Anchorage Daily News

If you're driving on Elmendorf Air Force Base and the cell phone rings, don't answer it. Under a new U.S. military policy, the call could bring you trouble.

Use of a hand-held phone while behind the wheel anywhere on Elmendorf or Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage, or Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, breaks a policy that went into effect this month.

Right now, the infraction will get you a warning. Starting March 1, drivers could lose base-driving privileges for 30 days, the Air Force's 3rd Wing said.

The same restrictions, which apply to any government or privately owned vehicle driven on the installation, soon will be implemented on Fort Richardson in Anchorage and Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, said Bob Hall, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Garrison Alaska.

"It's coming," Hall said. "Right now they're working on the penalties used to help enforce the restrictions."

Hall said more than 5,000 vehicles operate on Fort Richardson during an average 24-hour period. Figures for Elmendorf were unavailable Wednesday, though at the annual summer air show, Elmendorf hosts tens of thousands of civilians who arrive in their own vehicles.

The Pentagon issued the rule last month, leaving it up to the installations to implement it as they saw fit, a Department of Defense spokesman said Wednesday.

The policy allows motorists to drive and talk over a phone at the same time only if they use hands-free devices. Otherwise, the Pentagon advises, pull over.

The restriction applies beyond the base or post if someone, military or civilian, takes a government vehicle off base, said the 3rd Wing, headquartered at Elmendorf.

Military personnel do not have to comply with the cell phone restriction when off base and in their own vehicles.

The purpose, says the military, is to make driving safer. Gen. Paul V. Hester, commander of the Pacific Air Forces, issued the order on Jan. 30, saying statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that driver distraction of some kind contributes to one of every four vehicle accidents.

"These accidents have a serious negative impact on our families, unit morale and combat readiness," Hester said in a written statement.

Capt. Eric Badger, a spokesman for the 3rd Wing, said Air Force officials were unaware of any crashes on Elmendorf tied specifically to cell phone use.

"But they want to step out front ... to be sure that safety and the welfare of our folks are taken care of first and foremost," Badger said.

"Talking on your cell phone while driving impairs focus, recognition of certain outer areas, the space around the cars," said Capt. Allison Farabaugh, a public affairs officer for the Pacific Air Forces command at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

The Department of Defense based its policy on the Traffic Safety Administration's figures, she said.

The Pacific Air Forces command has not received any negative reactions to the new policy, Farabaugh said.

"I think most people are very aware of this, even in a civilian capacity," she said. "Many people are going to the hands-free devices."

Military personnel in Anchorage already have made inquiries about hands-free devices, said Frank Murdock, a sales clerk at Radio Shack.

"In the Muldoon store, we get a lot of military guys come in looking for that," he said.

Each brand of cell phone takes its own plug-in attachment for hands-free operation, he said. The device connects the phone to the vehicle speakers and allows the driver to have a phone conversation as if the other person were sitting alongside.

Nokia and Motorola each make such a device that sells for about $60, Murdock said.

The military is likely to adjust the restrictions as new data emerge, Farabaugh said. That could include banning all phone use in vehicles and including cars rented to the government and driven off base.

At present, there is no prohibition against use of a cell phone while driving on state roads.

Daily News reporter Peter Porco can be reached at pporco@adn.com or 257-4582.