The message is unchanging: Don’t drink and drive Published Oct. 4, 2007 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- Drink and drive and ... pay the consequences. The message is simple, clear and unchanging. Yet, despite the warnings and startling statistics, military members and civilians practice unsafe habits by driving under the influence of alcohol or while intoxicated. "Safety is no accident," said Col. James Eilers, 72nd Mission Support Group commander. "It must be planned and this includes having a plan if you intend on having a drink. Drinking and then driving just isn't safe, so don't do it ... period." In 2006, 22 Tinker Airmen were sentenced to rank reductions due to DUI and DWI. They forfeited more than $12,000 in pay and earned an extra 295 duty days among other consequences, according a slide presentation compiled by the former 72nd Air Base Wing Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, which is now the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. They could have lost more, such as installation driving privileges and promotion opportunities. Or they could have gained a federal conviction, imprisonment, an Article 15, a discharge from the military and civil lawsuits. After all, 35 percent of all crash fatalities in Oklahoma in 2005 were directly related to alcohol, according to the Alcohol Alert Web page for the most recent Oklahoma Drunk Driving Statistics. In Oklahoma, a DUI is defined as a blood alcohol concentration between .08 and .15. If a BAC is above .15, it's considered an "Aggravated DUI" and punishments are stiffer than a straightforward DUI conviction. If a driver has a BAC of .08 or below, the charge is DWI. Punishments for a first DUI offense in Oklahoma include a misdemeanor conviction, imprisonment up to one year, plus about $1,000 in court costs and fines. If a second DUI offense is obtained within 10 years, it is a felony conviction. Fines may reach $2,500 and a driver may be imprisoned for at least one year, according to the slide presentation. An Aggravated DUI charge may result in a mandatory 28-day in-patient treatment, periodic testing and an ignition interlock device installed in the driver's vehicle, among other punishments, according to the slide presentation. Furthermore, if military members are involved in an off-base DUI or DWI incident, they can be tried for their actions on base. Double jeopardy does not apply in this situation, according to the slide presentation. "It's simple," said Capt. Thomas Condie, OC-ALC Legal Office Military Justice chief. "If you drink, don't drive. "If you drink any amount of alcohol and you drive, then chances are your boss will call the legal office and say, "What do we need to do for the Airman who just got arrested for a DUI," the captain said. Captain Condie said he's witnessed several incidents in which career Airmen with more than 10 years of service have jeopardized their careers because they chose to drink and drive and were caught. By the Numbers 35 - The total number of DUIs this year 26 - Last year 329 - The total number of A2D2 saves this year 624 - Last year