Executive Protection and Secure Transportation Podcast

In this week's episode of the EPST podcast, we discuss certification in Executive Protection.

The podcast is provided by the International Security Driver Association. Every week we share secure transportation and executive protection headlines, news, trends, and educational content for today's practitioners.

Two topics of discussion that can dominate social media are certification and the state of training in the executive protection and secure transportation industry. In reality, certification and training are inseparable. There is a need for standardization in the EP profession.

This episode is part two on the vehicle attacks that have changed how Executive Protection and Secure Transportation practitioners work and train. In episode 189, we covered Hans Martin Schleyer and Aldo Moro.

In this week's episode, we discuss John Butler and Alfred Herrhausen.

In this week's show, we share information on electric vehicle basics and another report on the armored vehicle market and why it is important. We also share lesser-known incidents and four new books authored by ISDA members.

Your vehicle has a precious metal container infused with a precious metal that is selling for about $28,000 per ounce right now; that's 15-times the price of gold.

The metal is Rhodium, and the container is your Catalytic converter.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau recorded 2347 thefts of the emissions-cleaning devices in December 2020, up from 578 a year earlier. Thieves are after the precious metals in the Catalytic converter that change highly toxic pollutants in the exhaust into less harmful gases. The price of one of those metals, Rhodium, spiked as high as $30,000 per troy ounce (slightly heavier than a standard ounce) last year due to an existing shortage exacerbated by the pandemic. A single cat contains about $400 worth of Rhodium.

Many of the newer Executive Vehicles, including SUVs, come with Low Profile tires. There are advantages and disadvantages to low-profile tires.

Low-profile tires are all about the tire's Aspect Ratio. The Aspect Ratio of a tire is the ratio of the sidewall's height to the tire's cross-sectional width. If a tire has an aspect ratio of 60, the sidewall is 60% as high as the tire is wide.

The lower the Aspect Ratio, the shorter the sidewall. Generally, low-profile tires have an aspect ratio of 55 or less, though this can vary slightly.

A recent article from Car and Driver magazine mentions that connected cars are great until they're not.

They mentioned that a recent Detroit Free Press article shows that vehicle hacks are more common and more dangerous than most people realize. According to the report from Upstream Security, there were at least 150 automotive cybersecurity incidents in 2019, a 94 percent year-over-year increase since 2016.

This trend is unlikely to reverse any time soon with more communication methods built into new vehicles, including massive over-the-air update technologies.

If you have an interest in going much deeper into these types of topics, I invite you to check out the International Security Driver Association's website and consider joining the membership to gain access to the encyclopedia of executive protection and secure transportation – The ISDA Knowledge Center.

For more information on all of the member benefits head over to isdacenter.org.

A little background if you are not familiar with the survey. The Survey is conducted every two years since 2013. Over the last eight years, the survey has covered various aspects of secure transportation. The goal of the survey is to examine trends and collect data to develop a broader perspective on the secure transportation profession. The 2021 survey is unique because it covers the span of time that the industry was dealing with the Pandemic. The final report will examine the differences in the metrics covering the eight-year time span, emphasizing the change from 2019 to 2021.

Many security drivers drive in the sunrise and the sunset. Blinding glare from low sunlight or bright light reflecting off snow, puddles, other vehicles, or even your own hood can be potentially lethal. Glare is frequently cited as the cause of traffic accidents, but the right pair of sunglasses can prevent it. There is some confusion, though, about what sunglasses you should wear when driving. ISDA asked the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians for guidance.

Our next topic comes from an interesting and informative article from the February issue of Motor Trend Magazine. The article titled "What it Takes to Make an Armored Car" covers the process used by armored vehicle manufacturers to produce an armored vehicle. It covers the subjects of Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, Payload, the types of armored material used, such as opaque and transparent armor. The article also covers what they call overlapping, a thin band that goes around the perimeter of the door or on the vehicle's frame that prevents rounds from entering the vehicle within the seams of the door. And of course, they cover the cost of doing all that.

Our last topic this week is one that a few EP groups were chatting about. The theft of Tom Cruise's BMW X7. It was outside Birmingham Grand Hotel while Tom Cruise was shooting for Mission Impossible 7.

The vehicle was transportation for the actor Tom Cruise. It contained Mr. Cruise's luggage when the vehicle was stolen. From all reports, he was not happy, and we would imagine that the transportation providers had some explaining to do.

Not knowing the actual circumstances, it's hard to place blame, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the driver and the company supplying Mr. Cruise with his transportation.

What is of concern to Security Drivers and Secure Transportation providers is how the thieves stole the BMW.

