SecurityDriver News

1979 Volvo Ad

Cleaning out my garage the other day and I found an old ad I did for Volvo. I’m sure most of the people reading this do not remember the Volvo 242 GT; it was a hell of a performance vehicle. In the late 70’s Volvo had the reputation of a stogy old man’s car (kind of like today’s Volvos) – at the time my school was sponsored by Volvo – we were asked to conduct a  product testing and comparisons program for the Volvo engineers and some people from their ad agency. We were testing the 242 GT against vehicles like the brand new (at that time) BMW 3 Series.

The results of the tests and some comments I made, brought about this ad, the ad appeared in all the Car Magazines. It even made it into the News Weeklies and some other none automotive publications. The ad came out in 1979.

 When the ad guys and engineers were driving through the Lane Change most of the cars were having a difficult time getting through without hitting anything, and were breaking loose at speeds that the 242 GT had no trouble with. Just as we do today (31 years later) we measured the other vehicles handling numbers and compared them to the measured numbers of the Volvo GT. The GT’s numbers were 13 to 15 % higher than all the other cars being tested.

 One comment made by an ad agency guy was “These other cars are exciting to drive”.  My comment was “If you think that’s exciting – drive a Pinto through the Lane Change” My other comment was “ When compared to the BMW the Volvo GT handles better than cars that are known for handling ”. That’s where the tag line came from. It was a classic case of mistaking adrenalin for handling. Just as today when students drive around a race track or through a lane change, without being tested and measured, they mistake adrenalin for education. 

 By the way for all you old racers the picture and test were done at Bridgehampton Raceway on Long Island.

Protective/Evasive Driving Program  – August 18-20, 2010

It doesn’t matter whether the driver is confronted with a potential accident or a deliberate attempt to stop the vehicle; nor does it matter where they happen to be in the world when the problem presents itself – survival hinges upon the driver’s ability to – recognize a potential problem as it begins to unfold – manage the time, distance and maneuvering room available to them – stay within the performance limits of the driver/vehicle combination

 VDI’s highly acclaimed Protective/ Evasive Driving program  is designed to  provide executive protection, law enforcement and military professionals the knowledge, skill and ability needed to survive behind-the-wheel emergencies utilizing a methodology that has been proven effective over the course of nearly four decades, which incorporates: 

• application of the science of vehicle dynamics – how the loads placed on a vehicle by the drivers actions effect it’s andling
• a series of exercises designed to closely replicate emergency situations and configured in a specific sequence designed to maximize student improvement
• an objective, scientific process for measuring the individual student’s improvement and overall performance
•  the real world experience garnered from the nearly 150 years of combined security, law enforcement, military and driver training experience which Tony Scotti and VDI’s Scotti Certified Instructors bring to the training arena.

Contact us at –  Tel: 732.738.5221 – Fax: 732.738.5223

email:info@vehicledynamics.net

By far the most misunderstood and neglected part of the Protection Business is the Business of Protection. Understanding how to use the web and the social media to acquire work and/or enhance your business is essential. Your web presence is becoming what use to be your resume or if you’re a company your brochure. Google is fast becoming the first impression. Your resume is not enough. Larry Snow, who writes the Web Design Smarts Blog, pointed out that 83 % of all recruiters Google their applicants and that 43 % discard the applicant based on what they see.

Have you ever Googled someone’s web site and are baffled by what you see. In one of Larry’s blog articles he says.

• I get this question asked all the time:”What do you think of my super duper galactic ninja in action business site?” In all honestly I really dislike this question because the expectation is for me to say “Wow, great site, nice design, and great    layout.” Don’t get me  wrong I do give honest praises for the design and the creativity especially if this person created the site doesn’t know that much about web design. The person usually hears the hesitation in my voice and asks, “Well what‘s wrong with it?” In which I reply “I look at your web site and I have no idea what you do, who you are or how to contact you.”

Larry then goes on how to explain how to fix that.

The other issue that gets me is the Social Media. I recently read an article that mentioned, if you hold a security clearance or if you ever want to apply for one, be mindful of your postings and contacts online, particularly on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These sites pose risks to gaining and keeping a security clearance.

