SecurityDriver News

There are specific rules that the IRS has laid out for Security Driving. If an employer provides an employee with vehicle transportation and a bodyguard/chauffeur for a bona fide business-oriented security concern, if not for the bona fide business-oriented security concern the employee would not have had a bodyguard or a chauffeur, then the entire value of the services of the bodyguard/chauffeur is excludable from gross income as a working condition fringe. The key phrase is “bona fide business-oriented security concern”

A bona fide business-oriented security concern exists only if the facts and circumstances establish a specific basis for concern regarding the safety of the executive. A generalized concern for the executive’s safety will not trigger application of the security exclusion Under IRS Code § 1.132-5(m)(2)(i), the employer must demonstrate the existence of a bona fide security concern. The full explanation of the code can be found at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/article/0,,id=134943,00.html

Scroll down until you get to the Security Transportation part. The following are excerpts from the code.

Examples of specific bases for a bona fide security concern include a specific threat to harm the employee or a recent history of violent terrorist activity in the geographic area in which the transportation is provided. However, under §1.132-5(m)(2)(iv), an overall security program is deemed to exist if the following conditions are satisfied:

A security study is performed with respect to the employer and the employee (or a similarly situated employee of the employer) by an independent security consultant;

The security study is based on an objective assessment of all facts and circumstances;

The recommendation of the security study is that an overall security program (as defined in paragraph (m)(2)(iii) of this section) is not necessary and the recommendation is reasonable under the circumstances; and

The employer applies the specific security recommendations contained in the security study to the employee on a consistent basis.

An independent security study could conclude, for example, that security during air travel is necessary, but security on a 24-hour basis is unnecessary.

BMW has announced their new High security Vehicle. The press release repeatedly uses the word unique to describe components and the manufacturing process.  Most of what is mentioned as “Unique” in our eyes is not unique. Reinforcing shock mounts, and tuning the suspension to accept the added weight is not unique. I know Mercedes has been doing it for years, and I think BMW has also been doing it for years. The car’s seams and gaps are all armored, that is not unique that’s mandatory.  Also the press release goes on to mention that the glass has “a unique level of resistance” I hope that means it stops the bullets it was designed to stop. Our guess would be that the press release was written by the ad folks whose goal was to try to explain the vehicle to John Q Public – who does not need or can’t afford the vehicle.

All the above does not negate the fact that this is one hell of an armored vehicle. If driving in a high risk environment, this is the kind you’ll need

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/7series/security/content.html

Most corporate drivers are in their second career, which means they are up there in years. Therefore it’s not surprising that a common question asked is “What happens to driving skills as age increases?”

The major concern with age is what affect does it have on the probability of an accident? If you look at just the accident rate it goes up slightly at age 50, but still nowhere near the rate of the 16 to 34 years old. What is interesting is that the age group 45 to 59 years old has the lowest fatality rate of any age group, and 60 to 69 are the second lowest.

What about fatalities? According to FARS (The Fatality Accident Reporting System) the age group with the highest percentage of driving fatalities (as drivers) is 16 to 34. They represent 44.3% of all fatalities. FARS shows that for the same parameters the age group of 55 – 74 represents 16.2% of all vehicle fatalities. Keep one important point in mind. A big part of driving is decision making – a younger driver can get the controls of the vehicle moving quicker – but if that quickness is preceded by a bad decision the outcome is not pleasant, and the accident statistics are the proof.

When you consider that 90% of the decisions made while driving are based on what we see issues that are affected by age are night vision and peripheral vision. According to an article that appeared in “Car and Travel”, Triple A’s magazine, at age 40 and above a drivers sensitivity to glare increase dramatically and it will take much longer to adapt to changes in light. A Security Driver must not allow their eyes to become fatigued or hypnotized. Wear sunglasses to fight glare (but never wear sunglasses at night)

I would suggest that if the driver is over the age of 40, that they get their night vision checked and if over age 55 check for peripheral vision. This can all be part of their annual physical.

The driver’s ability to avoid vehicle violence does not depend solely on their ability to control the vehicle. A driver is at the mercy of the environment and of the vehicle they are driving.

