by Tony Scotti
President of Tony Scotti Associates

Protective driving teaches a driver how to recognize the makings of an ambush, and if he enters an ambush, how to get out of it quickly and safely.

The objectives of a protective driving program are to minimize the danger to an executive while traveling in a vehicle. A program designed to meet these objectives contains basic training blocks which are driving, vehicle, and security. Within each block there are certain necessary training elements, these are outlined below:

Defensive Driving
Each element has its own objectives. In defensive driving the objectives are: training a driver to operate a vehicle's three controls- gas, brake, and steering- with precision necessary to drive out of an emergency. A basic problem with chauffeurs, or for that matter, anyone who has been driving for a number of years, is the "living room couch syndrome". Throughout the years we have become inattentive about driving. Government studies indicate an average driver can use only 30% of the vehicle's evasive capability. The basic goal of defensive driving is training drivers to use 80% to 90% of the vehicle's evasive capability. This is done through a mix of behind the wheel driving and classroom theory. Behind the wheel driving exercises are designed to show the concentration and precision needed in an evasive maneuver.

Studies also indicate that 89% of all accidents are caused by driver error. Most of these driver-caused accidents happen because a driver simply was not paying attention to the driving task. In protective driving, inattentiveness is dangerous. In an ambush attempt the driver may have 15 to 30 seconds to take action. If the driver needs 25 seconds to wake up then all the training in the world won't help.

High Speed Driving
The objectives of high speed driving are to train drivers to negotiate corners at the maximum capability of the vehicle and the driver. This requires that a driver be able to quickly determine the design of a corner, and the correct path a car must take through that particular design, to achieve maximum speed. This may at first appear complicated, but there are only three ways that corners can be designed. A corner can have an increasing, decreasing, or constant radius. The goal of high speed driving is for a driver to have the capability to drive at high speeds on unfamiliar roads.

Offensive Driving
Offensive driving is the most misunderstood and dangerous of the driving elements. With offensive driving there are two objectives. The first is to train a driver to quickly reverse direction, and the second to use a vehicle as a weapon.

There are two methods of quickly reversing direction, the "bootlegger's turn", and the "J-turn". A bootlegger's turn is spinning a vehicle 180 degrees while the vehicle is moving forward. Although drivers must be trained never to stop a vehicle under any conditions,there may be a time when stopping is unavoidable. If the vehicle is stopped a driver should know how to perform the "J-turn". This is done by putting the vehicle in reverse and spinning the vehicle 180 degrees and driving off in the opposite direction. A well-trained driver should be capable of spinning the vehicle 180 degrees in a distance equal to the length of the vehicle.

Among other offensive driving maneuvers that must be taught,by far the most dangerous is ramming, which is basically using the vehicleas a weapon. If a training film is used to teach ramming techniques it is important that a full explanation of vehicle positioning is discussed. Although training films usually show the vehicles placed at the correct angle, drivers must be made aware of the consequences if the blocking vehicle is not at the correct angle. Drivers should realize that ramming is used only as a last resort. It is absolutely necessary that all drivers understand not only how to do these offensive driving maneuvers but when to do them. There are many occasions when ramming can get you into more trouble than it will get you out. A driver needs training that enables him to recognize the correct vehicle positions for ramming and also to recognize the potential hazards of ramming. Within the program a system must be developed which constantly tests driver's offensive driving capabilities.

The Vehicle
The next training block is the vehicle. The objective is a basic explanation of how a vehicle stops, starts, and turns and why a car sometimes seems to do what it wants to do, not what you want it to do.

A discussion of weight transfer, tire contact patches, and how these phenomena affect car control accomplish this objective. These concepts, once explained in a classroom, then need to be demonstrated in behind-the-wheel training.

Although it is not the driver's decision to armor a vehicle or to buy security equipment for a vehicle, he must understand how armoring affects a car's handling and what types of security equipment are available and how he can make this equipment work for him.

Automotive maintenance must also be understood. It matter not whose responsibility it is to maintain a vehicle, it is the driver and his passengers who will suffer the consequences of poor vehicle maintenance. Learning the signals a vehicle transmits when it is in need of maintenance is essential. Tires are 75% of a vehicle's handling and evasive capability. Classroom time must be allotted to the explanation of how tires work and how to keep them properly maintained.

Security
Security is the most difficult of the training blocks. Objectives are to raise the driver's level of security awareness. If the drivers are assigned to the security department this task is made less difficult. If they are chauffeurs and have held the chauffeurs position for a number of years, the task of training them to be security conscious can be a long and tedious one, a task that is not in the scope of a protective driving school.

It is important that drivers understand the necessary ingredients of a successful vehicle ambush. By studying the tactics used by urban terrorists, students can learn how to develop countermeasures. his is accomplished by reviewing case histories of past vehicle ambushes. Students learn a great deal by ambushes, such as moving or being stationary. Not only the famous ambushes, but the not too famous ambushes need to be examined. Countermeasures such as "changing your routes" need more explanation. In some cases it is impossible to change routes or in other situations it may be hard to avoid certain areas. Drivers need to learn what to do in areas they cannot avoid.

Other security topics need classroom discussion such as what the drivers should do when the vehicle is parked and he is waiting,codes and warning signals between executive and driver, and vehicle security checks. All the explanations need to be reinforced during the driving portion of the program. If an ambush does occur and the driver gets free from the ambush he needs to know the location of safe areas that he can drive to and receive help. this requires planning. A driver should not have to be hunting for a safe haven during an ambush escape, he should know where they are and how to get to them. A protective driving program must include a discussion with the executives, for the executives have to be made aware of what the driver is supposed to do in the event of an emergency.

Conclusion
The goals of a protective driving program are for a driver to able to recognize the makings of an ambush before it starts. If the driver does enter an ambush situation, training must provide him with the skill needed to evaluate the corrective evasive maneuver that will free him from the trap. Once free he must have the knowledge of where to go and what to do. Upon completion of the course a report of the driver's capability should be forwarded to his superior.