PMCI - March 2021

4DANGEROUS DRIVING
DANGEROUS DRIVING!
BEING THE “DESIGNATED DRIVER” ALWAYS CARRIES A RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE WHO RIDE
WITH YOU, BUT WHEN THAT ROLE IS UNDERTAKEN IN A HIGH-STRESS, HIGH-RISK SETTING YOU
ARE TAKING THE LIVES OF YOUR PASSENGERS LITERALLY INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, AND IT’S NOT
A ROLE FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR UNCOMMITTED! OUR NEWEST CONTRIBUTOR JIM WENZEL
BRINGS HIS WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE TO PMCI TO TELL MORE…
The ultimate goal is to not be in a situation where we
are forced to respond to a threat, however in reality,
there are going to be cases that cannot be avoided.
When faced with a threat, we want and need to
respond effectively and survive. As professionals,
we need to be committed to our training and
continuously build upon our knowledge and skills
needed to survive and protect a principal during
routine and attack type situations.
For this article, I would like to take you through
what it takes to become a Driver in the world of Private Security
and Military Contracting. I have had the opportunity to instruct
at various levels from the basic Law Enforcement Recruit at the
training academy to the proving grounds in the Private Sector
which has included training civilian contractors, Tier 1 Operators,
and members of various Federal Agencies that were preparing to
deploy overseas.
My aim is to provide some insight and overview into various
components of this demanding role and to show it takes a lot
more than just grabbing the keys and hopping behind the wheel.
Scenario: You have been tasked with being the Driver for your
detail, the responsibility of the team’s safety has been placed
squarely on your shoulders as you are the person that is required
to get them from point A to B in a safe and efficient manner.
Which of the 2 drivers described below do you wish to be:
Driver 1: Conducted pre-trip inspections of the vehicles, ensured
that they are detail ready, conducted a proper travel plan analysis
and mapped out the area of predictable travel. This driver also
conducted some surveillance of the route and determined routes
for contingencies.
Driver 2: Has been on many details throughout their tenure,
delegated the responsibility of the pre-trip inspections to
someone else although they will be the driver because they have
seniority. Briefly looked over the travel plan and believes he has
done this enough that he is ready to go.
What is tactical driving and what role does the driver play
in it? In a brief summary, tactical driving is the combination of
defensive and offensive driving, it is a skillset that is developed
to help combat vehicular ambushes. The driver is an integral part
of this solution as they hold the keys, figuratively and literally to
the survival of the team they are transporting.
PLANS FAIL, PREPARATION DOES NOT
The most common attacks occurring today by the primary terrorist
organizations are of the remote control or standoff variety. The
only way to defeat these attacks is to recognize pre-attack
planning events such as surveillance. Which brings us to one of
the many tasks that a driver should become familiar with and
assist with since they will be the one in control of the vehicle.
Know where to look for surveillance, this is done by conducting a
Travel Plan Analysis and An Area of Predictable Travel.
With the driver assisting in the planning of routes, conducting
dry runs, we are increasing survivability of the team and then
allows the driver to do their main job when in the vehicle which
is to assess the situations you are coming up on, make quick
decisions, stay in control of the vehicle and get to where you are
going alive and in one piece.
The other occupants of the vehicle are responsible for
whatever other tasks need to happen along the way. No matter
what the other tasks are, the driver needs to stay focused on the
task at hand and keep a 360-degree awareness of what ‘s going