Marine Corps Base Quantico -- The good news is that there hasn’t been a traffic fatality on Marine Corps Base Quantico since 2009.

The bad news is that the number of collisions on base is up. There have been 160 so far this year — an average of two a day. Many of these are due to distracted drivers fiddling with their smartphones, said Staff Sgt. Christopher Kalina, traffic division chief.

“Any time you’re behind someone at a red light, and the light turns green but that person doesn’t move, you know they’re probably texting,” Kalina said.

Kalina and his five colleagues in the traffic division — three Marines and two civilians — are all trained collision investigators certified by the Department of Defense. They work 12 hour shifts, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They investigate all collisions and enforce speed limits and seatbelts on base. They also conduct traffic surveys and respond to collisions that occur within 50 miles of Marine Corps Base Quantico when a Marine posted aboard the base is seriously injured or killed.

Kalina said the traffic division hopes to reduce the number of collisions happening on base with a new tactic: education through enforcement.

“We don’t look for minor infractions. We look for specific violations,” he explained. “If you get away with just a warning, your assumption will be that you can do it again. The odds are good that if one of us pulls you over, you’ll get a ticket instead of a warning.”

He said drivers on base should expect to see an increase in enforcement. The approaching holidays and winter weather will add to the causes of inattentive driving — and statistically, more collisions occur during the winter months.

Smartphones are a factor in many accidents. Hands-free systems are safer, but only if they truly are hands-free. The second you pick up your phone to yell at Siri or scroll through your contacts, you’ve become a distracted driver. Kalina recommends calling your husband or wife as soon as you turn the car on, before you start to drive.

Another major cause of accidents is drivers of government vehicles backing into other cars.

“Just take your time and pay attention!” Kalina said.

Speed violations are frequent on base. All residential areas have limits of 15 mph, and the highest limit anywhere on base is 45 mph. Speed limits are set by the base commander and are usually based on the 85th percentile survey, meaning that 85 percent of “reasonable drivers” go at or below that speed, Kalina explained.

After a major collision occurred in front of the ammunitions supply point, where the speed limit is 25 mph, occupants of the ASP asked Kalina’s office to monitor how fast people drive in that area. The traffic division’s standard procedure of conducting a speed survey is to devote one week to obvious surveillance. For a second week, they place hidden magnetic sensors in the road to collect speed data.

“During that seven-day period, we had 447 people driving in excess of 20 miles above the speed limit,” Kalina said.

The traffic division tries to educate the Quantico community about traffic safety at all major base events and by visiting units. They often display a vehicle that’s been in a collision so that people can see the damage it wreaks. They also give people a chance to wear Fatal Vision goggles, which give sober wearers the experience of being inebriated or under the influence of drugs.

Kalina wants drivers on base to know that if they get pulled over, it’s because he and his colleagues are trying to prevent a collision from happening.

“We’re not doing it because we have the authority to,” he said. “We’re doing it because you’re putting your life and that of others at risk.”

The traffic division welcomes questions at 703-784-2257.

— Writer: auphausconner@quanticosentryonline.com