The Importance of Law Enforcement Driver Training (LEDT)

Traffic crashes are consistently at the top of OMAG’s list of more costly claims.  As the number of crashes increases, injuries and fatalities increase.  In the modern patrol vehicle, officers find themselves distracted by radios, cellular phones, laptop computers or mobile communications terminals, in-car video systems, siren boxes, and lighting controls, as well as the constant search for traffic violators and criminal behavior. 

Police Officers arguably spend more time driving than any other single task. Sadly, the statistics that reflect the line of duty law enforcement deaths as a result of crashes doesn’t change much from year to year. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), there are nearly 41 officers killed each year in vehicle-related incidents. The unfortunate facts are that the roads are a dangerous place, and many police officers aren’t the expert drivers they would like to think they are. As budgets are evaluated and reduced, funds dedicated to training are typically the first to be cut.

OMAG has a history of helping members address high liability and safety issues through training videos, policy development, workshops, classroom training, practical driver training, and online training. It is because of this commitment to reduce risk and promote safety that OMAG partnered with OSU-OKC’s Precision Driver Training Center in 2006. This top-notch training program aids officers in recognizing their own skill level, the performance their vehicles are capable of, and the effect that environmental factors can have on vehicle operations.

As OMAG received reports on the quality of the training from course participants, we expanded the program to include not just police officers, but any member employee who operates a municipal vehicle. In recent years, the PDTC has trained municipal employees assigned to public works, water/wastewater, EMS, and fire service, as well as law enforcement. The offered courses are beneficial for refreshing and renewing perishable driving skills, as well as improving an individual’s driving techniques. OMAG pays the cost for any OMAG member to attend the PDTC program, which includes the use of an OSU vehicle and hotel stay for those who must travel over 60 miles to the training facility. OMAG members can find more information on OSU’s Precision Driver Training Center at OMAG.org.

About the author:

Kevin McCullough is a Law Enforcement Specialist and has been involved in public safety for over 40 years. McCullough is a nationally recognized instructor and has been teaching emergency vehicle operations and law enforcement driver training since 1988.

Have a 360 Degree Policy Before Your Employees Drive

A utility crew discovered a young boy in the wheel well of their truck while conducting a “Circle of Safety” walkaround. It is unthinkable what could have happened if they had gotten in the truck and drove off without doing the required walkaround inspection. By taking 30 seconds to walk around your vehicle looking for hidden and unseen hazards you can protect yourself, the municipality’s assets, and possibly another person’s life.

In the past 3 years Oklahoma municipalities have had 166 claims filed against them for damage to property or persons injured due to improper backing. It is the second most common claim filed against insured municipal vehicles. The sad fact is all of them could have been prevented if cities and towns had a policy and procedure to perform a 360-degree walkaround before getting in a vehicle and driving away. Just a few seconds of looking for potential hazards can prevent a backing accident or maybe save the life of a curious child.

The “Circle of Safety” procedure is a safe practice any driver can follow to ensure the area around their vehicle is safe before departing. Simply walk all the way around your vehicle and check the clearances to the side, in front, behind, and above. When backing into a parking space or work area, look for obstacles such as poles, other vehicles, drop-offs, and trash cans or buildings. Prior to departing, make sure to check if any pedestrians may have entered your path of travel. Whenever possible, back into a parking space or driveway to increase visibility when departing or pull through to a space that leaves your vehicle pointing out. If you must park the vehicle in a position that requires backing, leave the vehicle positioned to maximize visibility to the rear and critical areas adjacent to the vehicle. And finally, always check under your vehicle and around the wheel wells just in case a curious child has gotten stuck in there. This is no joke.  Each year in the United State, 2,400 children are backed over.

Understanding and Avoiding "Failure to Yield" Accidents

Right-of-way laws and regulations are in place to ensure cooperation among drivers and to assist in a smooth, safe flow of traffic on private and commercial roads. People who know, understand, and apply these rules in their driving tend to be more courteous and able to use common sense in dangerous traffic conditions.

Sadly, failing to yield to a person with the right-of-way is the number 1 cause of vehicular liability claims for Oklahoma municipalities insured by OMAG.

Defining Failure to Yield – When a driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian has the right-of-way, it simply means they have the right to proceed before another vehicle. We encounter situations every day in which we yield to vehicles with the right-of-way at four-way stops, intersections, stop signs, left turn lanes, crosswalks, yield signs, traffic circles, and more. Failure to yield is when a driver does not allow a vehicle with the right-of-way to proceed and this sometimes results in an accident.

