Accident Avoidance Course

What the Accident Avoidance Course is

The Army Accident Avoidance Course (AAC) is the online defensive-driving course required under the Army's driver standardization program (AR 600-55) for Soldiers, Army civilians, and contractor employees who operate Army-owned or -leased vehicles. It is taken through the Army Learning Management System (ALMS), and the completion certificate is valid for four years — after that you retake the course. Vehicle accidents, especially in privately owned vehicles, are the leading cause of fatalities among military personnel, which is why the course spends as much time on judgment (fatigue, alcohol, distraction, risk management) as on car control.

Current Army driving-safety campaigns and statistics are published by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, which also runs the accident-reporting tooling the course references.

The Smith System, condensed

Most of the exam hangs off the Smith System's 5 Keys, remembered with “All Good Kids Like Milk”:

• Aim high in steering — look at least 15 seconds of eye-lead time down the road, not at the bumper ahead.
• Get the big picture — track the whole traffic environment around the vehicle, not just your lane.
• Keep your eyes moving — scan continuously; check mirrors and gauges every 5 to 8 seconds.
• Leave yourself an out — keep space on as many sides as possible; space is all that separates you from a collision.
• Make sure they see you — signals, lights, horn, and eye contact so other drivers know you exist and what you intend.

The space rules attach numbers to key four: at least 2–4 seconds of following distance in good conditions, at least double that in rain, and up to ten times the normal gap on the worst surfaces.

Emergencies: the one common thread

The skid, hydroplaning, and blowout questions all reward the same instinct: get off the accelerator, do not stab the brakes, and steer deliberately. Front-wheel skid — off the gas, no brake, look and steer where you want to go. Rear-wheel skid — off the gas and brake, steer in the direction the rear is sliding. Hydroplaning — ease off and hold the wheel straight until the tires grip again. Blowout — grip the wheel firmly, stay off the brake, and let the vehicle slow itself before pulling off. Slow before a curve, never in it.

Risk management behind the wheel

The course wraps driving inside the Army's five-step Composite Risk Management process — identify hazards, assess them, develop controls and make risk decisions, implement controls, then supervise and evaluate — the same process drilled in the Composite Risk Management CBT. Expect questions on the profile of a high-risk driver (age 18–25, male, citation history), the big killers (speed, alcohol, fatigue — which impairs you much like alcohol does — and the three distraction types: visual, manual, cognitive), PMCS checks before, during, and after operation, mandatory seatbelt use, immediate accident reporting through the chain of command via REPORTIT, and quarterly commander POV safety briefings.

Frequently asked questions

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