Report on run-off-the-road accident with a military vehicle on fv. 454 at Drivenesvannet in Agder county

The run-off-the-road accident involving a military vehicle on 9 August 2021 happened when the driver lost control of the light utility vehicle as it was entering a left-hand curve on the Fv 454 road. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. No safety briefing was held before departure for the exercise area, nor did the military organise for the military vehicles to travel together. No risk assessments had been carried out of the different routes to the exercise area. The investigation has shown that neither the exercise order nor LSS’s risk assessment described potential risk elements or operational barriers associated with transport using military vehicles on public roads.

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces ensure that the Royal Norwegian Air Force Specialist School (LSS) improve its risk management process to ensure that adequate safety measures are implemented to reduce the risks associated with transport using military vehicles on public roads.

The run-off-the-road accident involving a military vehicle on 9 August 2021 happened when the driver lost control of the light utility vehicle as it was entering a left-hand curve on the Fv 454 road. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. The driver had attended a light utility vehicle driver course organised by LSS approximately 1.5 months before the accident. The investigation has shown that the driver had the light utility vehicle driver course approved before completing a safety course on a track, and was therefore allowed to drive the light utility vehicle to the exercise area without an instructor. This is not in accordance with the requirement set out in the course description for the driver training for MB light utility vehicles that a safety course on a track must be completed before the driver training can be approved. The purpose of this track safety course is to impart to the learners an understanding of how the handling characteristics of a light utility vehicle differ from those of a modern vehicle.

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces ensure that the training of drivers for MB light utility vehicles is carried out in accordance with the course description and current regulations.

The run-off-the-road accident involving a military vehicle on 9 August 2021 happened when the driver lost control of the light utility vehicle as it was entering a left-hand curve on the Fv 454 road. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. At the time of the accident, the Norwegian Armed Force Transport School (FTS) was in the process of preparing a course description for the MB light utility vehicle driver training to replace the training programme in force at the time. The investigation has shown that the new course description has a stronger focus on road traffic safety compared with the old training programme, but that limited attention is given to the tyres of the light utility vehicle.

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Armed Forces ensure that drivers of MB light utility vehicles have competence in safe driving behaviour, seen in relation to the light utility vehicle’s tyre characteristics in different seasons and under different road surface conditions.