If a driver fails to yield to you when you have the right-of-way, you should do everything in your power to avoid a collision. You can prevent failure to yield accidents and exercise proper caution by knowing the traffic laws, staying alert to your surroundings, and practicing courteous driving even when others make a mistake.

Ways to Prevent Failure-to-Yield Accidents – The best way to avoid causing or falling victim to a failure-to-yield accident is to know the laws and do your part to prevent them. You can stay out of harm’s way by:

• Slowing down – this gives you more time to react to someone failing to yield. Reduce your speed when approaching an intersection, crosswalk, or yield sign.

• Check the intersection before entering – even when you have the right-of-way, look before you enter because you can’t always trust other drivers to yield to you.

• Drive defensively – be aware of the cars in front of you, behind you, to the sides, and even the vehicles in the immediate vicinity on other roads. If you are keeping an eye on other drivers, you can spot the ones that aren’t driving safely and actively avoid them.

• Don’t run red or yellow lights – when approaching an intersection always slow down and cover your brake; avoid being tempted to accelerate and run through an intersection when the light turns yellow.

• Allow the intersection to clear before entering when the light turns green – many times vehicles will be turning left still or running through a yellow light, so don’t be tempted to jackrabbit out into the intersection as soon as you get a green light.

• Eliminate all distractions while driving – leave your cell phone alone, turn down the music, and stay focused on your driving responsibilities.

Driving is a very dangerous and complex activity. When you are behind the wheel you are responsible for not only your safety, but the safety of everybody else. Stay alert and focused on this very necessary but often taken for granted skill – it  could be what keeps you or someone else alive.

5 Defensive Driving Strategies

In the past decade road rage incidents have increased in the USA by 600%. People are getting downright nasty on America’s roadways. We all make mistakes while driving and we can’t control what other people do on the roadway. However, we can control what we do on the roadway. Let’s look at 5 Defensive Driving strategies to stay safe while driving, and perhaps keep from losing our cool and raging on somebody.

1. Space Management – Be aware of what’s going on all around you: What’s in front of you, behind you, to the sides of you, above you, and under you. Keep your eyes moving looking a block or two ahead of you and looking in your side and rearview mirrors. Notice low hanging branches or signs, bumps and potholes, and traffic coming up to intersections from other streets. See and make mental notes of potential hazards.

2. Situational Awareness – Identify potential hazards and formulate a plan to deal with them should a situation arise. Since you have managed the space around your vehicle you should be able to see potential hazards and can make decisions to keep you from becoming involved in an accident. Things like changing lanes, slowing down or turning down another street can help you avoid the hazard. Staying focused on your driving situation can save your life or the lives of others.

3. Mapping & Tracking at Intersections – Looking at other vehicles’ situations while sitting at or approaching an intersection can protect you and others from having to deal with a traffic accident in an intersection. Notice turning lanes, sidewalk crossings, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, people distracted by phones or passenger conversations. Give yourself extra space between you and the car in front of you by stopping where you can completely see their tires touching the pavement. Wait a few seconds when the light changes and give the opportunity for the intersection to clear before entering it. Proceed slowly with your eyes scanning for potential danger, like a child running out into the street or a car in the wrong lane deciding to make a left turn. Again, focus on your driving and making plans for the unexpected.

4. Parking – Where should you park and how do you park? Avoid parking close to stores and building entrances, as there is usually too much going on there with vehicles, pedestrians, loading and unloading, and cars vying for that closest parking spot. Instead, park away from entrances and walk in: it’s safer for you and your vehicle. Avoid parking next to someone that has parked crooked and made a tighter space for your vehicle. Use pull through parking if you can so that your first move out of the parking space when leaving is forward. If you can’t pull through into a space, consider taking the time to back into a space, again so your first movement when leaving is forward. Backing into a space when you are not in a hurry makes it much easier to leave when heading out on a call or just being in a hurry to get home.

5. Attitude – “Check yourself, before you wreck yourself,” is a good way to prepare yourself for the responsibility of driving before you take off. When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle you are in charge and totally responsible for your attitude, actions, and what is going on with your vehicle and in your vehicle. Get your emotions in control. Know your vehicle is in good working order, make sure you and your passengers are buckled up properly, and control unruly children or mischievous adults while your vehicle is stopped. That vehicle is a weapon that can kill you and/or others in just a moment of distraction. Take the job of driving seriously.