In the aftermath of Henri here in New England, I thought I'd lead off with the topic of Hydroplaning and the role tires play. Hydroplaning happens when one or more tires are lifted from the road by a wedge of water that gets trapped in front of and under a tire as the vehicle drives through the water. Hydroplaning most frequently occurs during heavy rainstorms when water creates puddles on the highway. In addition to the accompanying splash and scaring the heck out of the driver, hydroplaning typically causes the steering wheel to jerk.

In addition to hydroplaning, drivers need to be extra careful during heavy rains and tropical storms, be wary of potential deep standing water and other road hazards.

Mercedes' launches Pothole Speed Bump detection in select models

Pothole damage costs U.S. drivers $3 billion per year, according to a study from the AAA. Some of the more common damage is a flat tire, bent or damaged rims, suspension damage, steering damage, and even damage to the car's body. Potholes can even knock your car out of alignment.

Clearly, potholes are more than just a pain in the neck — they are a real safety hazard for drivers. According to Pothole.info, out of approximately 33,000 traffic fatalities each year, one-third involve poor road conditions. Now Mercedes-Benz is doing something to help alleviate both the dangers and the cost of damage caused by potholes.

Vehicle Crashes Remain Leading Employee Death Cause

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 38% of workplace fatalities are from vehicle accidents, and total motor-vehicle injury costs were estimated at $463.0 billion. Costs include wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, motor-vehicle property damage, and employer costs.

Even though traffic volume decreased significantly in 2020, our roadways have been deadlier. Last year 42,060 people died in crash-related incidents—the highest in 13 years. These highway fatalities represent a 24 percent spike compared to 2019, which was the highest fatality rate in 96 years since 1924.

The fact is that the time an executive spends in their vehicle is without a doubt the highest risk period of their day. From a safety standpoint, this is borne out by the latest statistics on fatal vehicle crashes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

It is important express that a Security Driver is also trained to supply safe driving. At times the Principal may not understand the secure driving is also safe driving. A good security driver operating the vehicle proactively can prevent accidents.

The safety and security of the vehicle occupants during this most dangerous period of time has been and is the responsibility of the security driver.

Are You Zoning out Behind the Wheel?

A great article on the Axiom website about the Safety Systems in Vehicles: as a Security Driver or supplier of Secure Transportation, you are aware of how many driving tasks are now automated — speed control, braking, lane-keeping, and even changing lanes. It seems never-ending. Carmakers keep adding more automated features in the name of safety. But now, the government wants to find out if assisted-driving technology itself is dangerous by making it too easy for people to misuse. The more sophisticated the assisted-driving system, the more complacent drivers can become, abdicating their own responsibility for operating the car. This can lead to avoidable crashes and dangerous incidents that undermine public confidence in automated driving. Even with the latest technology, drivers still need to watch where they're going and be prepared to take the wheel; fully autonomous vehicles are years from widespread deployment.

In a post on LinkedIn, the author commented on a recent assassination of an individual while in a vehicle. It occurred in Mexico. The author mentions, "as noted in Gavin de Becker's book, Just Two Seconds, 64% of attacks occur in and around the vehicle, and 77% of those succeed". He also mentions the need for situational awareness. We'll add the demand for Surveillance Detection and armored vehicles.

A couple of thoughts come to mind. Data says 65% of attacks occur while in or near a vehicle. How much of your time do you spend on training that mitigates the massive risk of vehicle attacks?

For close to 50 years, we have preached the need for surveillance detection, situation awareness, and armored vehicles. We are still talking about incidents resulting from a lack of surveillance detection, situational awareness, and armored vehicles.

Looking at posts on LinkedIn, one could get the impression that the civilian armored car business is booming, and they would be correct. In fact, according to Bloomberg Business Magazine, the market for bulletproof vehicles is skyrocketing, and that demand for armored vehicles in the United States is higher than ever.

Also, the Los Angeles Times reported the market for "bulletproof" vehicles is exploding. We need to keep in mind that the press will always use the phrase bulletproof.

According to the armored vehicle manufacturer Armomax, the market value is at $15.96 billion. I would think that that number includes the military market.

All this data is pre-pandemic.

We have mentioned this subject often in the last few months, but with the heatwave still affecting many countries, we feel it is worth repeating.

We know that drinking and driving and texting and driving are dangerous. And are hazardous to your health and the health of those who share the road with you. But we need to add another scenario to the distracted while driving series, driving while marketing.

• The Mercedes Benz 2022 S Class Armored Vehicle
• Using Facebook as an example, we cover the dramatic increase in the number of dollars spent on Corporate Personal Security
• We discuss the ASIS white paper, How to Plant Seeds to Success in the Security Industry, which we feel is a must-read
• Plus other topics of interest.

For those that would like to go deeper into our discussion topics, there are 12 informational links in the podcast show notes.