Larry has an article on his Blog about using the Social Media to your benefit.

Although it is an advertisement for BMW High Security Vehicles – this You Tube video is still a good primer on armored cars.

The problem with Unintended Acceleration has brought about discussions on brakes and braking. The following is some quick hits on braking. Some of this is repetitive from a previous post, but it is worth repeating.

The most powerful control on the vehicle is the brakes. Basically the brakes produce larger changes in speed than the gas pedal.

Our school cars – police packaged Ford Crown Victoria’s – can accelerate from 0 to 60 in about 9 to 10 seconds. With a trained driver – the vehicle can stop from 60 to 0 in an average of 3.5 seconds. The Crown Vic can stop from 60 MPH in about one third of the time it takes to accelerate to 60 MPH.

Because the brakes have an enormous potential, they can be the producer of both good and evil. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers most accidents start out with improper braking techniques.

 A small increase in speed will produce a large increase in stopping distance.

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 50 mph, speed has increased by 25 % but stopping distance has increased by 50 %.

The above is true even if you have ABS brakes. ABS cannot repeal the laws of physics, make you immune to road conditions, and most important, cannot overcome stupidity.

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.

 A major component of braking to avoid an emergency has nothing to do with braking, its all about where you look while the emergency is unfolding. 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 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.

 SUMMARY

 Be careful about increasing speeds – for every 10% increase in speed it is a 20% increase in stopping distance.

 When confronted with an emergency press the brake pedal as hard as possible.

 Look where you want to put the vehicle.

 Bottom line you cannot arbitrarily increase your speed, it’s literally deadly.

Whether driving to the mall, driving the boss to work or driving in a high risk environment most driving is done in the Comfort Zone. The Comfort Zone is a combination of speed – steering and/or braking where the vehicle reacts as the driver expects it to. The Red Zone is a combination of speed – steering and/or braking that creates big changes in the way the vehicle responds, changes that are not expected, and create anxiety. Unless it is a race, the Red Zone is not a place a driver would go to on purpose, it is a place visited only when bad things are happening.

 It  may be difficult to think of a 10,000 lb armored Suburban as “sensitive”, but a car’s controls are very sensitive to speed, the faster you go, the more sensitive the vehicles braking and steering become. This area of sensitivity is the Red Zone.

 Research indicates that going from the Comfort Zone to the beginning stages of the Red Zone, happens with an increase of a fraction of an inch on the steering wheel, and/or an increases of speed as little as 2 MPH. To complicate the issue research has also shown the driver gets into their own personal Red Zone way before the vehicle does. As the driver enters Red Zone the vehicle will send feedback that makes the driver feel uncomfortable (the researcher’s way of saying scared). At this stage of the Red Zone the vehicle is still controllable, but the level of skill needed to keep the vehicle under control has gone up dramatically, and the window of opportunity to maintain control is extremely small.

 Look at it as the vehicle has a limit and the driver has a limit. The drivers limit is much lower than the vehicles limit. Basically the driver is uncomfortable with a combination of speed – steering and/or braking that are below the amount of speed – steering and/or braking the vehicle can take. 

 It is the transition from Comfort to Red that creates a training challenge. In an emergency a driver will be required to quickly transition from their Comfort Zone, into the Red Zone, there can be no hesitation. Common sense dictates that a driver has to be trained to recognize and manage this transition. In our opinion this transition is the essence of driver training. One of the goals of a driver training program is to raise the amount of steering, braking and speed a driver is comfortable with.

All vehicles are supported by a cushion of air contained in four flexible rubber tires.  If you could place a car on a glass floor and look at it from below, you would see four patches of rubber, most folks are surprised at the size of these four patches, depending on the vehicle – each patch a little smaller than a hand.  These are the only points of contact between the vehicle and the road.  Each of these four small patches of rubber is known as the “contact patch”. It is these four patches that create the traction which makes the vehicle – go – stop and turn. It is these four patches that send the feedback back to the driver, and it is these four patches the driver has to manage. Consider them to be the source of information needed to control the vehicle.

