Customer Reviews

Drive to Survive (Motorbooks Workshop)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'Drive to Survive' should be required reading

This is an excellent book on many levels. Curt has taken Colonel Cooper's color code, adapted it to the road, and added proper day-to-day driving tips, as well as high performance survival driving techniques, and turned out a fantastic book.

For years, ever since my API 250 class, I have been saying that defensive driving is 'condition yellow' behind the wheel. This mindset has saved me money, because I have avoided citations for moving violations by revenue collectors. More importantly, it saved me from several potential collisions, where I (and loved ones) could have been killed or seriously injured. Years later, I would hear that attitude echoed in the words of my flight instructor: See and avoid.

In addition to Curt's advice regarding everyday driving, he has some valuable insight into those 'close range interpersonal conflict' situations which can occur in, or around, your car. Drawing on his experience as a combat veteran, an API graduate, and an SCCA champion, Curt Rich shows readers (through photographs and line drawings) the high performance techniques which may save your life, if you need to use your automobile to escape criminal predation... or to counter-attack. These high performance driving techniques must be practiced, in order to be most effective. Perhaps many readers may choose not to conduct these sort of exercises, and that's certainly their choice.

Even so, there is a wealth of knowledge to gain by reading this book, and applying the more general techniques to everyday driving should help to greatly reduce the risk of a collision. As Curt points out, it doesn't matter if the collision was the other guy's fault if you're the one who ends up in the hospital, or the morgue. Heed Curt's advice and you'll probably prevent yourself from falling victim to the mistakes of other drivers, whether those unsafe drivers are stupid, drunk, aggressive, or just not paying attention...

I finished reading the book last night, and now I'm going to loan it to my girlfriend.

Read this book, and... Drive to Survive!

I really enjoyed "Drive To Survive", because it is apparent from word-one that author Curt Rich knows what he is talking about. As a former SCCA National Rally winner and combat shooting veteran, he presents decades of real-world driving experience in direct language that is both engaging and funny.

Rich covers everything from mirror positions (betcha don't know the right answer to this one) to everyday commuting strategies that will help you avoid being an accident victim--both unintentional accidents and staged, intentional accidents that are a pretext for insurance scams or worse (car jackings).

I have attended driving schools and this book, DTS, is far more realistic in conveying information that "connects" with drivers of ALL ages--from 15 to 80. If you're smart enough to own ANY of the following--a fire extinguisher, smoke detector, radon gas detector, alarm system, self-defense firearm, etc.--you can profit from what's in this book to have a safer, more secure environment EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Be forewarned--you might as well buy multiple copies because you'll want to have extras to pass out to anyone you care about. I'm getting 15 copies to give as gifts to my family and friends.

As that cajun cook says, "I GARE-RON-TEE you won't be disappointed."

PND

The author looks to the problem of road safety from many points: perceptivity, awareness, consciousness, vigilance, alertness, carefulness, perfectness in high-performance driving, evasive driving techniques, prevention of kidnapping and carjacking, keeping your car always in perfect condition, wearing the seatbelt, having the right safety equipment and useful gadgets, and so on. The writer finds analogies between survival as a solder in Vietnam war and survival as a driver of a car on public roads in the U.S (and in the other countries as well). The main point of this book is situational awareness: what is the difference between a relaxed person, unaware of the surroundings (so called condition white), and the relaxed, aware one (condition yellow)? When the people describe their car accidents, they tell that everything were OK but suddenly something bad happened that caused the accident. "Suddenly" is the key word that presents in almost each accident description. It confirms that the victim of the accident was unaware of the surroundings, being in the condition white.

The author writes: "No excuses are asked or accepted. Someone hit you while you were stopped at a traffic light. It was the other guy's fault. That's no excuse. Your car is still damaged, and you could still be dead. If you are in the hospital, and the emergency room is working to save your life, "It wasn't my fault!" doesn't mean a thing to them. Right now it doesn't mean anything to you, either."

The writer presents a concept of the "invisible car", which I liked much! Being invisible just means going with a flow, not standing out, driving smoothly and unremarkably, watching everything that is going on that affects you, avoiding the crazies and not "punishing" them.

