***image1***Every day on my way to work I am either nearly involved in or witness a potential major accident caused by careless or reckless driving. This morning I watched a vehicle cruise through the light at the intersection by Bldg. 201. They simply decided that they were in too much of a hurry to stop. Another issue I would like to raise is the use of security forces personnel at peak traffic times to direct traffic. I’ve seen several near accidents because people have stopped at the direction of security forces personnel directing traffic at the intersection by the Burger King while the traffic lights were operational. I could not fault the other drivers since I only could see the green light and the security forces person was standing on the opposite side of the road, obscured by vehicles in the turn lane. The only reason I stopped was because I was suspicious of all the cars stopped at a green light, but I didn’t see the officer until I was at the intersection. Would it be possible to deactivate the lights, or set them to a flashing red signal, when security forces personnel are directing traffic at those intersections?
We appreciate your concern for the law and safety of those on the base. In order to prevent reckless driving such as disregarding red lights or traveling at unsafe speeds on the base, the 435th Security Forces Squadron randomly conducts traffic enforcement at areas throughout the installation and cites violators for infractions. They’ve also pursued additional means to beef up enforcement by working with the German Polizei to use automatic speed measuring devices at key locations on base, thus eliminating the need to commit additional manpower to traffic enforcement. You may have also noticed our Security Forces have begun a daytime bike patrol to monitor mass gathering areas, quickly navigate through congested areas on the base, and work in areas around the schools and housing which are more conducive to off-road vehicles and better suited for interaction with the public. During periods of peak traffic when our security forces are assisting with smooth flow, it’s not possible for the current system of traffic signals to deactivate or “flash” red. Because the construction across the base has created a number of non-standard intersections and unique traffic patterns, our security forces must carefully balance the need to position themselves in the intersection where they can best control the traffic against the need to maintain personal safety. We’ll continue to emphasize the proper technique for directing traffic in Germany in our unit training program. As always, if you witness a traffic infraction and wish to make a formal complaint, please report to Bldg. 2371 on Ramstein. The security forces will assist you in accomplishing a written statement which will be forwarded to the commander of the vehicle owner. Remember, there are several key pieces of information that are needed to accomplish an effective statement such as the license plate number, description of the vehicle and driver along with the time, date and location that the incident occurred.
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***image1***Every day on my way to work I am either nearly involved in or witness a potential major accident caused by careless or reckless driving. This morning I watched a vehicle cruise through the light at the intersection by Bldg. 201. They simply decided that they were in too much of a hurry to stop. Another issue I would like to raise is the use of security forces personnel at peak traffic times to direct traffic. I’ve seen several near accidents because people have stopped at the direction of security forces personnel directing traffic at the intersection by the Burger King while the traffic lights were operational. I could not fault the other drivers since I only could see the green light and the security forces person was standing on the opposite side of the road, obscured by vehicles in the turn lane. The only reason I stopped was because I was suspicious of all the cars stopped at a green light, but I didn’t see the officer until I was at the intersection. Would it be possible to deactivate the lights, or set them to a flashing red signal, when security forces personnel are directing traffic at those intersections?
We appreciate your concern for the law and safety of those on the base. In order to prevent reckless driving such as disregarding red lights or traveling at unsafe speeds on the base, the 435th Security Forces Squadron randomly conducts traffic enforcement at areas throughout the installation and cites violators for infractions. They’ve also pursued additional means to beef up enforcement by working with the German Polizei to use automatic speed measuring devices at key locations on base, thus eliminating the need to commit additional manpower to traffic enforcement. You may have also noticed our Security Forces have begun a daytime bike patrol to monitor mass gathering areas, quickly navigate through congested areas on the base, and work in areas around the schools and housing which are more conducive to off-road vehicles and better suited for interaction with the public. During periods of peak traffic when our security forces are assisting with smooth flow, it’s not possible for the current system of traffic signals to deactivate or “flash” red. Because the construction across the base has created a number of non-standard intersections and unique traffic patterns, our security forces must carefully balance the need to position themselves in the intersection where they can best control the traffic against the need to maintain personal safety. We’ll continue to emphasize the proper technique for directing traffic in Germany in our unit training program. As always, if you witness a traffic infraction and wish to make a formal complaint, please report to Bldg. 2371 on Ramstein. The security forces will assist you in accomplishing a written statement which will be forwarded to the commander of the vehicle owner. Remember, there are several key pieces of information that are needed to accomplish an effective statement such as the license plate number, description of the vehicle and driver along with the time, date and location that the incident occurred.