Drivers' first priority is the road, avoid distractions

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vanessa Young
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
RAF LAKENHEATH, England --  From changing the radio station, to downing an iced vanilla latte, to soothing a crying baby, distractions inside and outside of the car can make it hard to concentrate on the road. 

In a recent study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event. 

"Driving must be your main focus when you are behind the wheel here in England," said Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Algiere, 48th Fighter Wing Safety Office. "With the narrow winding roads which do not have any shoulders, there is no room for error and no time to react before leaving the roadway." 

According to Sergeant Algiere, recently an Airman was changing a CD and veered off the road and struck a tree. 

"Luckily the Airman did not sustain any serious injuries, but the car was badly damaged," said Sergeant Algiere. "This could have been much worse if the Airman would have veered into oncoming traffic." 

As stated in the U.K. Highway Code, safe driving needs concentration. Drivers should avoid distractions when driving such as loud music (this may mask other sounds) trying to read maps, inserting a CD or tuning a radio, arguing with your passengers or other road users and eating and drinking. 

Activities such as eating and drinking while driving are treated as an offense and offenders can be fined and points deducted on their license. Another very common distraction is cell phone use while driving. This is illegal in the U.K., therefore illegal for all base personnel and their families stationed here; on and off base. 

"Fender benders and running over a curb are the least serious consequences of driving distractions," said Sergeant Algiere. "If a driver is distracted and causes an accident with another vehicle or pedestrian , the consequences could include: a fine, lose of driving privileges, or prison, depending on the seriousness of injuries, caused by your actions."
Others distraction while driving can be caused by looking at fender bender on the road, or looking for the perfect parking spot at the grocery store. These and other outside distractions can also be dangerous because a driver's eyes are diverted from what's in front of the vehicle. 

"A child chasing after a ball, a large object falling out of a truck, or another vehicle taking up part of your lane - these are reasons that our first priority needs to be keeping our eyes on the road," said Sergeant Algiere. "They may not happen very often, but when they do, nothing less than your full attention will be required."