“Arrive alive. Don’t drink and drive.” “You booze, you cruise, you lose.” “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” These are just some of the slogans you may have heard of at some point in your military career. They are literary gimmicks trying to keep you safe and out of trouble.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be enough for some people who believe they’re not that bad off and believe they won’t get caught. Ramstein alone had 38 Article 15s for DUIs processed in 2013. Air Force wide there were 430. These are Airmen who thought they could beat the system. Well, they didn’t, and these same Airmen put us all at risk when they decided to get behind the wheel and drive.
Here are some facts about drinking and driving from U.S. Army Europe’s Regulation 109-1/CNE- C6FInstruction 11240.6W/USAFE Instruction 31-202:
• Individuals under the age of 21 are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle with any alcohol in their system. Individuals over the age of 21 are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol test score of .05, however that falls to .03 if the individual is involved in an incident or traffic violation.
• The system of measure used by German authorities is different than the U.S. The German police use milligrams per milliliters. U.S. authorities use grams per milliliters. The result is that the German test is more stringent.
If you are apprehended and charged with a DUI, you could face a fine ranging from hundreds to thousands of euro, lose your USAEUR driving privileges for one year, and if this isn’t your first incident, you’ll lose your driving privileges for five years. Also, if you are in the applicable grade and year groups, you could damage your chances of remaining competitive for retention in light of current force management programs. More than likely, you’ll face higher auto insurance premiums, and if the circumstances warrant, you could also be facing jail time.
More important than the sanction imposed by law, is the potential of the life-changing event that follows you and your family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10,228 people were killed from alcohol impaired driving in 2010, and 82 percent of the fatal crashes are caused by drunken drivers.
So, what can we do to help our wingmen? Supervisors need to take an active role to ensure their Airmen have a plan if they decide to drink. If an Airman decides to go drinking, they need to ensure they have a plan in place to get home safely. Plans can vary from having a designated driver, to taking public transportation, calling a taxi or getting in touch with their peer or supervisor.
Additionally, if you host an event, do not allow your guests to leave unless they have a plan to get home safely. You need to remember that if you host an event and someone drives away, you could be held liable.
We all have a responsibility to look out and care for each other. Let’s do all we can to make 2014 a great and responsible year.
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News for the Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl & Baumholder military communities in Germany 
“Arrive alive. Don’t drink and drive.” “You booze, you cruise, you lose.” “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” These are just some of the slogans you may have heard of at some point in your military career. They are literary gimmicks trying to keep you safe and out of trouble.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be enough for some people who believe they’re not that bad off and believe they won’t get caught. Ramstein alone had 38 Article 15s for DUIs processed in 2013. Air Force wide there were 430. These are Airmen who thought they could beat the system. Well, they didn’t, and these same Airmen put us all at risk when they decided to get behind the wheel and drive.
Here are some facts about drinking and driving from U.S. Army Europe’s Regulation 109-1/CNE- C6FInstruction 11240.6W/USAFE Instruction 31-202:
• Individuals under the age of 21 are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle with any alcohol in their system. Individuals over the age of 21 are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol test score of .05, however that falls to .03 if the individual is involved in an incident or traffic violation.
• The system of measure used by German authorities is different than the U.S. The German police use milligrams per milliliters. U.S. authorities use grams per milliliters. The result is that the German test is more stringent.
If you are apprehended and charged with a DUI, you could face a fine ranging from hundreds to thousands of euro, lose your USAEUR driving privileges for one year, and if this isn’t your first incident, you’ll lose your driving privileges for five years. Also, if you are in the applicable grade and year groups, you could damage your chances of remaining competitive for retention in light of current force management programs. More than likely, you’ll face higher auto insurance premiums, and if the circumstances warrant, you could also be facing jail time.
More important than the sanction imposed by law, is the potential of the life-changing event that follows you and your family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10,228 people were killed from alcohol impaired driving in 2010, and 82 percent of the fatal crashes are caused by drunken drivers.
So, what can we do to help our wingmen? Supervisors need to take an active role to ensure their Airmen have a plan if they decide to drink. If an Airman decides to go drinking, they need to ensure they have a plan in place to get home safely. Plans can vary from having a designated driver, to taking public transportation, calling a taxi or getting in touch with their peer or supervisor.
Additionally, if you host an event, do not allow your guests to leave unless they have a plan to get home safely. You need to remember that if you host an event and someone drives away, you could be held liable.
We all have a responsibility to look out and care for each other. Let’s do all we can to make 2014 a great and responsible year.