Driving, any form of driving, is a balance, and that balance is called the “driving system.” The driving system is made up of three components: THE DRIVER, THE MACHINE, and THE ENVIRONMENT. In our world it is called the Security Drivers Triangle. If there is an accident or a successful ambush it is caused by a failure of the triangle, the driver, the vehicle, or the environment failed.

The Driver
Most accidents or ambushes are caused by driver error. In the non security world the proof lies in the numbers. Some 89 percent of all vehicular accidents are caused by driver error. The driver is responsible for the successful implementation of the DRIVER/MACHINE relationship. The driver has to know and understand the capabilities of the vehicle driver combination. The driver’s capability to maneuver out of an emergency is a measurable skill. The skill level is a number that indicates how much of the vehicle capability the driver can use. The simple fact is the higher the number the better the chances of survival. Given a vehicle, and an environment they must drive through, a security driver has to know what they are capable of and better yet what they are not capable of.

The Machine
Most passenger vehicles are good handling vehicles. But there are scenarios where the vehicles handling capabilities are lowered due to an increase in the vehicles security posture (armored vehicles). However, no matter how well or poorly a vehicle handles, it is only a machine, and like all machines, has its limitations, some vehicles higher than others. The vehicle, like the driver, has a measurable capability, which translates to a number, the higher the vehicles number the greater the chances of survival.

Driver/Machine
You cannot separate the driver from the vehicle. A good security driver understands vehicle dynamics and works to anticipate changes in the vehicle behavior and is ready to maximize the vehicles capability. A bad driver simply reacts to whatever happens.

The Environment
Driving in the non security world the environment is the weather – traffic – road design. If the road surface has been modified by nature, then the driver and machine portion of the driving system must cope with these changes.

In the security world the environment includes the security conditions the driver has to maneuver through. The driver/vehicle combination can have high survival numbers, but in a high risk environment they are at the mercy of the security environment – as much as possible try to control the environment, but there are times especially in a high risk environment were that is not an easy task.

We tend to think about vehicle ambush as something that happens someplace other than the US. But recently one of our former students got involved in a problem that is worth talking about.

George TZ was driving his principals 250K Bentley Turbo (Minus the principal) though the streets of one of the New York Burroughs.

George noticed a SUV, with a tinted windshield, Connecticut plates behind him; tinted windshields are illegal in New York. He didn’t pay much attention to the vehicle until he noticed the SUV still behind him a few miles down the road. At that point George decided to drive a surveillance detection route, and at the completion of the route the SUV was still there. George called 911 told the dispatcher the scenario, the decision was made to have a police vehicle meet George at a particular intersection. On his way to the rendezvous point, while waiting at a stop light, the SUV pulled around George and blocked his path. Two young gentlemen got out of the SUV with their hands inside their jackets and started to approach the Bentley.

George ran the options through his mind, ram (a $250,000 vehicle) or drive around the blocking SUV. He determined there was enough space to drive around the SUV, driving away from the would be bad guys. All this happening in seconds, he got back to the dispatcher and had the police meet him at the place of the almost ambush.

The police felt the description fit that of a group doing bad things in the New York area.

Lessons Learned

• George was alert and saw the SUV
• He understood the concept of Surveillance Detection
• Once the ambush started George went through his options and executed the selected option
• George has been involved in Security Driving for many years, but is constantly updating his driving and security skills.

Most drivers realize that the higher the car’s speed, the more distance required in stopping. What is surprising to many drivers is how much additional distance it takes to stop a vehicle with just a small increase in speed. The fact is that if you double your speed you increase your stopping distance by a factor of four.

If you increase your speed from 40 to 44 mph, speed has increased by 10 % but stopping distance has increased by 20 %.

If you increase your speed from 40 to 50 mph, speed has increased by 25 % but stopping distance has increased by 50 %.

The numbers listed above are not affected by the method of braking used. It makes no difference if a driver brakes with their left foot – threshold brakes – or uses a parachute to stop. If the speed is doubled the stopping distance increases by a factor of four. Bottom line you cannot arbitrarily increase your speed, it’s literally deadly.

