JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- More than 3 million vehicles go in and out of just three of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s five gates every quarter. Because the roads are used by individuals in different ways— like people exercising or children walking to school—drivers need to be aware of their surroundings at all times.
With pedestrians, especially young children in JBER’s four school zones, we need to be sure everyone is doing everything possible to prevent accidents.
A recent accident analysis of the three-year time period of 2015 to 2017 showed a significant increase in traffic accidents. The majority occurred during the first and second quarters of the 2017 calendar year.
With this in mind, the 673d Security Forces Squadron will be stepping up traffic-safety education as well as enforcement initiatives to increase awareness about traffic rules and road safety.
Despite the 673d SFS’s best efforts, though, it will always be up to the individual vehicle operator to adhere to the rules. When an accident occurs, an investigation is done to determine the cause.
“When we respond to vehicle accidents we try to determine the cause of the accident by doing an investigation,” said Tech. Sgt. James Partin, Operations Noncommissioned Officer in Charge at the 673d SFS. “Most of the time people will say, ‛I was backing up and I didn’t see them.’ Of course they don’t ever tell you what the root cause—what they were doing while they were backing up—was.”
Recently, JBER has seen a huge increase in the amount of inattentive-backing accidents, Partin said.
Whether a violator gets a warning or ticket is at the officer's discretion. Often, the cause is extremely apparent to a trained officer.
“Out of 58 accidents happening here recently, 21 were inattentive backings,” Partin said. “In some of these accidents, we can’t really pinpoint exactly what made them inattentive… these particular kind of accidents could be due to more people having vehicles with back-up cameras. They might just be relying on their back-up camera too much.”
Other issues causing accidents and sometimes serious injuries are distracted driving, aggressive driving, and impaired driving–including use of electronics.
“Technology is playing a huge role in the increase in distracted driving,” Partin said.
Another strategy used to curb accidents by many different states’ department of transportation, law enforcement and the 673d SFS is to identify intersections with a high crash-severity index and make safety improvements. Increasing patrol coverage at these areas also helps curtail activities leading to most accidents.
“People really need to slow down and pay attention,” said Partin. “This especially needs to happen in high-traffic areas such as the Commissary or Exchange Mall parking lots.”
Increasing everyone’s awareness about traffic rules and road safety directly benefits everyone.
Keys to traffic safety include driving to the level of your training and ability. If you’re not an extremely seasoned driver, recognize that fact. Many people relocating are not experienced with the adverse driving conditions of Alaska.
“I am from California, but I had the privilege of going to college in Minnesota,” said Senior Airman Kyle Grant, Operations Support NCO at the 673rd SFS. “So I learned because I had some experience from dealing with the strong winters there. If a person came straight from Texas, Florida or somewhere warm, they will find some definite challenges here they may not face in other places.”
Another key is to practice when able. Go into an empty parking lot, drive around, and test your car’s braking ability on the ice or snow.
Knowing your vehicle’s equipment is also imperative. Make sure your vehicle has appropriate tires and equipment to withstand the harsh winters, and consider add-ons like block heaters, remote starts, and studded tires.
Preparation is also crucial; making sure you have an appropriate amount of time to get to where you are headed greatly increases your chances of arriving safely. Being rushed is a major cause of accidents and speeding violations.
Keeping basic rules and practices in mind will keep JBER safer this year.