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+--- Thread: What qualifies police officers to drive fast? (/showthread.php?tid=1141)
What qualifies police officers to drive fast? - GQROB - 10-08-2004
Please don't say a badge.
In recent times I have taken notice to the local police driving with one hand perched at the top of the steering wheel during high speed manuevers(lights on) through traffic. I carefully watched them to see if they were using proper hand placement or shuffle steering in which they weren't. On one occassion a police officer was negotiating a right hander while I was across from him waiting to make a left. I saw him enter and leave the turn with one hand on the steering wheel. Another time was an officer coming towards me in my lane swerving through traffic. All along, one hand on top of the steering wheel.
So this tells me that these officers probably have not been instructed in the skill of High Performance Driving, making them dangerous drivers. This actually irks me a little, because they are no safer at high speeds than the typical driver. There is nothing I can do about this, but thought it might be an intersting topic. Do they actually attend a driving school/course?
Rob
Re: What qualifies police officers to drive fast? - JohnC - 10-08-2004
GQROB Wrote:Please don't say a badge.
In recent times I have taken notice to the local police driving with one hand perched at the top of the steering wheel during high speed manuevers(lights on) through traffic. I carefully watched them to see if they were using proper hand placement or shuffle steering in which they weren't. On one occassion a police officer was negotiating a right hander while I was across from him waiting to make a left. I saw him enter and leave the turn with one hand on the steering wheel. Another time was an officer coming towards me in my lane swerving through traffic. All along, one hand on top of the steering wheel.
So this tells me that these officers probably have not been instructed in the skill of High Performance Driving, making them dangerous drivers. This actually irks me a little, because they are no safer at high speeds than the typical driver. There is nothing I can do about this, but thought it might be an intersting topic. Do they actually attend a driving school/course?
Rob
Jess' cousin just went through a police academy in Cinncinati, and I believe that she did at least a couple days of a driving course. Not sure if they covered everything you mentioned, but at least it's something.
- Jewels - 10-08-2004
Rex's sister-in-law is a Stafford County deputy and she said she had to take a driving class. She said it was really helpful, and she learned a lot about driving that you don't usually think about.
- Dragon - 10-08-2004
MMMMM Female Cops
- Mike - 10-08-2004
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- Ginger - 10-08-2004
They do take a course... but it's nothing like what we learn.
Does it qualify them? Who knows.
Is there more they could learn, and practice properly? Absolutely.
- ScottyB - 10-08-2004
maybe he was on the radio or typing stuff into their little laptops. they have alot going on in those cockpits.
- BLINGMW - 10-08-2004
Never really thought about it! I knew they went through some training, but I had no idea it was so lacking. That is pretty sad if they can't even teach them proper hand techniques.... it's interesting that they get shortchanged in high speed and chase driving just like almost every teenager in America gets shortchanged in his/her day-to-day driving education. It's just an overall lack of understanding in this country, most people don't want to come to grips with how dangerous driving really is and how underqualified most of us are for it.
Reminds me of a "world scariest police videos" I was watching the other day. Guy is barrelling down the highway, cop in pursuit. Helicopter view shows this terrible curve/180 up ahead, guy barely notices it in time to slow down at all, goes careening off, car starts cartwheeling, he gets ejected from the car, and sure enough, the cop, who manages to slow down just a bit more is seconds behind. The cop car barely stays upright, flies across the same path and ends up in a gaurdrail, other car tumbles on, and cop car just BARELY misses the ejected criminal. And they show it in slow mo, with the idiot announcer "because of the cop's skills, he manages to keep his car under control and steers away from the man on the ground, just barely missing him". And I'm thinking... RIGHT. That cop had no more control than the other guy, and he didn't steer shit. He just happened to slow down just a bit more because he saw the first car go off, and his path didn't quite meet up with the guy. They both got lucky. And he probably also didn't see the "BIG ASS CURVE AHEAD" sign that had to be there. And I think we all know how your vision gets pretty narrow when you're going fast and you don't really know what you're doing. He got overwhelmed. :?
- Maengelito - 10-08-2004
i know BSR (summit point) runs classes for federal agents and probably some cops as well. i think there's a track somewhere in manassas that's specifically dedicated to law enforcement training. however, i agree with rob. i've seen so many c'ville police officers do illegal things on the road and i see them on a cell phone ALL THE TIME! i can't remember how times i've seen cops run stop signs too. what a crock
- Ginger - 10-08-2004
ScottyB Wrote:maybe he was on the radio or typing stuff into their little laptops. they have alot going on in those cockpits.
More than likely the officers were...
but that's not really an excuse for sacrificing safety where it so easily be avoided.