Texting while driving: Is it worth it?

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  As McConnell Airmen exit the main gate this Labor Day weekend, it will be difficult for them to avoid viewing a strategically placed display by the 22nd Air Refueling Wing Ground Safety office.

The display, which includes four sets of signs measuring five feet tall, were designed by the safety office are modeled after cell phone key pads. The screens on the first three display "BFF," "LOL" and "OMG."

Offsetting the rather light-hearted text messages is the final cell phone display of "RIP" with a mock grave in front of it. Immediately following this display is a sign with a military member in the process of text messaging that reads "Is the risk worth the grave consequences?"

The signs remind Airmen of the dangers of "distracted driving," which includes drivers talking or text messaging while driving, and serve as a reminder to Airmen, particularly during Labor Day weekend 2010, to be aware of distracted driving, not just at McConnell, but in the community as well.

"There's been a lot of [vehicle] accidents in Kansas, not just involving military, but everybody as a whole, because of distracted driving," said Tech. Sgt. Wayne Herold, 22nd Air Refueling Wing Ground Safety office apprentice. "With all the young people in the base populace, we found it necessary to come up with something before the Labor Day weekend to try and make the younger generation and everybody else aware of the dangers of texting while driving."

The campaign and signs created by the safety office as a means of transitioning McConnell from the 2010 Critical Days of Summer campaign.

"We felt this [campaign] was appropriate as Labor Day is a big driving holiday," said Sergeant Herold.

With an executive order banning federal employees from text messaging, or texting, behind the wheel in place since October 2009, texting while driving at McConnell is not the main message of this campaign.

The order states that, texting encompasses more than simply sending a text message via a hand-held communication device. It also includes reading from any hand-held or other electronic device, including for the purpose of SMS texting, e-mailing, instant messaging, obtaining navigational information, or "engaging in any other form of electronic data retrieval or electronic data communication."

In addition to security forces, the safety office conducts routine spot checks at McConnell to how many Airmen and other McConnell members are texting while driving.

"We don't really have a lot of 'texters' on base," Sergeant Herold said. "If you want to see texting and driving, you need only go down Kellogg street to see every third person texting. If you're out there long enough, you can see somebody involved with a near miss or an accident."

Confirming this statement, the Kansas Department of Transportation reported in 2008 that 20 percent of vehicle accidents in Kansas were from distracted driving. Nation-wide since 2008, more than 5,000 people have died in crashes involving distracted driving, said Sergeant Herold.

These statistics reemphasize the campaign's goal to not just prevent Airmen from texting while driving, but also to encourage them to be aware of their surroundings.

"It's not just about paying attention to their texts, it's watching out for other people doing it wherever they drive," Sergeant Herold said. "We can't control the general populace but we can help keep [Airmen] safe."

Airmen who engage in distracted driving while at McConnell may be issued a moving violation under McConnell Air Force Base Instruction 31-204, and will incur three points to their driver traffic history, said Robert Sanderson, 22nd Security Forces Squadron plans and programs chief.

As of May 24, drivers caught texting while driving in Kansas by local law enforcement officers will be issued a warning until Jan. 1, 2011. After this date, however, drivers will automatically be fined $60.

To avoid these violations, as well as distracted driving accidents, Airmen are advised to use common sense to break the texting while driving habit.

"Because of the major distraction, [texting while driving] is much like driving while intoxicated, as far as increasing your reaction time," said Mr. Sanderson. "If people feel they have to answer their phone, they can simply pull over and concentrate on that so that it doesn't divert their attention from driving."

The ability of Airmen to put their texting habit in perspective is also important to avoid distracted driving accidents.

"You have to prioritize yourself and think about whether or not it's really important to answer that text," Sergeant Herold said. "I can't think of too many texts that are life-threatening enough for people to answer them right away."

The campaign displays will be featured near the exit of the main gate until the conclusion of Labor Day weekend.