The U.S. Army is teaming up with General Motors Corp. to help reduce the number of crashes involving soldiers in their own cars and trucks, accidents that kill the equivalent of an Army company each year, according to a report in the Associated Press on June 7. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that 202 service members died in private automobile crashes in fiscal year 2003. Sixty-nine of the deaths involved Army personnel. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last year challenged all branches of the military to cut the rate of preventable accidents and fatalities, including traffic deaths, by at least 50 percent by 2005. The GM-Army effort announced on June 7 includes advanced driver training that can be duplicated on Army bases and a 45-minute safe-driving video that will be required viewing for all Army personnel. GM’s safe driving program was developed in 1995 to train employees in collision prevention techniques while promoting courtesy and cooperation on the road. Messages about seat belt use and the dangers of impaired driving are an integral part of the program.