Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

Humvee details sought

Voinovich asks Rumsfeld for information on the rollovers of vehicles after armor is added.

By Jessica Wehrman

Staff Writer

WASHINGTON | Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, on Wednesday wrote to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asking for information on rollovers of up-armored Humvees.

A Dayton Daily News report this month found that, according to Army records, 60 soldiers have died in Humvee rollovers during the war in Iraq.

Army records also revealed that of the 337 injuries in Humvee crashes in Iraq, 149 occurred in rollovers.

The rollovers, according to the report, were frequently caused by thousands of pounds of armor that had been added to the vehicles to increase security.

According to Voinovich's letter, the Army's Office on Public Affairs countered the report by sending out a fact sheet noting that of 30,000 Humvees being used in the Iraq theater, only 71 were involved in rollovers.

Voinovich applauded an Army initiative to reduce rollovers by forming a partnership with General Motors to train combat zone soldiers to navigate slick conditions in which skidding might occur.

He said he remains concerned.

"I would like to make sure that I have all pertinent information on this matter to ensure that we are addressing this issue appropriately," Voinovich wrote.

He said he wanted Rumsfeld's response to the Dayton Daily News report as well as a "formal explanation" of actions being taken to reduce the risk of Humvee rollovers.