As a side note –there are training organizations that are teaching threshold braking with an ABS vehicle – DO NOT THRESHOLD BRAKE WITH AN ABS VEHICLE. With a vehicle equipped with ABS press as hard as your foot can press and let the computer do its job.

LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
A major component of braking to avoid an emergency has nothing to do with braking; it’s all about where you look while the emergency is unfolding. Car manufactures have been studying this phenomenon for a while. Simply stated – your hands go where your eyes look. As soon as the emergency presents itself look for a place to put the vehicle. Look where you want the vehicle to go and your hands will follow your eyes. Many times the driver’s eyes fixate on the object they are trying to avoid, and the result is they drive into it. By the way, this is not as easy as it sounds.

SUMMARY

• Be careful about increasing speeds – for every 10% increase in speed it is a 20% increase in stopping distance.
• With an ABS vehicle, when confronted with an emergency press the brake pedal as hard as possible.
• The sooner and harder the brake is pressed the the lower the speed and the lower the speed the more you can move the steering wheel
• Look where you want to put the vehicle.

THE BASICS – Vehicle Dynamics, two words you tend to see often in RFP’s, brochures, and on web sites dealing with driver training. Unfortunately most people don’t quite understand what the words mean and how it affects driving and driver training. As an example, we recently reviewed one of the many solicitations we receive for submitting bids on driver training programs. They asked the bidders to include a “vehicle dynamics exercises”.  Well, the simple fact is that driving to the shopping mall, parking your car, parallel parking are all exercises in vehicle dynamics. In fact, Vehicle Dynamics is not just one part of a training program it is the foundation of any driver training program.

While that may seem like a bold statement to some folks out there, the standard explanation of Vehicle Dynamics used by groups such as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) demonstrates that this is fact, not just an opinion.

VEHICLE DYNAMICS – Vehicle Dynamics is the application of the laws of physics to a vehicle in motion.

That vehicle can be a fighter jet, train, or a horse draw cart. In our case it is a vehicle with four rubber tires or two or as in some training we have done 18 rubber tires. The basic principals are the same no matter how many tires are attached to the vehicles.  Hence when driving through cones, around corners, or trying not to hit a solid object the vehicle/driver combination must operate within the laws of physics. 

What is hard for most driver trainers to accept is that all driving scenarios, no matter how simple or complex, are an exercise in the laws of physics or, according to the SAE and others, vehicle dynamics.  Makes no difference if it’s a training program for high risk or low risk environments, or what type of vehicle – sedan, armored SUV, Lenco BearCat Tactical Vehicle or a bus, nor does it matter whether it’s a private sector corporation, government, military, or police agency. Because in both the training environment and the real world, the only set of laws we must live within while operating a vehicle are the laws of physics.  Luckily for us, the same laws apply equally to our adversary as well.  Which is why it is absolutely critical that any individual teaching advanced driver training have an understanding of the laws of physics associated with vehicle dynamics and, perhaps most importantly, be able to translate them into information that is useful to the student?

Having been at this for nearly four decades, it has become obvious that most people shy away from using the laws of physics as a training tool because of the math it requires. This may well be due to the fact that, for most people, their only exposure to the laws of physics is what they were taught in high school, where the subject  is mired in books and often times  seems to have no practical value. For those who are mathematically challenged, once the theory is explained in an easy to understand manner that applies to something they enjoy doing – like driving and driver training – and they learn how to turn a classroom discussion into a hands-on practical exercise based on a real world scenario, it is truly amazing how much sense all that math actually makes. Not to be redundant BUT all driving scenarios, no matter how simple or complex, are exercises in the laws of physics, so understanding and being able to apply the laws of physics isn’t something that is nice to know, it is a necessity.  Also if one wants to be able to develop training that will require students to develop the knowledge, skill and driving ability that will increase their survivability in the real world understanding the laws of physics is a must. This understanding is also the key to measuring an individual driver’s capability behind the wheel. Or put another way, it’s the only way to objectively measure their driving skill.

