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The Introduction to The Science of a Vehicle Ambush – Vehicle Ambush 101 For nearly half a century, ISDA’s founder, Tony Scotti, has been leading the way in understanding the “how” and “why” of vehicle ambushes. Since the mid-’70s, Tony has been conducting forensic analysis of vehicle attacks and distributing his findings to the Ep and Secure Transportation community. So, in June of 2020, the Omar Garcia Harfuch (OGH) vehicle ambush was not the first time Tony has gone through the painstaking process of accurately analyzing a lethal ambush targeting a high-profile, at-risk individual. However, the Omar García Harfuch “OGH” ambush is one of the first vehicle attacks that was videoed as it was happening.  Adding the Vehicle Dynamics Institute team to the testing process created unprecedented results in the data collected and the lessons learned.  Full show notes are available at SecurityDriver.Com Join the International Security Driver Association If you have an interest in going much deeper into this type of topic, I invite you to check out the International Security Driver Association’s website and consider joining the only organization dedicated to supporting the advancement of professional Security Drivers and other protection practitioners with data-driven research and other professional development tools. For more information on all member benefits, head over to https://isdacenter.org.

A tragic video has been circulating throughout various social media. It took place at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela. The video is from a bodyguard training program. This terrible event brings to light a problem – which is the state of security driver training.  Read the full show notes from this episode at SecurityDriver.Com

This episode is a continuation of episode 206, where we continue to look into security driver salaries. While curating Security Driver job opportunities for our International Security Driver Association members, we data mined the salaries offered on LinkedIn and Employment Websites. Our goal was to get an idea of the Security Driver’s Pay Scale. One of the issues we had was the definition of a Security Driver. It seems that Security Driver can be used to define a person patrolling a parking lot while unarmed- to a person responsible for supplying safe and secure transportation for an executive- and everything in between.   We also noticed that not all job offers for a Security Driver are called Security Driver. Job offers looking for a person to supply Secure Transportation have a few titles. Here are some of the Job titles we found – Security Driver – Executive Chauffeur – Executive Protection Driver -Law enforcement chauffeur – Armed Security Executive Driver – Executive Protection Agent / Driver. Along with the different job titles, there is a substantial difference in the salaries offered. Full show notes and links are available here

This Sunday, May 29th, will be the 106th running of the Indy 500. So, we thought we would apply the Science of Driving to the Indy 500 and do a simple analysis of the track and the drivers. Hopefully, it will make watching the race more enjoyable.    Full show notes are available here

Meta released their 2021 SEC 14A filing recently. As our research shows, there is year over year increase in secure transportation spending. Unlike social media posts and comments, there are businesses willing and able to hire those who meet the required ESK - Experience, Skills, and Knowledge. Full show notes are available at SecurityDriver.Com.

This episode will cover Executive Vehicle Specifications, including H-Point, Vision Line Height, Cargo Room, and how these measurements affect the safety and security of the vehicle occupants. We’ll also touch on another safety topic, advanced driver assistance systems. As we have said many times, the executive vehicle is the instrument used by the Security Driving and Secure Transportation profession to earn a living. Many of our Association Members are responsible for the selection and eventual purchase of the executive vehicles. In the next few years, all vehicles, including Executive Vehicles, will be changing at an exponential rate. The Association will be researching those changes and their effect on Secure Transportation Professionals. Visit SecurityDriver.Com for the show notes and links mentioned in the episode.

When news about tires and how they affect the Security Driver and the Secure Transportation function comes into the Association’s network, our members and we feel that we need to make the community aware of this important news. So here are a few news items that have come out lately that we hope can assist you. The first news item that got our attention and was the catalyst for the episode. An article from Automotive Fleet shared a statistic from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) that mentions that 11,000 accidents are caused every year due to defective tires.  The one that caught our attention was from Autoweek Magazine – Why Do Run-Flat Tires Suck? Science, and Tradeoffs We respectfully disagree with them. The article talks about the Self-Supporting Run Flats System. These are not the type of Run-Flat that is used in most Security and Armored Vehicles. We are a big fan of Consumer Reports. We feel that they conduct the most accurate and unbiased analysis of vehicle and vehicle products. Their article – Why Tires Go Flat in Cold Weather is another news piece that got our attention. Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are here to stay; as we have mentioned in the past, it is not if – but when – Security Drivers and Secure Transportation Providers will be driving electric vehicles. But in the news recently, there has been a great deal of attention focused on a particular component of the EV that needs to be examined – tires.  Full show notes and links are available at securitydriver.com.

