Tactical Commuter
The Daily Driver’s Guide to Surviving a Bad Situation
On July 16, 2015 a shooting occurred at an intersection in New Orleans. In the video you can see a pedestrian firing at a car with reports the passenger in the car was firing back at the pedestrian. Imagine yourself in your vehicle when the bullets start to fly. What are some tactics you can use to survive and protect your loved ones? Being prepared does not mean you are paranoid.
People spend a lot of time on the road. You may be a professional driver or you may use your personal vehicle for commuting, road trips with the family, and running errands. This article is for those people that are ordinary everyday drivers and find themselves in extraordinary situations.
What this article is and what it is not
This article is not for vehicle-based shooting tactics. That is a different subject altogether and there is a good deal of information available. Just make sure you filter out the good from the bad and get your information from reputable sources.
This article is not about you being the specific target such as in an ambush or road rage incident, although some of these tactics will still work.
This article is for the non-trained, or those that may be trained in personal defense, but lack the time or resources to become truly proficient.
This article assumes a situation of great stress and recognizes fine motor skills may not be functioning.
This article is for the everyday commuter, not the trained specialist. These techniques are to help you survive what would probably be a very short, but intense period of stress.
Imagine yourself in your vehicle when the bullets start to fly. Imagining scenarios and playing them out in your mind is a valuable way to invest in your future survival.
Tactic #1: Avoidance
This is the first thing you should try. There is a common sense reason why we know we should not text message while we drive. We inherently know we will be more safe if we are paying attention to the road and traffic. Avoidance follows this line of thinking.
Pay attention. If you are driving in an area that you know, you should be aware of the locations to avoid such as high crime areas and known gang territories. You should also constantly evaluate your surroundings.
If something is making the hair on the back of your neck stand up, then turn off the road and get away. You may have added two minutes to your commute, but at the same time you may have avoided a dangerous situation. You really have nothing to lose. If you are wrong, you lost a few minutes, if you are right, you just protected yourself and your family.
Tactic #2: Escape
Escape means that you see the situation beginning to unravel and you can quickly turn or accelerate and leave the area. If this is an option, take it. Next to avoidance, getting out of the situation is the most practical means of survival.
This is different from avoidance. If you failed to notice a situation unfolding, or the situation unfolds so fast you had no chance of avoidance, then escape is your next option.
If bad things are happening, expect that your fine motor skills are going to be impacted. When going to your nearest coffee shop, a command from your brain to turn the wheel may result in a slight turn. Under extreme stress, you may be cranking the wheel faster and farther than you realize. This goes for your feet, also. Expect your feet to act heavier than normal on the gas and the brake. If you own a vehicle with a manual transmission, the impact on your motor skills may be even more pronounced as you try to accelerate from a stop.
Escape and avoidance share a common tactic and this is constantly evaluating your exit routes. When the bullets, bricks, or rocks start flying, you will be glad you had a plan constantly updating in your head. This could help you avoid the tunnel vision that occurs under times of great stress. If you already had a plan, your brain will know where to look. (Note: having a short-term plan constantly being updated in your head is good idea whether you are driving or walking in a park.)
Driving tips for the regular commuter during an escape:
Tip #1:
When you come to a stop, try to leave enough room that you can see the rear wheels of the car in front of you. Usually this means your car’s front bumper will clear the rear bumper of the car in front of you if you need to get around them. If you are too close, you will either have to back up, then go forward, or you’ll have to hit the car in front of you. If your life is in danger, you have to do what you have to do, but if you leave yourself room to maneuver, you will be better off.
Tip #2:
Backing up may be an option. Backing a vehicle does involve different dynamics. Your vision is more limited, steering is reversed, and at higher speeds, the front end can start dancing around pretty quickly and increases your chance of losing control. You may need to slow down a little to maintain control.
You need to see where you are going, but try to stay as low as possible. If you can crouch down while still seeing out the back window, you still have some protection. If you have a newer car with a rear view camera, this gives you even better options. Bullets that strike a hood normally get deflected up a bit (Note: this is also good to remember if outside a vehicle. If you need to peak over the hood or trunk, do it from a few feet back and when bullets are deflected, there is a greater chance of them going over your head).
Tip #3:
The use of a seatbelt is an understandably debatable tactical question. Personally, I drive with a seatbelt on all the time because the greatest threat is getting in a collision. In the case of an escape scenario, I prefer my seatbelt be on because it will keep me in a solid, standard, and known driving position. Just make sure to practice getting the seatbelt off and clearing the belt in case you are placed in a situation where you need to exit your vehicle quickly (see Tactic #5).
Tip #4:
Vehicles are resilient. Just like you can survive getting struck, so can your vehicle. Just because it is hit, does not mean it will not run. Some vehicles do have automatic shutoffs in the case of a collision. Know your vehicle so you know how you can get it restarted if it automatically shuts off or if your vehicle is now stuck. You need to know this to evaluate your options.