An advise that impressed me deeply was not to behaves foolishly in your own nest. That's how the author explains this: "I'm constantly amazed at the bad driving habits exhibited by people within sight of their own garages. Soon all your neighbors know you are a jerk:.. Even if you drive like a total maniac, measure a couple of miles from your house and declare a truce there"

The author expresses a strong argument for wearing the seatbelt: If you are kidnapped, fasten your seatbelt and look for an opportunity to cause a collision at speed 30 to 40 mph (48-64 km/h). The criminal probably won't fasten his seatbelt and will be incapacitated or killed, but you will be in good enough shape to open the door and exit. This case happened several years ago in the city where I live to confirm the author's statement.

A big inconsistence of the book is that the assertion that the method of passing the wheel through your hands (also known as "shuffle") is far superior than the hand-over-hand technique. There are chapters in the book about spin correction and recovery, the bootlegger hairpin turn (180-turn), and the Moonshiner's turn (reverse 180-turn). The inconsistence is that the effective spin control and the Moonshiner's turn are hardly possible with the "shuffle" technique, which is slow. If you send me a video clip of this turn where the driver uses such technique for Moonshiner's turn, I'd be grateful. As soon as you never keep your arms statically crossed, the "hand-over-hand" method is good for both smooth city driving and extreme evasive maneuvers, because of the faster movement from lock-to-lock (left to right extreme) and immediate precise return of the wheels to the straight position.

There is also the information in the book that the speedometer doesn't work in reverse, which is not true for the modern cars with electronic speedometers.

The author also encourages visiting two-day advanced driving schools. I don't recommend attending such schools because two the days are not enough to acquire permanent habits to react correctly in tough cases. Good exercises, when effective, give strong physical and emotional stress to the student, and require a couple of days to recover before the next lesson. An hour or two per exercise should be enough; there is no need to spend the whole two days. So I suggest finding such courses that give at least 10-20 lessons during a month or two.

The book can be summarized:

1) Understand the colour coding system. White is generally where most of us are...oblivious. When driving be relaxed but constantly aware in code yellow. Code orange is a specific threat such as being cut off. Code red is danger such as impending impact or carjacking.
2) Adjust your mirrors properly and ALWAYS be aware of who is behind and to your sides. If you are being followed switch to code orange and make 3 right turns to confirm that you are being followed. Go to a fire or police station. Never go home.
3) Practice threshold braking and understand that it is much better to brake fast and hard initially then ease off on braking then the reverse.
4) Wear seatbelts
5) Avoid the use of cellular phones but keep one with you in case of emergencies.
6) RELAX! Never succumb to road rage. This is not only foolish but could get you killed. If someone cuts you off or engages in offensive driving habits let it go. Don't try to get even. Try to be invisible.
7) Basic habits to avoid carjacking are elucidated:
a) Situational awareness. Use your instincts. If something feels wrong it probably is.
b) Lock your call and roll up the windows
c) Have your keys out and ready to use
d) Be extra vigilant at gas stations
e) Be extra vigilant if rear ended. It may not be an "accident" rather a felony in progress.
f) Be extra vigilant approaching your home and in your garage
g) Keep your vehicle in good repair

The author also suggests items that should be in your emergency car kit like flashlights, knives, hammer tools, handcuff keys, etc.

Various car maneuvers are described, however, these are best learned by experience and training.

This book is must reading for all teenage drivers. Mr. Rich effectively outlines the dangers, and the techniques to avoid these dangers in a fast-paced, easy to read (especially for teenage boys)instructional manual. His common sense directions, particularly the "color system" is invaluable. My 19 and 16 year old boys read the book and are utilizing it's principles. I sleep better at night.

Curt Rich offers an effective synthesis of practical driving skills and the defensive mindset, which makes this book one of the best on the subject. The techniques he explains are placed in a real-world context for drivers who spend their time not on the racetrack but on the road. If you have studied martial arts or defensive shooting, this book represents an extension of the mindset you developed there to your life behind the wheel.

