26 April 2007
Major General Lou Gardiner, Chief of Army, is confident the Army has already taken significant steps to ensure driver education and training programmes have addressed the key issues noted by the Queenstown Coroner in his report.
“Firstly on behalf of the New Zealand Defence Force I wish to reiterate my deepest sympathies to the families of Privates David Partington, Ashley Goodwin and Shane Ohlen.”
“Following the accident the Army put a high priority on completing an extensive and comprehensive review of our entire driver training regime. A significant number of changes have been implemented since the review was completed 18 months ago and I am confident that we have applied all practicable steps to further enhance the regime and that these changes offer a high level of safety in the training environment we provide for our soldiers”, says General Gardiner.
The driver training review initiated the following changes in the Army’s driver education and training programme:
o 1:1 driver / instructor ratio for the Class 2 and military Unimog Vehicle Operators phases of the accelerated licence course.
o Supervised driving hours during the Class 2 licence and UNIMOG operator phases have increased and now averages at 35 – 40 hours (an almost 50% increase). An additional five training days has been added to the accelerated course to facilitate more supervised driving and the enhancing of subjects such as hazard perception and vehicle dynamics.
o Only two people to occupy the cab of the Unimog during the vehicle operators’ course. If it is necessary to have three persons in the cab an instructor must be present.
o It is now mandatory to keep detailed log books recording all driving hours of individual students on all driver licensing courses.
o The total number of driving days during a UNIMOG vehicle course has been increased from five to seven days.
In addition an Army Provisional Driving Permit scheme has been introduced which means students are subject to certain requirements and conditions once they return to their units after they complete their driving course. Students must maintain a driving hour logbook and are required to complete a specified number of driving hours over a twelve month period. They must pass assessments at various time intervals and are restricted in the carriage of certain types of loads, including troop carrying & dangerous goods, unless accompanied by a supervisor. Once all the requirements have been met students will then receive a “full” driving permit. While the scheme is currently being trialed for selected students, the results are expected to determine its application throughout the Army in the future.
“The Army Provisional Driving Permit trial will allow us to monitor driving hours once a soldier has qualified on a driving course. The Coroner’s report has recommended that the hours of driving are closer aligned with civilian (commercial) practices. While we fully understand why the coroner has made this suggestion, I feel it is important to remind people that our primary role is soldiering and few of our soldiers drive vehicles as their sole task”.
“We train our soldiers to drive military vehicles in order to undertake the roles expected of us during operational duties, and these roles are at times hazardous and frequently see us operating on undeveloped and unstable roads and surfaces. The UNIMOG is the Army’s workhorse. It is a very capable vehicle that allows us to operate in a variety of environments including on public roads within New Zealand”, says General Gardiner.
“Over the past three years there have been a number of tragic vehicle accidents involving UNIMOG trucks and I am aware that some members of the public question the safety of the Army’s UNIMOG fleet. I wish to reassure New Zealanders that while the vehicles have been in service for some time they are still functional, meet all legal requirements for on road driving, and are maintained to the standards required.
“Driving by its nature is dangerous. It is the most significant risk faced by all New Zealanders. We have a duty to prepare our soldiers to do their job and do it well. There is an inherent risk in much of what we do as an organisation and this means we must ensure our training replicates, as safely as possible, the conditions and environments our soldiers may find themselves operating in – both in New Zealand and overseas.”
“I have full confidence in Army driving, Army drivers and our equipment.”
“I feel confident that we have already taken steps that address the majority of the points made by the coroner in his report. The Army continues to strive to be the best it can be at everything it does”.
ENDS
For further information please contact David Courtney, Army Public Relations, on (04) 496 0296 or 021 487 980.