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Driving in Kosovo is arguably the most hazardous event KFOR soldiers face on a daily basis. Even before KFOR 17 officially took over MNBG-E on June 1, members from its formation had already been involved in minor traffic accidents. Although the damage was negligible and no one was injured, KFOR 17 now has first-hand experience with local traffic accidents.
Safety
Coming from a different driving culture, one could easily think that local drivers are overly aggressive and that they take too many risks. Yes, it’ s easy to think that. Or is it that the local drivers have just come to expect that their fellow drivers are just as aggressive as they are? Having recently taken over, KFOR 17 faces a steep learning curve when it comes to predicting what often times is unpredictable driving behavior.
As I was working towards my certification as a safety professional, I remember taking a course on human behavior. On the surface, behavior and safety may not appear to go hand-in-hand, but I soon found out that there is a strong link between the two. A culture can be defined by its beliefs, it values, and its norms. Safety is linked into this in the form of the outputs, or actions, of a culture. The manner of driving by the local population is influenced by their culture. One of those outputs, or actions, is identified with their more aggressive driving style.
So what is the soldier of KFOR 17 to do? If you try and drive like the locals, you might find yourself driving well out of your comfort zone. If you become an overly defensive driver, then you could potentially find yourself run off the road. The best answer I can come up with is to keep your head on a swivel and maintain a defensive driving posture while being able to conjure up a hint of aggressiveness when it’ s needed.
All of the safety training I’ ve taken has taught me to eliminate the risk. If the risk could not be eliminated, then an engineering solution should be utilized to all but eliminate the risk. If an engineering approach wasn’ t feasible, then administrative measures and personal protective equipment would be used to mitigate the risk. In the last two approaches, the risk still remains and you are merely attempting to minimize your personal contact with the hazard while safeguarding yourself with protective equipment. These are also the two methods KFOR 17 is left with to protect our soldiers from the hazards of driving.
While driving in Kosovo is probably one of the riskiest missions most soldiers will encounter, KFOR 17 will adapt to the conditions in time. In recent weeks, the accident rate has already started to taper off, but we must stay resilient to help keep this rate in decline.
When placed in a traffic-hazard environment, you’ ll learn quickly what works well … or not. In retrospect, the local driving tactic reminds me of a saying that was drilled to me as a young, prospective Jumpmaster,“ Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” The manner in which some of these drivers maneuver their vehicles is somewhat impressive but dangerous nonetheless. Given a choice, I’ ll gladly add a few extra minutes to my travel time so that I can arrive at my destination accident free.
MNBG-E Safety Manger Edson de Leon
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