March 2018 Risk & Safety Newsletter

Put an End to Backing Accidents

According to the National Safety Council, one out of four vehicle accidents can be blamed on poor backing techniques.  Backing accidents cause 500 deaths and 15,000 injuries per year in the United States.  The use of safe vehicle backing techniques by municipal personnel can help reduced accidents while on the job. 

• Blind Spots:  Know where they are.  In a medium-sized truck, blind spots can extend up to 16 ft in front and 160 ft behind a vehicle. Drivers need to remember that mirrors can never give the whole picture while backing. In the photo below, the blind spot to the rear of the fire truck is 247 ft. 

• Think in advance: Don’t back your vehicle unless you must.  Plan before you park.  If possible, park along a curb, in an alley, at the gas pump or pull through a parking spot. 

• Back Slowly: Back your vehicle at less than 1 mph. If you do strike an object, driving slowly will limit damage. 

• Park Defensively:  Don’t park near high traffic areas, for example at the entries of businesses; these areas are where you are most likely to be involved in an accident. 

• First-Pull-Forward: Back into your parking spot upon arrival.  If you have parked forward in a parking space, at the time of departure, by the time you shut the door and click your seat belt a car or group of people could now be in your backing path. 

• Use Correct Backing Path: Only back up if you must.  If you do back up, use the correct backing path: (listed from least hazardous to most hazardous) straight backing, backing using the driver's mirror (swinging to the left), backing using the passenger mirror (swinging to the right). 

• When backing, be cautious of front-end swing:  When driving forward the rear wheels follow the steering axle; when backing, the front of the vehicle will swing wider than the rear axle.  This swinging could result in the vehicle striking vehicles or other objects. 

In the photos above, if the sanitation truck driver were to back up and swing right, the truck would strike the silver Camaro sitting next to it.  You can see in the third photo that the car is not visible to the driver in the side-view mirror. 

• Use backing aides:  At a minimum most vehicles have a rear-view mirror and side mirrors.  Some vehicles have additional mirrors, backing sensors and/or backing cameras.  Don’t focus on just mirrors or a backing camera, use all of the tools at your disposal to back safely.  

• Do a walk around:  Walking around a vehicle gives a driver a firsthand view of the backing area and any limitations.  They can check for children, soft or muddy areas, potholes and other dangers.  In addition, they can also check for obstructions, low-hanging trees and wires, and other potential clearance-related hazards. 

• Every backing situation is new and different:  Sometimes a driver visits the same location several times a day and should be watchful each visit for changes and any new obstacles. 

• Use a spotter:  Drivers should use another person to help them when backing.  The driver and spotter should use hand signals instead of verbal ones.  Before using a spotter, agree on the hand signals to be used prior to backing.  If you get a signal you don’t understand, stop and don’t continue until you understand the information the spotter is giving you.  In addition, don’t have spotters walking backward while giving signals and don't place them in a caught-in-between hazardous situation (i.e. a backing sanitation truck and dumpster, or backing truck and a wall). 

Long-Term Solutions to Safe Backing 

• Implementing backing policies/procedures can help reduce accidents and injuries. These are some considerations for backing policies: 

• Limit backing to a specified distance: Do not back more than 200 ft. If you must back further, pull forward to get in a better position to shorten your backing path. 

• First-Movement-Forward: Require all vehicles to back into parking spots upon arrival. 

• Require spotters for vehicles with poor driver visibility, such as sanitation, fire and dump trucks. 

• Shorten backing path and improve visibility in areas of constant backing, such as at sanitation transfer stations. 

• Installation of backing sensors and rear-vision camera systems in vehicles assists in limiting rear blind spots. Investing in rear-view camera systems for vehicles can put drivers in better visual control of the rear of a vehicle. 

• No amount of forward-driving experience can help a driver with backing a truck or other vehicle. All drivers need to practice safe backing techniques and limit backing to only when absolutely necessary. 

• Creation and support of a municipal-wide training program: The program should include a driver’s course to teach and review backing techniques, and also cover equipment usage, hand signals, dangers to avoid, and other risk-lowering topics. 

*Special thanks to Albert Pierce (Solid Waste Director, City of Durant) & Stephen Coy (Fire Chief, City of Warr Acres) for their contributions to this article.