Army Revamps Safety Rules After Tank Mishap That Killed Two

A mishap in which two IDF soldiers were killed when a tank they were riding in overturned was due to their inability to see the boulder their vehicle ran into, causing the accident, an IDF report on the September 2017 incident said. As a result of the incident, the army has instructed that tanks and APCs be equipped with devices that will allow those in a tank to see what is on their sides – their “blind spots” – from within the vehicle.

The mishap occurred during an exercise on the Golan Heights, as the soldiers were conducting a maneuver in conjunction with other military vehicles. The driver of the tank said that he made a wrong turn, and was blinded by the lights of the other vehicles. He tried to turn in the other direction, but by doing so he drove the tank over a drop in the road, causing it turn over.

Killed in the incident were IDF officers Avshalom Yitzchak Armoni, z”l, and Avinoam David Cohen, z”l. The report said that drivers of tanks should undergo new training to ensure that they know how to deal with hazards on the roads. In addition, the report recommended that a review of routes where exercises take place be conducted to ensure that dangers of this type are eliminated.