Where Evasive Driving Fails
Action movies often incorporate a classic car chase. A staple of these movies consists of three common stunt-driving maneuvers: the bootleg turn, the J-turn, or the roadblock ram.
These colorful stunts are taught in nearly every “evasive driving” class. Students will even spend hours practicing them, although this may be a bad idea. While exciting stunts to see (and learn!), their execution may be dangerous in a real-world situation. Indeed, it’s a common maxim that the more time something takes to learn, the less likely it will be reliable in an emergency. This is true of exotic kicking techniques, complicated outdoor survival procedures, and it’s certainly true of vehicular escape.
What are these three maneuvers, and what’s so terribly wrong with them?
The Bootleg Turn
The driver notices a vehicle is pursuing him, and there seems to be either a roadblock or an oncoming attack vehicle ahead. The driver accelerates to 30 miles per hour, and wrenches the steering wheel to the left about a third of the way. Simultaneously, the driver hits the emergency brake. This causes the car to spin. Ninety degrees into the turn, the driver releases the brake, steps fully onto the accelerator, and straightens the wheel. This causes the car to face the opposite direction, and he can now speed away.
Some schools teach variations, including the use of the left foot to clutch correctly when driving a manual transmission.
Unfortunately, the problems with this maneuver are many. In order for this to work as taught, the emergency brake should be located between the driver and passenger’s seats. Many cars locate the brake as a pedal on the floor. Although the procedure can be done with a floor brake, nearly all so-equipped cars have a positive push on the emergency brake: it can be impossible to jam the brake down with your left foot in the split-second you have. Further, almost the instant the brake goes down, the driver needs to use his left hand to reach under the dashboard to release the brake: all this at the same instant the right hand is literally spinning the steering wheel around.
Even if the brake is located between the front seats as a handle, the brake can lock, requiring a very hard push with the thumb to release it. Again, this must be done in under two seconds. Regardless of where the brake is located, it is possible to disable the emergency brake lock beforehand, which simplifies the process. Some methods, such as using vice grips, do not cause permanent damage to this safety system, but require considerable experimentation to ensure they are properly positioned for that exact model car.
Another problem with the bootleg turn is the use of ABS brakes and traction control. Simply put, many modern cars will resist spinning 180 degrees. While many cars allow for traction control to be turned off, none will allow for easy dismantling of the ABS braking feature. Again, advocates suggest actual disabling of the ABS feature: given the greater chance that you will need your ABS braking ability versus the chance that you will need to spin your car in a pursuit, this notion seems asinine. ABS brakes are a tremendously useful system that control skids and brake locking; both of these pose far greater risks in urgent and routine driving, as opposed to bootlegging a car.
Additionally, a bootleg turn causes severe wear on the car’s tires. Sidewall blowouts are common unless the tires are perfectly inflated to manufacturer specifications. A multiple sidewall blowout will end any real car chase in seconds. Even if the tires were inflated perfectly, the correct application of a bootleg turn will damage the tires. Tires are the most essential aspect to high-speed performance driving, and any manuever that damages them can be a lethal choice. Given that a low chance technique will impair your ability to handle high chance braking and turns, the bootleg turn seems like a very poor idea.
So what works better?
To an oncoming threat, turn down a side road if the road appears to continue through, unblocked. If this magical side road is not available, simply hit the brakes hard, but steer the car to the edge of the road. As the car slows to under 30 mph, turn the wheel hard and accelerate hard to pull the car around. If there isn’t enough room to do this, simply bring the car to a stop, throw the transmission into reverse, and drive away until there is a side road or more room. Incidentally, if there isn’t enough room to turn a car around tightly, there likely isn’t enough room to bootleg the car.
This approach requires less training, accounts for more variables in road and weather conditions, and yet accounts for the same degree of threat.
The J-Turn
Another option is the J-turn. Here, the driver may be stopped already, when a threat appears up ahead. The driver throws the car into reverse, accelerates backward to about 30 miles per hour, and spins the wheel hard to the left while letting off the gas. As the car spins halfway, the driver throws the transmission into a forward gear and steps hard on the accelerator again. No brakes are required, although some cars spin better when the emergency brake is used as above.