From an article by Joe Autera  jautera@vehicledynamics.net 

and Tony Scotti  tonyscotti@securitydriver.com

1 – Surveillance Detection is Critical

The most import issue is Surveillance Detection. In both the attacks it is apparent that surveillance of the target and the route played a critical role in the attack planning process. My 35+ years working in the armpit places of the world tells me that in many situations surveillance detection is not just the best protection; it may be the only protection. That is why it has become essential for security providers to learn how, when and where an attacker is likely to conduct surveillance as well as how to plan, manage and conduct effective surveillance detection operations.

2 – You Need the Right Tools for the Job

You need to have the right equipment – in our world that usually means a vehicle that can do the job. In a high risk environment doing the job is defined as an armored vehicle that will stop whatever rounds it is they are going to shoot at you. If you are in a Level 4 vehicle and they are firing Level 7 rounds, it’s is like taking a knife to a gunfight.

3 – The Attack Begins Long Before the First Gunshot

If your day is interrupted by the pitter patter of rounds hitting the windshield, it is not the first time the bad guys have had eyes on the target (that’s you). In one of the scenarios the attack was carried out by a large group with most of the rounds directed at the principal’s vehicle, this is an indication that the attackers had done their homework. More than likely they had surveillance in place up to the moment of the attack. Refer to Point 1.

4 – Training, Training, Training

In a recent vehicle ambush in Mexico, which lasted for minutes, not seconds, the principal’s vehicle was hit multiple times, at least once by grenade fragments, and was partially disabled due to a flat tire. Despite all of this, the drivers of both vehicles did exactly what needed to be done to ensure the principal’s survival, indicating excellent training. Your training must (not should) include Surveillance Detection.

5 – If the Vehicle Stops You Lose.

Time and time again we have seen that in a vehicle ambush the worst possible scenario is for the vehicle to come to a stop in the kill zone. Getting back to point 3 – training must include the “Science of the Kill Zone”. Even in attacks against an armored vehicle, once the vehicle is immobilized the attackers have control over the movement of the target, and that is not a good thing.

The complete article   http://www.vehicledynamics.net/articles/taleoftwo.html

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is a computer that takes over control of the vehicle when the vehicle’s path is not what the driver intended it to be. For those of us who have lost control of a car, we know that it’s that first twitch of the car that tells us that we are about to have an exciting experience. That twitch is information the car is sending to us. For some, interpreting this information is second nature, and for others it’s like trying to understand Swahili. That sinking feeling we get in our stomach is the car telling us that it’s not going where we want it to go, but it is going in a path that it wants to go. The value of ESC is that it interprets the information, in most cases, before the average driver or even the above average driver can sense the problem. Once the ESC computer reads the information it starts to set the car on the correct path before we can figure out what’s going on.

HOW IT WORKS

Electronic Stability Control uses the existing ABS and Traction Control computers, plus additional sensors to monitor what the car is doing after you tell it what to do. By measuring throttle position, steering wheel angle and lateral acceleration, the computer compares the intended path of the vehicle to the path the car is actually taking. If it’s not doing what you wanted it to do, or if what you are doing is contrary to good sense and the laws of physics, the ESC computer takes over. When ESC decides to handle the driving chores it applies one of the front brakes, or in some systems one of the front and/or rear brakes, to straighten the car and put it back on the path you wanted it to go.

LIMITATIONS

Of course, there are limits to effectiveness of stability control. It makes it a bit more difficult to do J Turns. The computer is sensitive to weight, so that needs to be taken into consideration. If your vehicle becomes stuck in deep snow, for example, automakers generally advise that you turn off stability control—there’s usually a deactivation button on the dashboard—in order to get the full power of the engine and wheel spin as you try to work your vehicle free.  Also computers cannot overcome stupidity. ESC cannot compensate if the driver is driving far beyond road and vehicle conditions. In other words, it’s not a license to drive like an idiot.

IT SAVES LIVES

It’s no exaggeration to say that stability control is the biggest automotive safety advancement since ABS and airbags.  Researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that ESC reduces the risk of fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by 32 percent. The new research confirms that ESC reduces the risk of all single-vehicle crashes by more than 40 percent—fatal ones by 56 percent. The researchers estimate that if all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year.