Navy bans drivers’ use of cell phones
The ban starts on May 1 and covers all Navy properties
The Navy has become the last military service here to ban drivers from using a cell phone while driving on its installations unless they are used with a hands-free device.
The ban will go into effect on May 1 and covers military members, civilians and visitors to installations, such as Pearl Harbor Naval Base, the Navy Exchange, housing areas and the Navy-Marine Corps Golf Course. Drivers cannot hold, dial, text or adjust a cell phone while their cars are in motion.
Violators will lose the right to drive on Navy property.
Legislation similar to the Department of Defense policy is being discussed at the state Legislature.
Last Nov. 4, a head-on crash on Kalanianaole Highway occurred when a man trying to text-message on his cell phone drifted into the oncoming lane, colliding with a pickup truck.
Connecticut, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York are the only states that have a total ban. Ten other states -- Arizona, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia -- have enacted partial bans.
Similar cell-phone restrictions have been in effect at Marine Corps, Army and Air Force installations in the state.
The Army's orders, approved Jan. 25 by Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of the 25th Infantry Division, are the most stringent. They ban even the use of headsets or hands-free devices while driving on an Army post.
The Air Force restriction also extends off base if the driver is operating a government-owned vehicle. While on Hickam Air Force Base, cell phones can be used only if the vehicle is parked.