NORFOLK, Va. - As the summer begins, the Navy is out with a reminder for Sailors to be safe during a period that can be dangerous.
The Navy considers the period between Memorial Day through Labor Day as the "Critical Days of Summer."
During this time, many Sailors are on leave and there's an increased chance to get hurt. On average, 17 Sailors die per year while off-duty during the summer.
"It’s a heightened time for outdoor activities and recreation and it’s a time where we always see a spike in mishaps and specifically fatalities for Sailors," Naval Safety Center Deputy Commander Captain Roger Curry told News 3 anchor Todd Corillo Tuesday.
The Naval Safety Center launched an awareness campaign with summer safety training.
Motorcycle training and safety is a major part of the campaign, since fatalities increase during the summer months and over the past 5 years have accounted for 22 fatalities during the Critical Days of Summer.
Other leading causes of off-duty deaths are drowning, falling and alcohol.
Sailors are often hurt as well due to motorcycle crashes, falls, sports injuries, injuries from lawn and yard work and heat over-exposure.
You can learn more about the Critical Day of Summer here.