Security Driver: The Last Options, Part One

By Anthony Ricci

Protective Driving focuses on a number of aspects that relate to the Protective Agent’s job. These aspects include threat detection, safe vehicle operations and how to remove the vehicle from the kill zone during a crisis. What these aspects equate to is the fact that the protective agent’s mission is to avoid a violent confrontation instead of wandering into it. On a similar note, law enforcement officer driving training or EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) focuses on the safe operation of a vehicle at high speeds, how to properly conduct a high speed chase and avoiding potential hazards. Although this training focuses on ensuring the safety of the officer and citizens who might be in the vicinity of the pursuit, it also helps develop the driver’s muscle memory and reaction time.

With these occupations in mind, imagine your protection detail traveling en route when around that blind turn, the one that you advanced so well but could not avoid, several cars suddenly pull out and block your path of travel. Or you are called to a suspicious alarm going off in a shady part of town. As you cautiously approach four guys dressed in black carrying shotguns, come out from behind the dark van that was pulled up to the loading dock. Backup is miles away. You are severely out gunned and need to react quickly. In either of these deadly situations you would only have seconds to make a life or death decision. Seconds count when in the kill zone....