Law Enforcement Vehicle Inspection

• Law enforcement vehicle operations should start with an exterior vehicle inspection.
• Look for scratched paint and dents
• Make sure that light covers are not missing or broken
• Emergency equipment should not be damaged or malfunctioning
• Check for broken or cracked glass and mirrors
• Windshield should not be dirty
• Look for foreign objects and debris under the vehicle and foreign objects on the undercarriage (explosives)
• Look for fluid leaks

Tires

• Check for uneven wear, which can be caused by improper balance/alignment, or over/under inflation
• Check the PSI (pounds per square inch) and ensure it is at or above the manufacturer's recommended level as indicated on the doorjamb.
• If tire bars are even with tread surface, the tires will not dissipate fluids.
• Objects can deflate a tire and cause a blowout. It is important to not remove the object and send the tire for professional repair.
• Check for cuts/bulges on the sidewall.

Rims

• Check for dents, cracks, or damage to the bead.

Under the hood

• Should be checked each day before operating the vehicle
• All fluids should be at the manufacturer's recommended levels
• Engine oil should be checked
• Transmission fluid levels should be checked
• Brake fluid levels should be checked
• Power steering fluid levels should also be checked
• Coolant reservoir level should be checked when the engine is not hot.
• Windshield washer fluid levels should be checked
• Belts should be checked for fraying, cuts, cracks, and gouges.
• Hoses should be checked for dry rot, cracks, holes, bulges, and leaks.
• Wires should be checked for fraying, corrosion, and cracked/missing insulation/exposure.
• Battery's terminal connections and water level should be checked for any signs of damage to the exterior

Interior vehicle inspection

• Ensures all equipment is stowed/properly secured to prevent loose items from moving at the same speed as the vehicle.
• Look for tears or damage in the seats.
• Back seat should be checked before and after every shift and every transport for weapons or contraband.
• Seatbelts should be checked for fraying/binding and ensure the clasps lock properly
• Check headlights, turn signals, hazard flashers, and interior lights
• Rearview mirror should be securely attached and not cracked/broken; verify communication and emergency equipment function.
• Doors and windows should operate properly.
• Observer gauges for visible damage
• Be aware of unusual sounds and smells
• Car should be checked for leaks while running, by looking under the car from the side and not in front/back.
• Ensure the spare tire, jack, and tire tool are properly restrained
• Long/protruding equipment stored across the width of the rear cargo area should be eliminated to prevent protrusion into the passenger/gas tank in a rear-end collision.

Hazard Detection & Observation Skills

• Countermeasures That Work are National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tips to prevent accidents

• Assume other drivers will make errors.

• Scan frequently to the side and rear for passing or approaching vehicles.

• Scan thoroughly before changing speed or direction.

• Learn to recognize situations that can be hazardous.

• Adjust speed, position, direction, and attention to maneuver safely if a hazard develops.

• Scan far enough ahead to reach to situations

• Vision supplies 90-95% of incoming data

• Acuity is the sharpness of vision

• Depth perception is the ability to judge distance and perceive space to determine the distance of objects.

• Peripheral vision is the ability to see above, below, and to the sides and should be at least 180°.

• Color vision is the ability to distinguish colors

• Night vision is the ability to see clearly in darkness

• Factors affecting vision include the environment, physical condition, alertness, aging, speed, glare, and window tinting.

• Road hazards can include pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, skateboarders, roller skaters, animals, improperly parked vehicles, roadway obstructions, surface flaws, debris, and fluids

• Hearing helps locate the source of sounds related to vehicle issues, suspicious incidents, or crime.

• Factors affecting hearing include closed windows and surrounding buildings

• Driving with the driver's side window down helps detect hazards, identify people who need help, be aware of possible crimes, and alert other emergency vehicles.

