Due to increased mobilization of troops for the Iraq war, the Army had the worst accident record in 10 years last year with 833 crashes, 50 deaths, and 223 injuries.

The Pentagon has launched a major initiative to cut the number in half by 2005. Military vehicle accidents account for about 19 percent of all military accidents.

"We cannot be risk-averse; however, our soldiers are our most valuable combat assets," Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, said in a directive earlier this year. "Therefore, reducing preventable losses ... is fundamental to protecting our combat readiness."

From 1994 to June 2004, 8,200 accidents in Army vehicles have killed nearly 250 soldiers and injured another 2,600, at a cost of $223 million, the Detroit News said Army data shows.

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