The question that many Security Drivers and Secure Transportation providers have heard – “Why do I need a Security Driver – Why can’t we use a chauffeur service?” Or – why can’t we use an Uber or Lyft car? A few years ago there was an article that appeared in Security Magazine, titled “What to Look for in Travel Security and Executive Protection Services.”  While the article may be old the content is still valid. The author concludes that while the Executive is traveling, having a security-trained driver is paramount to a successful executive protection program. As the author emphasizes in the article, the benefits of a security-trained driver extend well beyond their greater ability to utilize a vehicle’s performance capabilities, and we’ll add, particularly in unfamiliar locations far from home. The article goes on to say that there is no formal definition of “security-trained driver” that exists; there is no central governing body whose credentials you can trust to lead you to the right provider. A “Security-trained driver” could mean anything from a military veteran with 20+ years of relevant experience to a taxi driver who’s gone through a defensive driving program.  We respectfully disagree with that comment. Mention Links The origin of the 80% standard in the Science of Security Driving Chauffeur vs. Security Driver   Key Quotes "There has been a standard accepted by the corporate Kidnap and Ransom Insurance (K&R) and the High-Net-Worth (HNW) community for more than four decades. It is called the 80% standard." "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. " Full Show notes are available at SecurityDriver.Com   Join the International Security Driver Association The International Security Driver Association (ISDA) is the only organization in the world dedicated to supporting the advancement of professional Security Drivers and other Secure Transportation providers. Learn more about who we are, what we do, who we do it for, and member benefits; visit ISDACenter.Org.

In today’s episode, we have three news stories to share – the driver of a Tesla charged with vehicular manslaughter, we’ll take a look at a few executive vehicle’s impressive skidpad tests and what that means for the security driver, and a new tech venture with Ford and ADT to combat thieves.  Full show notes and links click here

With all the inherent risks security drivers secure transportation service providers face on the road, there is probably none more so than road rage or aggressive driving. So, today we are talking all about road rage – what it is, how to avoid it, and some interesting statistics that show the impact of road rage.   Full Show notes and links

Hello, and welcome to our 200th episode of the EPST podcast. There are two topics for discussion in today’s episode, they are the future of secure transportation, and marketing the service of secure transportation, and determining your value.   For complete show notes and links click here

The number of carjacking incidents reported by the Department of Justice is about 49,000 per year.  In some locations in the U.S., the number of Carjackings is becoming an epidemic – it can happen to anyone anywhere and anytime.  In 2020, Chicago carjackings were up a staggering 134%, with 1,416 people being forcibly removed from their vehicles. This trend has continued in 2021, with Minneapolis seeing a 38% increase, Chicago up 44%, Washington, D.C. up 45%, and New York up a whopping 81%.  As a Secure Transportation Provider or Security Driver, it is your responsibility to know if Carjacking is a risk that needs to be mitigated. For full show notes and links click here

For this week’s episode we are revisiting a previous topic, tires and tire pressures, to answer a question we received, and we’ll introduce a new paradigm – the Dynamic Driving and the Human Driving Tasks.  Tires and Tire Pressures The reason we spend a lot of time talking about these subjects can be found in a comment made by a Bridgestone engineer – “Tire pressure affects every aspect of the tire, including the load-carrying capacity, tread contact patch shape—where the tire touches the road—and size and handling characteristics.”  Therefore optimizing tire pressure will increase the safety and security of the principal and is essential knowledge for the Security Driver and Executive Protection Practitioner. The Dynamic Driving Task and the Human Driving Task  In all our 48 years in the profession, we would have never thought or considered that the automotive engineering community would be required to define how humans and computers interact while driving a vehicle.  A human interacting with the vehicle computers, specifically the ADAS, is called the human driving task. Read full show notes with links

We have two topics to discuss in this episode - how the infrastructure bill will impact secure transportation. Also, we’ll share information on a somewhat related topic - the Lucid Air Electric Vehicle.   Full show notes and links are available here.

