle fatalities.
“This is too many accidents,” said Dante E. Azul, the 7th CSC safety manager. “I am hoping that this event will benefit the Soldiers and civilians within our command and give the participants an opportunity to learn things that they normally would not learn in the real world until (before) it was too late.”
The course, which spans more than 3 kilometers, consists of six different specialties from simple braking to braking under snowy conditions, controlling a vehicle on a normal surface to controlling a vehicle on a wet surface, and much more.
“This course is a lot of fun,” said 1st Lt. Mark A. Newgent, a plans and operations specialist with the 7th CSC, after he completed a defensive driving maneuver on the snow and ice portion of the safety course. “Where else can I drive my car to the limit under a controlled environment not knowing what is coming next?
“This training is very positive and the practical experience has given me a better understanding of different driving conditions that I had not experienced before,” Newgent continued.
After drivers completed each event on the course, a trained ADAC instructor directed the drivers on how to correct their vehicle in the various training scenarios through radio communication while analyzing their performance.
“Each Soldier drives differently,” said Florian Franz, who has been a driving instructor for the last 15 years. “Some drivers are cautious while others drive a little more aggressive.
“These Soldiers need to get the feeling for different speeds in different conditions,” Franz continued. “As the speed rises, so does the G-force of the vehicle, and I want the Soldiers to learn how this can affect driving response times.”
As the day went on, the drivers became more confident about their driving and were able to handle even the most difficult course easier than before.
“Since we are accustomed to the regulatory speed limits in the U.S., the autobahn is a highway built for speed and a split-second decision makes a difference in life or death,” said Master Sgt. Cory Najera, the safety noncommissioned officer in charge for the U.S. Army Reserve Command. “The drivers improvement training is geared for Army Reserve Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians to learn how to drive safe on fast German autobahns. This program has provided valuable insight for drivers who are not accustomed to the autobahn.”
