Mountain Home reaches safe driving milestone

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Service members from the 428th Fighter Squadron have gone more than 1,500 days without anyone being arrested for drinking and driving.

"We always have a plan to get our members home when they are drinking, and we ensure that we stick to it every time," said Lt. Col. William Marshall, 428th FS commander. "This team has accomplished a lot over the last four years; this is only one of many great accomplishments. I'm sure many units throughout the Air Force have similar records, I'm just happy I get to lead one of them."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, alcohol-impaired drivers were involved in about one out of every three fatal accidents.

"For any unit, a DUI is disruptive to the mission, but the military has a zero-tolerance policy for DUIs and the penalties are significant," Marshall said. "Moreover, we all represent our military to the local community, and the RSAF represents Singapore. We all take this responsibility seriously and do not want to tarnish the image of the USAF, RSAF, or the Republic of Singapore."

Because nearly one-half of all fatal traffic crashes are alcohol-related and approximately 21,000 people die each year in drinking-related collisions, having a plan could be a matter of life and death.

"We always have a plan to get our members home when they are drinking, and we ensure that we stick to it every time," Marshall said. "This team has accomplished a lot over the last four years; this is only one of many great accomplishments. I'm sure many units throughout the Air Force have similar records, I'm just happy I get to lead one of them."