Cell phone usage while driving isn’t safe or legal

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Damien D. Foord
  • 71st Security Forces Squadron
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  You are minding your own business, driving around base, when you see the reds and blues flashing in your rear view mirror. 

As you struggle to settle your nerves, your mind catches up to the situation. You pull the car over, put it in park, and put your cell phone away, all the while trying to figure out what it was you did to get stopped. 

Then you see the large red sign that says cell phone use while driving on base is prohibited and could be punishable with a $75 fine and/or punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 

Well, you may not have seen the sign yet, but you soon will. A design for two signs scheduled for installation near the base gates sometime in March has recently been approved. 

Allowing people to talk on the phone, while driving, has been debated since car-phones first appeared. 

To date, nearly every major highway safety organization has come out condemning the use of hand-held devices while driving. Even insurance companies have come out criticizing it. 

The American Medical Association calls use of hand-held devices while driving a "public health risk," according to their website, http://www.ama-assn.org. According to the National Safety Council's website, "More than 50 peer-reviewed scientific studies have identified the risks associated with cell phone use while driving." 

As of Feb. 27, 2006, the Air Force banned all drivers from using cell phones without a hands-free device while driving on Air Force installations. The restriction also applies to all government-owned vehicles on or off base. 

Violators are subject to more than just a traffic ticket. You could be punished under Article 92 of the UCMJ, fined up to $75, have points added to your license and appear in court in Oklahoma City. 

For all of those drivers whose calls are too important to miss, there are a couple of different options that can keep you out of trouble. The safest thing to do when you get a cell phone call while driving is to pull over. Hands free devices are the second safe bet. 

Safety needs to be priority number one but for the times when you forget, Vance cops will be there to remind you.