| the boss' desk the next day, or daydreaming
about that pretty girl in the sports car next to you. Distracted, you inadvertently pull too close to the car in front of you. Now is when you are the most vulnerable to an attack. You didn't leave an escape route. Your options have been seriously reduced. Once the attacker has the element of Surprise working for them, they will attempt to take Control. In order to control the situation, the assailant may decide to get rid of the only thing standing between them and what they want. This is you, the intended victim. The attacker must either take control of you, or get rid of you. Once they are in control, they would be free to accomplish their goal. That might be to take your car, take your money, take your belongings, take your child, or even take your life. The final element is Escape. Most criminals do not want to get caught. They prepare an escape plan and strike when conditions seem to favor their success. It would be very unlikely a thief would attempt a carjacking in the middle of rush hour traffic. Early mornings or late evenings tend to be time of greatest potential. Don't Be A Sheep So now, knowing what's on your adver- |
saries' mind, how do you beat
him? You need to react quickly. While your attacker is in the surprise
mode, change his thought process by surprising him right back. Criminals
are used to a sheep-like response on the part of most people. Let
him find out he's accidentally tackled a wolf. How you will accomplish this depends on the type of attack. In a carjacking, you might be able to drive into the attacker, causing them to back away in fear of getting run over. In a more serious attack such as a blockaded road, you might drive around, reverse out, or even ram your way through the barricade. To be successful at any of these techniques the driver must react instantaneously. The first half-second is critical to beginning your evasive action. Think about this one. You approach a blind corner and to your surprise a van pulls out in front of you. When the van stops five armed men jump from the sliding door and begin shooting. The time it takes for this varies depending on the level of training the bad guys have. Tempus Fugit A well-trained team practiced in this drill will be firing as soon
as the door opens. You will probably have anywhere from three to
six seconds to get out of the kill zone. |
Now go back and carefully
re-read the last sentence. This is not three to six seconds to say,
"Oh my," or "Golly Gee Wil-likers," or whatever
might naturally spill from your lips at the sight of such an orchestrated
attack. Nor was it three to six seconds to react. It is three to six
seconds to escape the kill zone. This means that your reaction time
must be instantaneous if you want to survive. If at all possible, accelerate, drive around the barricade and keep moving as fast as possible. It takes less time to keep the vehicle going straight than to try for some involved evasive motion. It's also far more difficult to hit a moving target, even for a trained shooter. If the bad guys have the road in front of you well barricaded, you may have to back-up and possibly perform a J-turn. The main purpose for a J-turn is not to look like your favorite action hero. It is to put as much time and space between you and the hostiles so you may escape to a safe haven as rapidly as possible. Situational Tactics Your adversaries' weapons will determine your tactics. If the bad guys are chasing you with baseball bats, once you've put about 90 feet between your car and the bats, you really do not need to perform a risky maneuver like a J-turn. |