Driving made more dangerous by irresponsible behavior

  • Published
  • By Debbie Aragon
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Driving a vehicle, by its very nature is understood by most people as inherently hazardous. Add things like texting, speeding and loud music to the equation and the result is downright dangerous, according to civilian and military law enforcement and safety experts.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver and more than half a million were injured.

Here's a look at several common behaviors seen at Offutt that are either reckless, against the law or, in one case, simply disrespectful.

Loud music while driving:
Playing loud music on base is a growing problem, according to Capt. Brenton Pickrell, 55th Security Forces Squadron operations officer.

In addition to the fact that "Raucous, jarring or vibration of amplified sound from a motor vehicle is deemed as a nuisance or disturbance and may be reported to security forces" and "violators may be ticketed," according to Air Force Instruction, it's unsafe.

"When you load up your senses with loud music, you're unable to attend to the important things like ambulance sirens, honking horns or retreat sounding," Captain Pickrell said.

Although loud music may be considered "cool" and cause people to look in that direction, "it's never a good thing to play anything so loud that it drowns out the sounds from outside the car like sirens and car horns," said Staff Sgt. Jack Tucker, a ground safety technician with the 55th Wing.

"The other problem is that it presents an unprofessional image to others driving on base, and given that we have multiple branches of service and even some coalition partners on base, we should also maintain that professional appearance," Captain Pickrell added.

The captain said the Bellevue Police Department's laws on loud music while driving are the same as Offutt's - music can't be audible for a distance in excess of 50 feet from a vehicle.

Texting or talking on a cell phone:
Using phones while driving results in approximately 1.6 million crashes, hundreds of thousands of injuries and thousands of deaths each year, according to the National Safety Council.

"Texting or talking on a cell phone was quoted in one study as increasing the chances of an accident by a factor of eight," Captain Pickrell said.

Using a cell phone to talk or text is very distracting and "a highly visible issue," Sergeant Tucker said. "Look around you - you can actually see driver's doing it all the time."

Many drivers don't seem to understand they may be endangering themselves or others until they're involved in an accident, he said.

"Situational awareness is very important when you drive a vehicle," Sergeant Tucker added, "so always pay attention to the drivers around you ... steer clear (of drivers using cell phones) and get out of their way."

If the person in front of you is speeding and driving erratically and you're genuinely concerned for your safety or someone else's, the NCO said, you can call 911 -- after pulling over yourself -- and give the dispatcher the location and license number of the vehicle you think may be endangering others.

Any use of a cell phone is prohibited on base while driving unless you are using a hands free device, Captain Pickrell said.

The captain said people can expect to see greater enforcement in this area in the next several months in an effort to combat the growing trend of using cell phones while driving.

Speeding:
When it comes to driving faster than a posted speed limit, it's simple, according to Sergeant Tucker, "it's disregarding the law."

Speed limits on Offutt range from 10 mph to 45 mph. When there isn't a speed limit sign posted, the limit is 25 mph, according to Captain Pickrell.

In recent months, security forces have seen an increase in drivers speeding out the gates at the end of the day, the captain said.

"In many instances, such as an alarm activation, the gate guard may be required to stop outbound traffic," he said. "If the traffic is going faster than 15 mph, this becomes very dangerous."

Like cell phone usage, Captain Pickrell said the base community can expect enforcement of speed limits to step up in the coming months.

Not stopping when retreat is played:
"Stopping your vehicle or refraining from walking during retreat is a matter of customs and courtesies," said the captain. "We're showing respect to the flag and our military way of life. Proper etiquette is to pull over and sit quietly in your vehicle if you're driving, or if you're walking you should stop and face the music; if in uniform you should also render a salute for the playing of the National Anthem."

"This is a matter of military protocol," said Sergeant Tucker, "(not stopping) is just plain disrespectful."

Yielding:
Many people don't seem to notice the yield sign on the corner of Looking Glass Avenue and SAC Boulevard near U.S. Strategic Command, Captain Pickrell said.

"The yield sign is a right turn only during peak traffic hours," the security forces officer said. "The reason for this is that traffic backs up (at that location) with all of the people wanting to turn left. We'd recommend choosing a different route if you want to travel southbound on SAC Boulevard, or turn right and then proceed to an area where it is legal to turn around."

Yielding to emergency vehicles is also an issue on base, the captain said.

"If an emergency vehicle is approaching your vehicle from any direction, you should pull as far to the right as possible and stop. Many times we see people just driving normally with emergency vehicles trying to get around them or oncoming traffic thinking they don't need to stop," Captain Pickrell said.

People can be ticketed if they don't yield to emergency vehicles, he added.

Other areas:
"Our numbers appear to be good regarding on base seatbelt use," Sergeant Tucker said, "but Air Force mishap reporting shows seatbelts are frequently not worn at the time mishaps occur - and alcohol is frequently a factor when non-use is an issue.

"Also, inadequate rest because of driving or being awake too long and then driving to work or for leave (seems to be a trend). Adequate rest is very important."

Sergeant Tucker noted several mishaps have occurred because a driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

"Some of the actions (mentioned in this article) are examples of willful disregard for the law or personal safety," Sergeant Tucker added. "And, they can't all be attributed to those in the under 26 age group ... sometimes older people fail to do the right thing as well."

According to the safety NCO, the cause of many driving mishaps simply comes down to discipline, or the lack thereof.