Commentary: Drive safe on Highway 90 Published July 25, 2012 By Lt. Col. Luke Lokowich 47th Flying Training Wing Safety Office LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- I'm not a pessimistic person by nature, but in this case I have no choice but to look through negative lenses when the topic of U.S. Highway 90 comes up. In the past 60 days, vehicle accidents have claimed the lives of four people for absolutely unnecessary reasons. A man commuting to work is struck on his motorcycle while negotiating a dangerous intersection. A border patrol agent was hit by traffic while selflessly clearing the highway of debris. Two men die in a fiery head on collision just east of Brackettville. The accidents themselves lack a root cause, a clear explanation, a smoking gun for county officials, peace officers and citizens who want to feel safe in their community. If a common thread can be identified it's this: all of them leave an empty space at the dinner table. A son left waiting in the front yard to play catch with his father. A bride widowed, without her soul mate to recap the day's events. A mother who still has so many lessons to pass to her only child. How many will it take? When will it stop? Will a common thread emerge? Wing Safety has the job of looking into these events and assessing the dangers, applying risk management, and presenting an educated theory on how best to prevent future mishaps. It's no secret that America's highways take far more lives each year than the war on terror that rages half a world away. The question remains what is the solution? How do we go forward safer today than yesterday? Until a clear explanation presents itself I can only pass to you the same sound principles that have proven themselves in the past. Slow down, eliminate distractions and drive defensively. As a student here at Laughlin 15 years ago, I cannot remember the posted speed limit along Highway 90 being 70 miles per hour. I can tell you that the road has not changed. It has not been widened, it is not better lit and it is not any smoother. The increase of the speed limit shortened the drive to San Antonio but reduced the reaction time of drivers. Reaction time is your safety net in avoiding stray wildlife, highway debris, or poor road conditions. Faster speed increases the closure rate between you and the traffic traveling the other direction. It makes it more difficult to control your vehicle should you experience a tire blowout. Distractions have also increased. Cell phones provide an on-ramp to the information super-highway. Fast food puts the dinner table in the driver's seat. The technological advances of vehicles promise greater comfort, control and safety, but often take the driver further from the art of actively navigating safely. Distractions in your vehicle put everyone at risk and force everyone else into a defensive driving posture to make up for that missing element in your own vehicle. You have no control over the West Texas wildlife, which often forages along the highway during dawn and dusk. It's your responsibility to be prepared to avoid this risk. Team XL is host to an incredible collection of personnel tasked to provide motivated, skilled warrior-leaders as worldwide events dictate. As a team, we will not be able to do this if we cannot safely navigate our local highways. Please slow down as you travel from Laughlin. Eliminate the distractions that pull you from the act of driving defensively. Arrive alive at your dinner appointment, 15 minutes late. Your friends will forgive you, and Laughlin absolutely needs the professionalism that you bring to our daily mission.