Smell

• If an unusual odor is detected, confirm if it is coming from inside or outside and look for smoke or indicators of the source. If source is unidentifiable then call for additional resources
• Unusual odors may point to unusual hazards, so clear these hazards first before investigating
• A fire can start if a car is left running over grassy area due to extreme heat from the catalytic converter

Touch

• Steering wheel vibration excessively may indicate a steering or tire issue or pulling can indicate an alignment issue
• Apply brakes to determine if they work and check the steering, looking for smoke or signs of engine fire.

Observation skills

• Driving at or below the posted speed limit is helpful to respond to different conditions
• Making adjustments to mealtimes/lifestyle can increase alertness. Consider eating smaller meals more frequently and getting enough rest/sleep before shifts
• Temporary factors that affect observation skills include stress, emotions, fatigue/frequent shift changes, prescription/over-the-counter drugs, and poor driving habits.
• Medical conditions that affect observation skills include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, and epilepsy.

Road and Weather Conditions

• If an obstacle cannot be avoided, strike at a slight angle with free rolling tires to minimize loss of rolling friction.
• If two or more wheels roll from a paved to an unpaved surface, decelerate and steer straight, reduce speed, firmly grip the wheel, and steer smoothly/steadily onto the roadway.
• Variable road surfaces affect the tires' traction with concrete (non-porous), asphalt, clay, dirt, gravel, sand, or brick.
• Rain and wind are the conditions that are most likely to affect a vehicle's performance; even a small amount of rain can cause a car to float off the road which is known as hydroplaning

Proactive Measures

• Intersections represent the greatest risk to safe driving operations.
• Crash types at intersections include sideswipes, right-angle collisions, collisions with fixed objects, improper backing, and head-on collisions.
• Check for obstacles, reduce speed, drive to the right, drive off the road, and select what to hit, such as soft objects like bushes, small trees, fences, objects moving in the same direction like other cars, and fixed objects like trees, signs, or parked cars
• Side of the vehicle should be used to hit objects, to glance off the object/car if it cannot be avoided
• One of the frequent crash types is Rear-end collisions
• Measures to avoid a crash include:
• Removing foot from the accelerator to decrease speed
• Doing Evasive maneuvers and applying the brakes
• Steering to a safe area in the intended direction

Seatbelt usage (s. 316.614, F.S.)

• The driver and all front-seat passengers aged 18+ must be restrained by a seatbelt and all passengers under 18 are restrained anywhere in the car.

• Three-Second Rule: establishes the minimum safe following distance for all vehicles to provide space and time for the driver to react to potential hazards at posted speed limit when weather and road conditions are good.

• To determine if a safe distance is being kept, the driver should keep at least three seconds from the car in the vehicle's front.

• Six-Second Rule: Used under poor road conditions or in bad weather (fog/smoke) and when traveling at higher than normal rates of speed, in emergency responses, with other responding units, oncoming headlights, streetlights, hazards/debris, or construction areas

Principles of Driving

• Tire contact patch: The four 6-inch squares upon which tires rest which are affected by driver input, road conditions, and natural forces.

• Vehicular motion occurs within three dimensions.

• Pitch: forward/backward movement during acceleration or braking causing weight transfer from front-to-rear.

• Roll: the side-to-side movement when turning and transfers weight from side to side.

• Yaw: is circular and causes an end-for-end motion which turns a vehicle 180° on a horizontal plane.

• Stability affects the degree of pitch, roll, and yaw a vehicle experiences

• The lower the center of gravity, the higher the stability

• • Electronic Stability Control (ESC) assists in helping maintain control of the vehicle during extreme steering maneuvers
• • Traction Control System (TCS) secondary function of ESC designed to prevent loss of traction

• Weight Transfer and Distribution are affected by the equipment and passenger loads which affect vehicle stability.

• Weight is distributed only where the tires contact the surface

• The more dramatic brakes/accelerator applied, the more dramatic weight transfer and effects. When accelerating, weight shifts to rear tires; more noticeable in vans, trucks, SUVs.

• When turning, weight transfer occurs toward tires on the outside of the turn; the front outside wheel carries the most weight.

