RE: Troopers

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

Now why don't they open their school to regular drivers? *That* would be
drivers's ed...
- peter
  peterhe@microsoft.com - http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/1001
  91 200qw
  94 acura legend gs
  issaquah, wa, usa


>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Al Powell [SMTP:APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu]
>Sent:	Wednesday, January 15, 1997 6:31 AM
>To:	Linus D. Toy
>Cc:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
>Subject:	Troopers
>
>The rain-soaked "Linus D. Toy" <linust@mindspring.com> asked:
>
>> At 04:11 PM 1/9/97 CDT, you wrote:
>
>> >When I drove at the Washington State Patrol School in 1984....
>
>> There must be a few stories with this...gonna come clean with 
>> tricks of the trade?  :)
>> 
>> --linus
>
>That was a fun deal.  I had been a reserve deputy in Whitman County 
>for 7 years, and that county had no driving instructor.  I talked 
>them into gettting me a slot at the next WSP driving school.  They 
>have a beautiful 1.5 mile track near Shelton, WA complete with 90 
>degree curves, sweepers, and a nice skid pad.
>
>The physics remain the same - but the interesting thing was that 
>Bondurant taught all-out race driving, but WSP taught a style to keep 
>their troopers alive in real-world flaky traffic situations.  They 
>REALLY worked on weight transfer - like making lane changes at 50 mph 
>imn 1.5 car lengths distance, flanked by cones set 12 inches wider 
>than the car on each side.
>       ________
>------/                \------------    
>
>That kind of thing.  In 1976 Ford LTD mega-yachts, with 460 police 
>interceptor engines.  If you can make one of those handle crisply, 
>you're doing well!!  And while we were lapping, changing lanes, doing 
>corners, etc. we'd have an instructor about 2 car lengths behind us 
>giving us advice and (sometimes pointed) commentary about our 
>performance.  Weight transfer in a heavy car like those does VERY 
>impressive things...but they taught the same cornering line as 
>Bodurant - slow in, fast out, late apex.
>
>One good skill:  don't EVER change lanes to EITHER side without 
>looking over your shoulder.  You have blind spots on both sides.  If 
>we did this, the radio commentary got VERY pointed immediately.
>
>Some everyday survival points:
>
>1)  Don't EVER back up unless you have to.
>2)  When you do back up, spend 90% of the time looking back, 10% 
>looking forward to check where the front end is swinging.  (Ouch..)
>3)  When backing up, look back until the car is FULLY stopped.  Most 
>impacts happen in that last two feet after you've stopped looking 
>back!
>4)  If you have to take one hand off the steering wheel (troopers 
>have radios, remember?) The remaining one should be at 12:00 where 
>you have the best leverage and range of movement in either direction.
>5)  Double your following distance under rainy conditions...even when 
>you have adrenalin pumping from the lights and siren.
>6)  If you have to take an impact, take it on the passenger side.  
>(Most troopers ride solo.)
>
>That's all I have time for at the moment....
>
>
>.......................................................
>Al Powell, Ph.D.                 Voice:  409/845-2807
>107 Reed McDonald Bldg.          Fax:    409/862-1202
>College Station, TX 77843      
>Http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/alpage.htm
>.......................................................
>