 How Much Rubber Do You Have?

If you conduct training and want to know the size of the contact patch your vehicle creates, jack up your vehicle, put ink on the bottom of the tire, and let the car down on a piece of paper (we use finger print ink). Have someone keep their foot on the brake as you let the vehicle down, it keeps the tire from rolling, and lower the tire on the paper – the tire will leave a mark on the paper that represents the tire contact patch. The paper should be outline paper dived in one inch blocks, it makes measuring the contact patch easier.

 Once done you have a “picture” of the tire contact patch, and can easily measure the size of the patch in square inches (width of the patch times the height of the patch). If you take that number multiply it by four that is how much rubber is on the road.

 In our vehicles, police package Crown Vics with P225/60R16 tires with 32 PSI, we have 36.75 square inches per tire and all four tires will give us of contact area of 147 square inches of rubber touching the road.

A short article I did for State Farm Insurance

This article was written by Gordon Mitchell, PhD, CPP.  Dr. Mitchell operates Future Focus, a Seattle based company which provides electronic eavesdropping.  The article was written more than ten years ago but still has some valid points.

 A good chauffeur is concerned about not spilling the boss’s coffee and avoiding bumps. Generally chauffeurs can handle routine emergencies if they happen slowly. This has nothing in common with the skills needed for a trained security driver.

 Security drivers are very aware of the environment and are always prepared to drive out of a problem using the full potential of the vehicle. This is guaranteed to spill coffee. It also saves lives.

Good Security Driver

In no particular order – security

 The most critical skill is learning to recognize trouble and stay out of threatening situations. The most critical thing to recognize is the presence of surveillance.

 Security skills of course include defensive driving but the most memorable training involves offensive driving. Even though few security drivers use their training in ramming or pursuit driving these sort of high adrenaline activities make an impression. In fact making an impression on a student is what a good driving school must do.

Out of Control

A security driver has absolutely no control over several critical factors in executive security. The first is where the executive lives. Only in unusual cases such as high threat overseas assignments will the executive home be chosen by security personnel. The executive’s neighborhood may be on a dead end street, an apartment building or near a busy highway. All require different approaches to avoid the problems that threaten the executive.

 Weather and traffic are also out of the control of the security driver. They affect the general security environment and may allow threats such as ambushes to become more of a problem than they would be on “normal” days. These variables must be part of a security driver’s thinking and need to be part of overall contingency planning.

Ex-cops make good Security Drivers

Because they are naturally suspicious of people and circumstances, former police officers make good security drivers. They have been trained and conditioned to observe their environment and have generally been prepared for some of the driving situations that security drivers may encounter.

 A significant change of strategy is necessary in the transition from ” To Protect and Serve” to being concerned about the person in the back seat. Good security drivers do not think about apprehending anyone; they are expected to drive away from dangers, not confront them. Police officers that are able to leave their egos behind do well in the driver’s seat.

 All drivers must have good driving skills and physical capabilities. Since physiological changes occur with age, which can make drivers less effective, it is critical that basic vision, hearing and reactions are tested for all security drivers. Additionally, over the age of forty, night vision should be measured. At the age of fifty-five, peripheral vision should be added to the annual physical.

 Even a driver in good physical condition can become a liability if fatigue is present. This is especially a factor in city driving. Overtime pay may lure drivers into working longer than they should but eight-hour shifts should be the rule. A tired driver may only be able to operate the vehicle missing all of the security aspects of his job. A very tired driver may not even be able to handle the basic driving tasks.

Knowing the Threat is Key

Even though it makes sense to avoid danger by understanding the threat, many drivers do not employ effective surveillance detection skills or have a basic knowledge of threats. It is critical to begin the security driver’s work well before getting behind the wheel. This includes working closely with corporate security and executive assistants to keep updated on threats to the executive, changes in the corporation, and the general image of the organization.

