CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Vehicle drivers who wish to come aboard Camp Pendleton must possess vehicle insurance and valid identification for base access or face disciplinary actions by receiving points on their records, or not be provided base access.

Drivers are required to provide a valid identification card or driver’s license, vehicle registration, insurance and a rental agreement if the driver is operating a rented vehicle according to Base Order 5000.2.

Military police at the base’s seven entry gates continually turn away drivers who are unable to provide the credentials required for operating a motor vehicle.

“The order gives us the legal authority to cite for all California vehicle codes,” said Cpl. Matthew French, a military policeman with the Security Battalion.

INSURANCE COVERAGE

Minimal insurance coverage on base mirrors California state regulation, which requires all motorist carry a minimum insurance policy covering $15,000 for bodily injury liability covering one person, $30,000 for bodily injury liability covering more than one person and $5,000 for property damage liability.

A vehicle operator driving on state roads without insurance may be issued a fine, have their license suspended or even have their car impounded.

French described purchasing vehicle insurance as an easy process that gives the policy holder a sense of reassurance in the case of a traffic incident.

“If you get into an accident by backing into someone and you don’t have insurance, chances are the repercussions are going to be ten times worse,” said French. “So if something happens to you or your car or if you cause any damages, you’ll be covered.”

PUNITIVE MEASURES

According to the Traffic Court and Citation website, drivers with military decals are held to an accumulative point system.

Vehicle operators who do not have the proper credentials may have points added to their base driving record, which can affect their driving privileges here in the long run.

If vehicle operators accumulate more than 12 points in a 12-month period or 18 points in a 24-month period their driving privileges may be suspended on base.

The site also states that driving privileges may be suspended for six months if five or more non-moving violations or three or more violations of the same type are accumulated within a six month period.

For more information about base traffic laws and regulations, refer to Base Order 5000.2.