Fort Hood Sentinel (Fort Hood, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 10, 2015 Page: 4 of 34
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EDITORIAL/OPINION
September 10, 2015
www.FortHoodSentinel.com
A4
Avoid driving reckless
Remain vigilant, pedestrian safety a priority
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Friday marks 14 years since the terrorist attacks on
Sept. 11. Where were you on that day?
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RECYCLED
DO YOU HAVE
SOMETHING TO SAY?
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retired
Maj. Lowell Williams,
U.S. Army Garrison
Richard Hernandez Jr.
retired
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C
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor
TODD PRUDEN
todd.pruden@forthoodsentinel.com
287-9495
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RAY REED
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WRITE TO THE EDITOR
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ADDRESS
The Editorial office is located at
the III Corps Public Affairs Office, Fort
Hood, Texas, 76544. The Advertising
office is located at 1805 Florence
Rd., Herald Plaza, Ste. 1, Killeen,
Texas 76541.
COMMAND STAFF
Commanding General
LT. GEN. SEAN MACFARLAND
I I
I
“I was near Fort Riley,
Kansas. I wasn’t even
in the military yet — I
remember that very
well.”
CAPT. LLOYD LOOP JR.
Directorate of Emergency Services,
Traffic Management and Collision
Investigations Branch
- !
$
I
was actually driving,
about to come onto
Fort Hood, and I got a
call from my daughter’s
school and had to turn
around at the gate to
go get her.”
Spc. Elissa Landry,
WTB
Let's do it! )
Dang it!.
i Alright!
makeup, shaving or
typically have the right of way over motorists
unless they are in a cross walk or crossing on a
green or controlled signal at an intersection with
the flow of traffic. This does not protect you,
the pedestrian, against carelessness.
It is imperative that you, the pedestrian,
remain alert and aware when crossing the road-
way. Pedestrians have to give vehicles enough
time to stop and yield to avoid a collision
with you. Look both ways and ensure you do
not just run into the roadway. Be safe and be
seen - make yourself visible to drivers. Make
eye contact with drivers to ensure they see you.
Pedestrians can increase their chances of being
seen at night by wearing reflective materials,
portable lighting, and white or light colored
clothing. Many of our installation roads have
warning signs at troop crossing areas. Vehicle
operators are not obligated to stop and allow
pedestrians to cross in those areas as the warn-
ing signs are just that, to warn the motorist to
be cautious and aware of Soldiers crossing the
roadway, thereby increasing your safety.
The pedestrian must yield the right of way to
the motorist, however some motorist will stop
and allow you to cross, so ensure you check
both lanes prior to crossing even if the motorists
are stopping for you and still use caution and
yield to the motorist if they do not stop. Pedes-
trians must ensure they can safely cross before
entering the roadway.
When there is a vehicle to pedestrian col-
lision, you, the pedestrian, will always lose
that battle. Leaders must share this topic with
their troops to ensure everyone understands the
potential dangers of pedestrians crossing on our
installation roadways.
changing clothes.
6. Red lights: Either trying to beat the light
through the intersection or making sure you are
going to be the last one to get through and end
up blocking the intersection.
7. Blindness: No, not the type that prevents
you from passing the eye exam. I mean the type
that prevents you from seeing the red and white
stop sign that clearly says “STOP.”
8. Exit and Entrance Ramps: Enter and exit
ramps at the designated speed. You do not have
the right of way when entering an interstate or
highway.
9. The biggest one is always the lack of plan-
ning on your part (the driver).
10. Intentionally not obeying traffic signs,
signals and all other traffic laws. (Speeding,
running stop signs or signals, unsafe passing,
following to close, etc.).
So now that we understand the causes, we
can fully understand the No. 1 cause of reck-
less driving is you the driver. The bottom line
on the prevention of reckless driving is to plan
ahead, slow down, obey traffic laws and relax.
Aggressive driving is also reckless driving.
Now let’s talk about another realm of Fort
Hood, the pedestrian. Fort Hood is one of the
largest military installations with one of the
largest populations. Everyday Fort Hood sees an
average population of approximately 200,000.
This includes, Soldiers, Family members, civil-
ian employees, contractors and visitors. During
calendar year 2014 (Jan.-June), Texas recorded
231 pedestrian fatalities. In the last two fiscal
years, Ill Corps has lost zero Soldiers due to
automobile-pedestrian accidents. Pedestrians in
the State of Texas and on Fort Hood do not
“I was in Oklahoma
and had just come back
from Bosnia. I was at
work.”
What is reckless driving? Article 111 of the
Uniform Code of Military Justice defines reck-
less driving as; “Any person subject to this chap-
ter who - operates or physically controls any
vehicle, aircraft, or vessel in a reckless or wan-
ton manner or while impaired by a substance
described in section 912a(b) of this title”
Texas Transportation Code 545.401 defines
reckless driving as; “A person commits an
offense if the person drives a vehicle in willful
or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or
property.” Fine is $120.00 or a possible manda-
tory court appearance.”
So now that we understand what reckless
driving is, we can go into further detail as to the
causes and effects of reckless driving and look at
some tips to drivers on the prevention of reck-
less driving. The most common cause of reckless
driving is always the driver. You are in control
of your vehicle and therefore are fully responsi-
ble for your actions. In most cases, the majority
of drivers today will do the right thing and pay
attention when operating their motor vehicle.
However, when we do not pay attention, we
contribute to the majority of our accidents. The
most common causes of reckless driving are:
1. Cell phone use without a hands-free device.
2. Alcohol.
3. Other distractions in the vehicle (children,
animals, etc.).
4. Speed (slow down).
5. Eating, putting on
“I was stationed at
Fort Polk, Louisiana,
I had just finished PT
and was eating cereal,
watching the news
when it happened.
( Too fast for you Steve^
Please say yes.
Nope. I love it.
I'm dying. <
“I was stationed in San
Diego, California, as a
Marine. I remember it
well.”
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Pruden, Todd. Fort Hood Sentinel (Fort Hood, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 10, 2015, newspaper, September 10, 2015; Fort Hood, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1205193/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Casey Memorial Library.