Background work to identify and contain threats is much more effective than last minute offensive driving to get out of a tight spot. If a driver spends significant amounts of time with the executive she bears an even greater responsibility for the executive’s welfare. This situation requires even more work with security to define threats and avoid them.

Medical Emergencies

Most executives won’t be kidnapped but many will face medical emergencies of some sort while traveling. The obvious requirement for security drivers is knowledge of medical facilities along any given route. This does not just involve knowing the address of a hospital. Specific information on the nearest trauma centers, emergency rooms, fire stations, and outpatient facilities should be at hand. Knowing the direct line to an emergency room can save valuable minutes for a seriously ill or wounded executive.

A sensitive issue that is not normally addressed involves medical background information for the executive. Sharing medical history information with security drivers improves the survival probability for an executive but it is not common for “just a driver” to know about the boss’s chronic illness. If a medical emergency does occur or if an accident threatens the life of an executive a driver’s knowledge can be a lifesaver.

 Watch out for the TaxMan

The Internal Revenue Service look for opportunities to tax corporate compensation and executive protection can become a problem in this area if it is not handled properly. Imagine the difficulties associated with an unexpected $100,000 tax bill for the CEO. It is possible if the salary of a security driver and other related expenses are considered executive compensation. In a 40% tax bracket the personal income tax on several years protection can easily reach astronomical amounts.

 To avoid this problem it is crucial to employ an independent professional to study the corporate security needs. The study should be based on objective facts and circumstances. If security threats require a trained driver and security car for the benefit of the company the IRS should not tax the individual executive who also benefits.

 Dealing with Executive Objections

Whenever a change of executive lifestyle is involved, expect a problem. This is especially true for security where there is no direct link to corporate profits. If the CEO must have a security driver expect that the change will be resisted. The same security survey that was done to justify the expenses to the IRS may be helpful in convincing management of the need.

 One approach to the subject might be to explain the need for a proactive approach in terms of the other parts of the organization. No good manager would wait for a disaster to make changes in manufacturing, accounting or marketing. The same is true in security. Spending an effort and some money up front can produce significant results in the future.

We have developed an iPhone Application on Distracted Driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) driver distractions are the leading cause of most vehicle crashes and near-crashes.  The App came about when we looked at a study released by the NHTSA and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).  The study discovered that 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction – and the distraction occurred within three seconds before the vehicle crash!   For those in High Risk Security that number “three seconds” is familiar. It is the “Kill Zone”.

The Kill Zone Concept is used to train our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to avoid a vehicle ambush. Our iPhone Application uses the same theory to explain and avoid the dangers of Distracted Driving.

The theory is simple; a Kill Zone is a time-distance relationship. How much time does the driver have and how close is the problem (distance)?  The Kill Zone is directly related to the speed of the vehicle when the incident occurs.

An example of how Kill Zones relate to Distracted Driving look at the following scenario – You are 300 feet from a traffic light moving at 40 mph which is 60 feet per second. You get a text message; it takes 3 seconds to read the message – that means you drove 180 feet (3 seconds x 60 fps) without looking at the road. 

You were 300 feet from the traffic light, but as you were reading the text message, you moved 180 feet. When you looked up from the text message, you are 120 feet (300 -180) from the traffic light that has now changed from yellow to red.

You are 120 feet in front of the red light and closing in at 60 fps.  You are in the Kill Zone, a time distance relationship, the distance is 120 feet and some quick arithmetic tells you that you have two seconds to react. And you are driving deeper into the kill zone.

If you can get you foot on the brake in a half-second (that’s fast), you will travel 30 feet (half of 60 fps).  So at the point of applying your brakes, you are 90 feet from the traffic light (the initial 120 feet minus the 30 feet it took to reach for the brake). 

You will have to stop a car moving at 40 MPH (60 feet a sec) in 1.5 seconds. Life is going to get terribly exciting.

Our App uses case studies in the form of presentations, similar to the one above, and offers lessons learned.  The objective is to keep you out of the kill zone. 

You can direct any questions or comments to

tonyscotti@securitydriver.com

lawrence.snow@sjcwebdesign.com