• It is best to not break and steer (first break, then steer)

Turns

• Radius: Distance is from the center of a circle to its outside edge.
• Increasing radius: turn that gets wider (on ramp)
• Decreasing radius: turn that gets tighter (off ramp)
• Constant radius: turn that remains the same throughout (intersection)

Corner Negotiation Techniques

• Apexing technique is about how the vehicle is steered in relation to a curve's apex while maintaining lane. The apex is the center point of any curve
• • Early apexing technique: Vehicle steered close to inside curve before reaching apex
• • Center apexing technique: Vehicle steered to the middle of curve
• • Late apexing technique: Vehicle is steered so it passes closest to inside of curve after apex. The result is decreased force on the vehicle and reduces potential for loss of control which is the best cornering method
• Steering has a relation with vehicle dynamics, handling and traction control that is affected by the speed and force of the driver's steering which greatly affect weight transfer.
• Understeer is the tendency to turn less sharply than intended, generally caused by excessive speed combined with a lack of traction on the steering tires and improper turn braking.
• Oversteer is the tendency to steer into a sharper turn than intended because the rear or outside tires lose traction
• Wheel Tracking: The rear wheels follow a tighter path than the front wheels, steer wide off object
• Hand position: Firm yet be relaxed, grip wheel with thumbs on the rim and maintain a 4:00 to 8:00 position to provides quicker response and reduces fatigue/injury. Shuffling technique is also helpful in maintaining control of the steering wheel with caster effect; the tendency for a vehicle traveling forward to straighten from a turn when drivel releases the steering wheel
• Optical driving/eye-targeting is to look in the desired direction of travel to avoid obstacles/steering towards it.
• • Braking Techniques Proper breaking is to rotate right foot from accelerator to the brake with the heel placed on the floor and position ball of right foot in the center of brake pedal, apply increasing pressure to stop in shortest distance
• Anti-lock braking system (ABS) is an enhancement to the conventional braking system that electronically prevents wheels from locking by rapidly applying and releasing the break allowing the driver to remain in control of steering for hard/sudden stops
• • Acceleration
• Proper acceleration is to rest right heel at base of accelerator, ball of right foot squarely on pedal, with ball of right foot apply smooth consistent pressure without losing traction/passing point of incipient spin and best done in a smooth, straight line using steady pressure

Vehicle slide control

• • Is possible with Vehicle slide control is based upon contact with terrain
• Rolling friction: When tires constantly rotate on road surface without losing contact
• Loss of traction: Result of loss of rolling friction; causes loss of vehicle control as tires skid/slide
• Skid: Wheels lock and tires DO NOT TURN while vehicle is moving. Rolling friction and traction are lost, influenced by weigh transfer and centrifugal force, increased by rainstorms, oil and tar. Slamming brakes to avoid collision is most common skid
• Slide: Loss of both rolling friction and traction; wheels STILL ROTATE, but do not control movement
• Power slide: Overacceleration and tires spin; wheels are not locked, but vehicle has lost traction caused by accelerating too much on a turn/slick surface

Recovering from slide

• • To recover vehicle position, is to remove foot from accelerator and DO NOT BRAKE but counter-steer , turning the front tires in the the direction wanted to go in order to retain traction

Cornering

• Requires entering intersection safely and properly at normal driving speeds and making a 90° turn
• Driver technique: Enter straight, reach maintain speed of 35, turn signals, brake, then steer

Backing

• Majority of LEO crashes are a result of collision with a fixed object while backing
• Is best to drive slowly to compensate decrease in vision
• Technique requires brake shift shift, and use of upper body and mirrors

Night and subdued light driving

• More than half of crash fatalities occur at night when ability influenced.
• High beams for open roads, low beams for limited areas

Driving in Emergency Mode

• Most dangerous driving situation because LEO may experience psychological/physiological effects and must follow Florida laws to use proper equipment and proper technique

• Pursuit Immobilization Technique (PIT): using LEO vehicle to apply force to either the rear right or left side of violator's vehicle to end pursuit and use with the vehicle as deadly force.

• Must only be used if properly trained and certified