Wayne Howard is an expert instructor for Safety Research Consultants, Inc., (SRC) who started his career in law enforcement in 1987. He has worked as a patrol and motor officer, and in corrections, accident reconstruction, the traffic bureau, as a field training officer and motor training officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California.

“I’m sure I will never forget any of the fatal collisions I have been involved in investigating,” Howard said. “The thing I am most proud of in my work is that I always gave it my all during an investigation. I didn’t cut any corners and did the best job I could do.”

In a workplace, Howard said, safety training is a way to keep safe procedures at the forefront of everyone’s mind. “Routine work can cause a worker to get a relaxed and maybe even a complacent attitude on the job, and this can cause problems for everyone involved,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if the person has never had the training or has had it 10 times before, each time should be looked at as a chance to refresh the important points of staying safe.”

He tells his own family: Don’t drive distracted. “Distractions can come in all shapes and forms—some legal and some illegal. It doesn’t matter; a distraction is a distraction,” he said.

Howard holds Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) basic, intermediate and advanced certification, and has logged 1,600 hours of accident investigation training.