This technique can damage both the brakes and the transmission. Again, ABS systems make this stunt particularly difficult to do, and many cars will lose transmission oil. Most transmissions will prevent rapid shifting from reverse to drive unless the gears are perfectly neutral, resulting in an awkward mid-spin stop. Further, manual transmissions usually stall the car out (which is worse) unless the clutch work is done perfectly mid-spin. This in itself is asking a lot of a driver.
In fact, many high-level security drivers will reject this move completely in favor of simpler methods. Ed Lovette, a driving expert with thirty years of experience, has conducted numerous studies showing that students who learn the J-manuever are frequently unable to perform it only days after “mastering” it. To rely on this, the J-turn must be practiced almost daily. Lovette attributes this to the complex coordination required; in any event, learning the procedures on one car does not mean an individual has learned it for any other car.
So what works better?
The safest method for this situation is one learned by all drivers: the 3-point turn. Simply throw the car into reverse, race backward, stop, turn, drive, stop, back, stop, and accelerate away. Although there are seemingly more steps, each requires less focus. On average, a 3-point turn can be executed in almost the same amount of time, provided one additional consideration is followed.
When most people execute a basic 3-point turn, they do so in conventional driving. You simply coast the car to a stop, and patiently begin the procedure. In a high-risk situation, you are already stopped (or you stop hard). Instead of backing up a small amount, put the car in reverse and accelerate hard for a long distance. Open the gap. Get it out of the immediate danger area.
One thing that the 3-point turn allows (which would be disastrous with the J-turn) is the ability to counter more obstacles. If a vehicle is stopped behind you, or pulls up behind you, the 3-point turn can allow you push the vehicle behind you out of the way. The difference is simple: backing into a stopped vehicle is better than driving into it at 30 mph.
On a wider road, a 1-point turn is possible. Accelerate backward about 50 yards, and turn the car in either direction while accelerating. Stop when the vehicle’s rear reaches the edge of the road. Put the car in drive, and turn the wheel in the opposite direction while accelerating. The car is now moving away from danger with no damage or wear to the car, and with all safety systems still operating.
Breaking Roadblocks
In this popular stunt, a vehicle or two has been positioned across the road to force you to stop. The driver speeds up to 30 mph (or decelerates to this speed), and aims for the rear wheel of the blocking car. If the blocking vehicle’s rear wheels are off the road, the driver aims for the front wheel. Using the engine of his own car as mass, the driver plows directly into the blocking vehicle. This spins the road blocking car out of the way.
This move is still taught in most schools. The theory is that this pushes the road block away faster than the bad guys can jump into their smashed vehicle and pursue you. There are three problems with this theory.
The first is what happens to a car when it drives into anything at 30 mph. Assuming the vehicle’s engine doesn’t stall from the crash (crumple zones on modern cars are designed to displace the engine), the vehicles air bags will go off. This alone can stop your attempts to escape. Naturally, advocates suggest disabling the car’s air restraint systems. This is like cutting the straps on a parachute pack with the idea that you can escape from its weight faster when you land. Remember: roadblocks like this are hardly ever used, in comparison to how often the airbags will save your life if you crash.
The second problem is that this technique requires you to drive further into the danger area. If whoever these attackers are truly want your vehicle stopped, they will take direct action. As you accelerate toward their roadblock, they will be more than willing to fire weapons directly into the driver (which would be you). Shooting into a vehicle moving 30 mph when it is a few yards from you is quite easy. Your odds would not be good.
Third, this only works against this Hollywood-style roadblock. In developed urban areas, commercially available or even home-made spike strips will be used. This will destroy all four of your tires and stop your car within a short distance. In less developed areas, a car is a valuable asset. Instead of risking a vehicle, a simple log or other object will be laid across the roadway. At night, it may even be camouflaged to make it hard to see.
In reality, you may not see the roadblock in time. If you do, however, the best thing to do is to stop and reverse out of the danger area. Remember, it can be common practice to block both directions: once you drive into the trap, a roadblock can be quickly positioned behind you as well. Back as far as you can to open up distance, and then turn the vehicle around. Look for side routes.