Tip #5:
If your airbag deploys, it is ok. It is not like the scene from National Lampoon’s Vacation where the airbag stays inflated. It will deploy and then will deflate. The important things to remember are you may lose grip of the wheel, you may suffer some minor abrasions and burns on your forearms, and the deflated airbag will be an obstacle to effective use of the steering wheel.
Tactic #3: Seek cover for your vehicle
Cover means getting behind something that can block bullets. Drive your vehicle to a position where your vehicle is protected if possible. This means you are finding a position that will protect your vehicle from bullets. If it is protected, you are protected. Still be thinking about an escape route.
Tactic #4. Seek cover within your vehicle
Things are getting bad. You did not notice bad things happening, you have nowhere to go, and you are so close to the action that the bullets are starting to fly. Now is the time to find cover within your vehicle. Concealment (hiding behind something) is better than nothing, but getting behind something that will stop bullets is better.
Inside a passenger vehicle, the only real cover you may have is your engine block. Sheet metal is not very good at stopping bullets so doors, fenders, and roofs may not offer you much protection, but will hide you from view. (Note: If you are the target, and avoidance and escape are not options, getting out of the vehicle may be your best chance. Passenger compartments are notoriously bad for offering protection from bullets, except bullets coming from the front where the engine could stop them.)
Tactic #4a. Provide cover to your loved ones
I include this as but one example of the thousands of scenarios you could be running in your head. My son sits in a car seat. This protects him from the highest probability event: a crash. If I am in a situation where bullets are coming toward us, I have already determined what I will do if I have failed to avoid a bad situation, have no means of escape, and have no place to position my car to avoid bullets. This is a personal decision each person will have to make.
My choice is to put me between him and the bullets if possible. In this case, I am unable to avoid the situation and unable to escape. I will do everything in my power to get him unbuckled and in a place of safety. I am prepared to do this with my body between him and the threat.
I am ok with being hit. The probability is I will not get hit, and if I do, I know I can survive a long time on adrenaline and will power. Long enough to get him out of his seat and down into a position of cover. Probably even long enough to take advantage of a change in the situation to effect an escape. Mental preparedness and the will to survive is a powerful thing.
Tactic #5. Leaving your vehicle
In a situation where you are not the target, and just happen to be caught in a bad situation, it may be better to stay with your vehicle as it is a quick means of escape and provides cover and concealment. However, there is no such thing as an absolute. If you have no choice and leaving your car will lead you to safety, there are some tactics you can use while on foot.
Get out of the car on the side closest to your nearest escape route if possible, and on the side away from the threat. If you need to take cover outside of your vehicle, stay behind the engine block, or behind the wheels and axles. Something is better than nothing, but realize fenders and doors may not stop bullets. Bullets can pass through one door, the passenger compartment, and exit through the opposite door. Keep something between you and the threat as you escape on foot.
A special section on motorcycles:
I love to ride motorcycles. I have ridden since I was 15 and owned everything from my first 250cc street bike to a full-dress tourer.
Obviously, if you are on a motorcycle, you are already exposed. Motorcycles are bad for this reason, but great because avoidance can happen much more rapidly and you have more options for tactic #2: escape.
If you have to ride between the front of one car and the back of another, get through that area quick. The motor skills of other drivers could be impacted, they may be panicking, or they may have tunnel vision and not see you. Getting crushed between two cars can be avoided by getting out from between them. (Note: think about this when on foot, also. Try not to stand between cars.)
On a motorcycle, constantly think about escape routes. When riding in normal traffic, many motorcyclists may be ready to split traffic straight ahead if someone is coming up behind and a rear-end collision is possible. If a hostile threat is coming from in front, escaping the area by driving across dirt, grass, sidewalks, or going the wrong direction may be the best route. Be creative with your survival.
There may not be many situations where you would be trapped on a motorcycle, but we probably all try to never say “never.” Taking cover behind a motorcycle works best if you are behind the engine. Stay behind it and make yourself as small a target as possible if that is your only cover. Try to put the kickstand down first, but the loss of motor skill may result in the bike falling over. If it does, you can go to the ground with it and get low or run to the nearest cover. This may be behind the engine block of the nearest car. Be ready for other drivers to do weird things and always be ready to move.
A quick recap:
1. Pay attention. If something does not feel right or look right, get away and avoid any dangerous event.
2. Escape. Get out of the situation. It is always better to go home and watch it on the news than staying put and being on the news.
3. Seek cover for your vehicle. If your vehicle cannot get hit, either can you.
4. Seek cover for yourself. Get behind the most solid metal you can. Let the big metal stop the little metal (bullets).
5. Constantly reevaluate escape. Things change quickly. When the opportunity presents itself, take it, and get out of there.
If you would like to read about survival techniques if attacked at the movies:
If you would like to read about protecting your children from predators:
