Save a life, don't drive while distracted

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kacy Ellsworth
  • 17th Training Wing Commander's Action Group
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  How many times have you notice drivers around you who seem clueless of their surroundings?

They're either driving too slow unintentionally blocking others in, or they almost miss their exit and end up cutting you off. Once you get past these drivers you notice they're talking or texting on their cell phone.

There are many different types of distractions drivers encounter; some we may not realize are distracters, while others are obvious. It could be a crying baby in the back seat, adjusting the music, eating, drinking, putting on make-up, reading a map or picking up a CD that fell on the floorboard. The list goes on.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is the leading cause of vehicle crashes and the number one source distracting driver is the use of a wireless device. Research shows that this distraction, regardless if it's hand held or hands free, reduces a driver's reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent.

Driving while talking on a cell phone is distracting, but what's more dangerous is texting while driving. Studies show that texting while driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. Drivers who text while driving are 23 times more likely to get into an accident. Every year an average of 1.6 million accidents are caused by drivers who were texting or talking on a cell phone. Although 84 percent of drivers say they believe cell phone usage increases the risk of being in an accident, 81 percent of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving, according to the NHTSA.

Most believe that teenagers are the majority of the texting and driving offenders, however, the Pew Research Center revealed that 47 percent of adults text while driving compared to 34 percent of the teenagers.
Parents concerned about their teenager texting while driving can take matters into their own hands and invest in an application which disables a phone's Internet and texting functions while the person is travelling 10 miles per hour or more.

The NHTSA reports at 80 percent of drivers support some type of cell phone restrictions, yet only 30 states have banned text messaging for all drivers. In Texas, using hand-held phones and texting in school zones are prohibited. Although there's not a ban on using cell phones while driving, there are age and novice driver restrictions. In some states, driver's can be fined up to $150 and lose one point on their driver's license for texting while driving.

According to Air Force Instruction 91-207, individuals driving on Air Force installations and those driving a government owned, leased or rented vehicle on or off an Air Force installation cannot use cell phones unless they are using a hands-free device or while it's in a hands-free operating mode. Drivers should pull over and and park before using any cell phone. Land mobile radios are not restricted.

On Goodfellow, the first cell phone violation is a written warning; the second is a seven-day suspension; the third is a 30-day suspension; and the fourth is one-year suspension. Three points are also assessed for each violation past the first.

The next time you get behind the wheel, ask yourself, "Is texting while driving really worth causing an injury or even death to you or others?"