Today I want to start introducing another of the 4 fundamental pillars of defense: THE VEHICLE.
Today, however, I will not address the subject in technical detail, but I will limit myself to making you reflect on some fundamental aspects, first of all the vehicular courses and training in this application.
When we are inside a vehicle, if it is not armored, we are projected into a very complex environment which in some areas of the world also represents one of the conditions of maximum risk, so we begin to understand what we are talking about.
A vehicle is a vector which can have two conditions:
STATIC or DYNAMIC.
As long as the vehicle is dynamic, it represents our first line of defense and the priority is always to keep our vector DYNAMIC.
A vehicle not armored is a 360°HETEROGENEOUS ballistic filter subject to dynamics involving fields such as Physics, Mechanics, Ballistics.
In a vehicle, anything that’s built to protect us while driving is what could kill us if we have to defend ourselves with or without a firearm inside it.
There are 3 conditions related to VCQB, but only two are those that most involve the sphere of a civilian:
- a) Internal- to External Ratio = Defensive Ratio
- b) External-to External Ratio = Neutral Ratio
- c) External-to Internal Ratio = Offensive Ratio
In our VCQB programs, for example we never deal with the C Ratio with civilians ( how to stop a vehicle ) , as it would have little sense compared to their needs, it would be absolutely delicate and dangerous, as well as in my opinion ethically wrong.
Therefore, the C report is dealt only with Government Agencies, Law Enforcement and Military.
Another thing that I find absolutely useless and even misleading is to teach civilians to react in TEAM from a vehicle.
Anyone who has a minimum of logic and common sense knows very well that it is a condition that has less chance of being fulfilled than that of winning the national lottery twice in a row.
On the contrary, a highly probable condition could be that of having other people with us in the vehicle, but probably will be our family or our friends and this represents an additional and extremely complex problem to manage.
The standard tactical “cliché” of this type of courses develops on the two main ratios A and B, YT is in fact full of videos in which you will see a subject react to a frontal threat, shoot from inside the cockpit (in ratio A), usually above the steering wheel and then get off and take cover behind the vehicle.
So far this is partially correct, but what makes the difference are the conditions, the conditions under which all this is accomplished.
In 98% of cases, therefore, we are talking about inert vehicles, very often reduced to metal carcasses without even the seat belts but in any case absolutely static and without a functional engine.
This generates a huge training gap, which is confirmed by the application of the TARC model and, as always, by simple logic.
Since we are dealing with vehicle carcasses or in any case non-functioning vehicles, we no longer have the projection of the priorities and consequences of the actions.
I will give you some examples:
If you do not live in one of the very few countries where driving is on the right and you will be forced to shoot in internal to external ratio from your vehicle (RATIO A ), you will have to consider some aspects:
– 90 percent of people are right-handed, so if you are not left-handed you will probably hold your gun with your right hand.
– The shift lever and the safety belt buckle are located on the right
– Interacting with them holding a loaded weapon in the same hand, under stress is very complex and dangerous.
– If during that condition you are driving a vehicle with a manual shift and you need to get out quickly, you just need to lift your foot from the clutch, but the vehicle will jump and move even a few meters.
– If, on the other hand, you are driving a vehicle with automatic shift, if you take your foot off the brake without interacting with the shift lever (located on the right) to move it to P or N, the vehicle will continue to move and get off from a moving vehicle , freeing yourself from the seat belts while firing or after have shot some rounds is a totally different thing, than stepping off a static “carcass” in front of a static, unarmed and non-reactive target.
When using an inert vehicle, reduced to the state of a carcass inside the shooting range, everything is easier because you do not have to worry about moving the shift lever to stop the vehicle, taking your foot off the clutch, worrying about collisions and airbags or about the engine control unit connected to airbags.
All you have to do is open the door, get out and do all those cool tactical things, which are so cool but quite often are useful like a fork for soup.
