NCJ Number
118904
Date Published
1989
Length
345 pages
Annotation
Safe police driving is a timely and growing issue in the law enforcement community, and police administrators need to establish police pursuit driving policies and train officers in their implementation.
Abstract
Research indicates that the collision rate among law enforcement drivers is 2.5 times higher than the rest of the driving population. Most collisions involving police vehicles occur during normal or routine driving conditions, and many are preventable. About 75 percent of all police vehicles are involved in collisions each year. Because of the nature and demands of their jobs, law enforcement drivers need to practice defensive driving more than any other segment of the driving population. What is desirable in the law enforcement setting is a driver who has a high level of driving skill, a high degree of self-control and emotional maturity, an accurate perception of his or her driving abilities and vehicle performance capabilities, and the knowledge to successfully apply driving skills to specific situations. Drivers must learn to recognize and deal with adverse conditions in the driving environment, and law enforcement administrators must establish policies and procedures for law enforcement driving operations. Research on the traffic collision experience of law enforcement drivers and on the benefits of driver training is reported. The impact of legal issues on driving behavior is discussed, along with emergency and pursuit driving operations, and the need for comprehensive inservice training programs for law enforcement drivers is stressed. A law enforcement driving policy is appended. References and tables.