The previous reviewer, no doubt with good intentions, has misunderstood the nature of the book, which is not to teach drivers how to diffuse road rage, but rather how to deal with every potentially dangerous situation on the road. Remember, in the unlikely event that you are being pursued, no amount of passivity will solve the problem. Mr Rich has addressed the question from the standpoint of how to deal with *real* threats, the kind that don't disappear just because you refuse to make eye contact.

Just finished this book this weekend, and have given it to my fiancee to read RIGHT NOW ... there is a lot of information in this book that could literally save your life.

Curt covers everything from how to sit in your car and how to adjust your mirrors properly (which I bet most of you reading this are unaware that you're doing incorrectly!) to how to respond when menaced by other drivers and carjackings, etc.

Even though I think that a lot of the average readers will never find themselves in some of the situations that Curt describes, I guarantee that you will walk away from reading this book knowing a lot more about driving, and a lot more likely to survive your commute. (I learned and have been practicing maximizing my ABS system to stop much more quickly -- yet another fascinating technique from this book).

This would be a good book to make your teenage children read. The book basically says "pay attention to your driving" and "drive defensively." But it concretely teaches them what to do in order to put these concepts into effect.

Older drivers, who already try to practice those ideas, will get some useful information from this book but they should not expect to be better drivers after reading it. Aside from a few details -- how to adjust the mirrors, for example -- the more advanced driving techniques it recommends must be learned and practiced. Most people are not going to have the time, the empty space, and the several sets of tires necessary adequately to do so. If you really want to learn them, the thing to do is to go to a driving school (which one at times suspects is the point of the book).

This quick reading, well-written book could well save your life. The first chapter alone, "Jeff Cooper’s Color Code, a Guide to Situational Awareness," is worth the price of admission. Then it gets better with all kinds of really good ideas about avoiding accidents, carjackings, drive-by shootings, kidnappings and other modern horrors. It teaches driving techniques that aren’t taught in driver’s ed but should be, techniques you hope you never need. But if you need them, you NEED them. Most importantly, it teaches situational awareness so you can avoid getting into dangerous situations in the first place. Non-violent in approach it teaches what I call the Monty Python school of self defense—"Run away! Run away! Run away!" It teaches you to fight with the car only as a last resort. This is a well-balanced approach. It makes no pretense of being anything other than the first step in getting training. Several good driving schools are recommended where you can safely learn and practice those techniques.

Amazingly a couple of reviewers (or maybe one and an alias, they sounded so alike) just didn’t get it. Or maybe they (he?) have a hidden agenda. They certainly misunderstood the book. In this post-terror-attack age no sane person would not want another person to know how to protect himself, how to defend himself. If you follow their advice, you would allow the hijackers to fly you into a building instead of fighting back. (Though the book is about driving, Situational Awareness works in all situations. Passengers with situational awareness probably wouldn't have let the hijackers get to the cockpit in the first place.) Worse, if you encounter a situation where one of the book’s techniques could save your life, and you don’t know the technique, you could become a casualty needlessly. I teach self-defense, and this is such required reading that I give a copy to every student. Already 10+ students have mentioned using some aspect of the book to avoid a dangerous situation. Some feel it saved their lives. In no case was anyone hurt, including "the bad guys," but if they had not acted correctly, they would have been on the 6 o’clock news.

Some people seem to love this book. Others hate it. I'm in between, although after I put it down for a day or so I found myself wanting to re-read it some of the more useful chapters.

To be sure, much of the information isn't relevant to me, an ordinary driver not likely to have to deal with kidnappers, terrorists and others in life-or-death escapes.

Yet there are more practical tips here than in most books. And, after my wife had two accidents in less than 31 hours caused by drivers running red lights, I'm convinced that it's a dangerous world out there.

Thanks to the author, after driving more than 40 years, I now get behind the wheel with an entirely new attitude: Condition Yellow.

Take what you need from this book to make your driving safer. These days - with drivers preoccupied by cell phones, screaming kids, or prone to swerve across opposing lanes of traffic for an emergency stop at McDonald's -- we need all the help we can get.