Welcome to episode 196 of the Executive Protection and Secure Transportation podcast.  I’m your host Larry Snow. The podcast is provided by the International Security Driver Association. Every week we share secure transportation and executive protection headlines, news, trends, and educational content for today’s practitioners. For this week's episode, we reach into the archives with the topic of the science of winter driving. I know, I know, it’s not winter yet,  but the days and nights are getting cooler, and winter will be here before you know it. So we felt it was the perfect opportunity to discuss winter driving and secure transportation. Let’s rewind to episode 156  - the science of winter driving. Click here for show notes

In today’s episode, we continue with the second installment of our Best Practices for Protective Driver Training Series. The topic for part two is benchmarking driving skills.  You can find part one here.   as serious practitioners have known for decades, statistics have indicated that the overwhelming majority of security incidents involving corporate executives – and high-profile individuals, including government and military, have occurred while the targeted individual was in or around their vehicle. Therefore, in the educated market of protective services, history and common sense dictate security practitioners address the incidents with the highest probability of occurrence, traveling by vehicle.  When considering the risk of travel by vehicle, the safety and security of vehicle occupants during this most dangerous period of time are literally in the hands of the skilled Security Driver. Click here for complete show notes

In this week's episode, we share information on a recent IIHS crash test, other OEM armored vehicles besides the Mercedes Guard Car, and the use of telematics devices for monitoring by insurance companies.   Click here for complete show notes

In this week’s episode, the topic is An Answer to Question - Why do I need secure transportation? – A Marketing Tool from the IRS. On-Page 136 of Joe Autera’s book “The Professional Guide to Planning, Managing, and Providing Secure Transportation is written as one of the better answers to the question - Why do I need secure transportation? A quote from the book “It has been said, time and time again, that there are only two things in life that are a certainty, death, and taxes. While no one enjoys paying taxes, virtually everyone would rather pay them than be confronted by the other. If the right conditions are met, the Security Driver is one of the few people on the face of the earth that can reduce the Principal’s risk of both! Naturally, this brings us to the other elements of the business case for having a Security Driver or Solo Practitioner supporting the Principal.” Understanding the business case for Secure Transportation starts with  gaining an understanding of  IRS Regulation Part 132(5), which dictates the conditions under which corporations and/or their executives may be eligible for tax deductions when secure ground transportation is provided.” Read full show notes here

In this week’s episode, the topic is Best Practices for Protective Driver Training.  This is the first in a series of podcasts that will cover Best Practices for Protective Driver Training. We have close to 50 years of experience conducting various driver training programs and services that had to withstand the scrutiny of a Corporate Security community, Corporate Legal, Human Resources, and Compliance departments. Along with Government and Military organizations, which are not bashful to tell you exactly what they think.  First and foremost, driving training is a science. When looking at driver training and the skills necessary to drive at the highest level, there has been a great deal of research done, money spent, and data collection that allows us to understand better how drivers make decisions in emergencies and how long it takes them to make the decisions that determine success or failure. The end result of all this research is the advancements that have been made in measuring driving skills and, therefore, survivability in an emergency scenario.  For the full show notes click here: https://securitydriver.com/10/192-best-practices-for-protective-driver-training/

In this week’s episode of the EPST podcast, we discuss certification in Executive Protection. The podcast is provided by the International Security Driver Association. Every week we share secure transportation and executive protection headlines, news, trends, and educational content for today’s practitioners.  Two topics of discussion that can dominate social media are certification and the state of training in the executive protection and secure transportation industry. In reality, certification and training are inseparable. There is a need for standardization in the EP profession.