Most people learn about armoured cars from action movies, in which most often is presented utter nonsense. Vehicle armor for transporting people in need of protection is needed for this, to increase the chances of survival when leaving the danger zone quickly. The most important thing is mobility – somebody, who thinks, that sitting in a stationary BMW 760Li High Security, is safe, wrong. And he will probably die.
As in almost every field of automotive, and here the most important are well-trained people. Leading in a column coming from the so-called. Offset – lateral displacement to improve the field of view – weighing 3,8 t BMW, which rolls on Michelin PAX tyres that allow driving without air, requires precision and delicacy. Brutal handling of the car results in deep slips, which ESP struggles to cope with.
Instructors teach, that in case of any doubt, take your foot off the gas pedal. We will not save a protected person, if we drive into a concrete sloop in excitement.
It is also very important, to operate controls automatically, having trained appropriate reflexes. Caspers also advises, for the driver to set the seat in the highest position – to widen the field of view. You always have to ride in seat belts. When asked about the practices of the Polish BOR, the instructor smiles and says: "What do you do after the bodyguard, who can quickly reach for a weapon, but who is dead, because the car hit something?". It's hard to deny him the right, therefore, I am diligently learning the technique of quick unfastening of belts.
Next exercises. On the skid plate I drive a fast slalom car BMW X5 Security – although the center of gravity lies “slightly higher than in the usual so-called. soft car, very aggressive driving is possible. It's a good lesson – you need to know the capabilities of the vehicle used. For example, with the X5 you can leave paved roads while escaping and face harsh off-road conditions., preventing the pursuit of the attackers, who chase us – Hopefully – passenger cars.
The next lessons are about overcoming dams and ambushes. Full concentration requires avoiding the car standing across the secondary road combined with driving on the grass and returning to the grippy concrete. After several attempts, it is possible to reliably perform this task at a speed above 100 km / h. Another exercise is associated with mental resilience. When on the road limited by energy-consuming barriers of the Armco type, we find ourselves ambushed, the proper technique to bypass the firing zone is… controlled impact of the side of the vehicle on the barrier, leaning on it, and then
detachment from it at a safe distance. The mistake is a subtle targeting of the gap between congestion and barrier. If we hit a car blocking the passage, our car will perform a pirouette. When we hit them leaning against the barrier, the track of our car will remain stable, and we will push the obstacle aside. It's a traumatic experience, you have to get used to the sound of a scrubbed barrier, as for the impact carried all the way to the driver's wrists.
Later, we practice behavior in the situation, when the attacker's vehicle joins the end of the column carrying the dignitary – The last security car turns with the handbrake and starts chasing the attacker in reverse
running. If he fails to perform the so-called. Jot-ki and change the direction of travel by 180 °, the bodyguard chasing him hits the corner of his car, which is lightened by the curve (American policemen practice this technique), leading to a rotation around a vertical axis and a sharp exit from the road. Similar training is also conducted in Western countries for the police and other formations dealing with the protection of citizens.. At first glance, it's fun, until we remember, that sloppy exercise can mean the death of protected people. This awareness leads me to stay with the profession of journalist – to cover people with their own bodies, which you sometimes don't like, you need to have special predispositions.