Motor-vehicle accidents are the leading cause of preventable death within the U.S Department of Defense (DOD), and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wants to reduce all preventable deaths by 50 percent over the next two years, according to a recent report from American Forces Press Service.

Dr. David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and the leader of the Secretary's request, says that motor accidents account for several hundred lives every year. A leading cause of motor accidents, says Chu: driver fatigue.