 of the terrorist threat is all too real. There are too many successful abductions, many of which have involved multimillion dollar ransoms, and there are too many successful assassinations. Does the terrorist record mean all the odds are with the attacker? It's true, they have the advantages. Surveillance of the target, choice of ambush site, surprise, and firepower. It shouldn't have happened, but it has. But the target also has strengths. With training and proper mental conditioning, you can survive a terrorist ambush. You saw a small sedan stop a vehicle weighing three times as much. It shouldn't have happened, but it did, and has several times in the past few years in terrorist ambushes. But it won't happen to you if you're trained in offensive driving techniques. Of course, the techniques we'll demonstrate are only to be used as a last measure against kidnap and assassination attempts. But if you learn these techniques, they could save your life. One of the reasons smaller vehicles stop larger ones is chauffeur psychology. In a vehicle ambush, you must forget about the expensive car, broken headlights, dents, and smashed in grill. To save your life or the life of another, you may have to damage your vehicle. The average American maids sedan weighs from two to three tons. In an ambush situation, this mass of steel must be considered a weapon. It's not fragile if used correctly. Drivers in stunt cars and demolition derbies have known this for years. Your car can take considerable damage and keep right on running if it is in good mechanical condition to start with, and if you know what you are doing, the right angle, proper speed, and point of impact in a vehicle collision will enable your car to run long enough for you to escape an attempted ambush. Tremendous effort goes into the planning of an ambush by terrorists. Part of knowing what to do is in knowing the threat have a plan of your own to counterattack, to take the terrorists by surprise. Let's examine a common form of ambush, the stationary vehicle roadblock. There's no doubt the roadblock means you've been targeted. Yes, it can happen to you. The prime offensive tactic is ramming. This is the correct sequence. Slow immediately and shift into low gear. Break suddenly. By slowing the ambushers will think you are surrendering. This will give you precious seconds to evaluate the actual situation and to assess your next move. Pick a point to ram on the blocking vehicle. If possible, aim at the right rear wheel area, either at the wheel or slightly to the rear of the wheel. Accelerate while aiming your right front fender at the target impact point. Build speed and accelerate straight through the blocking vehicle. Don't stop the accelerator. Bubble, don't panic and hit the brakes. And don't swerve. Drive straight through like a karate kick. Aim through and beyond the impact point. Though we are only traveling at slow speeds, the weight of the blocking car's engine will usually act as a fulcrum and spin it out of the way of the target vehicle. If the attackers are standing near the blocking car, there's a good chance they'll be injured, stunned, or so confused that they could not shoot or mount an immediate pursuit. It is not a natural act to deliberately strike another vehicle. An abnormal act perhaps, but it must be done in an ambush situation. The momentum of your vehicle transmits the impact force to the ambush. If your seat belt is fastened, there's little chance for injury or even shock. The preferred ramming impact points are right rear wheel area, left rear wheel area, and if the above are impossible, the front wheel areas. Another ambush tactic is to suddenly pull out from a side street driveway or an alley to block the target car. Be alert for such a maneuver and be prepared to react. Mentally drive a couple of blocks ahead all the time. Terrorists have utilized two vehicles in a rolling box maneuver to block and stop their abduction target. The untrained driver has no recourse, but to stop. Counter by ramming the right front fender of suspect number two and the left rear fender of suspect number one. In two car stationary roadblocks, you must make a decision as to where to try to break through. If the high side of the road has an area to maneuver on, hit the left rear and shove suspect number one out of the way and into number two. If there is no maneuvering room, ram straight down the middle. Another threat is the rolling ambush. A common terrorist technique is to pass the target vehicle on a curve. The right front window lines up with the left rear window of the target. The gunman will begin to pour fire into the car, raking the interior as they sweep by. Always watch for vehicles following you. Use your mirrors, use them often. The most suspicious of three people in a sedan with one in the back seat. Be cautious when a vehicle attempts to pass you, especially on a curve. If it appears there's a real threat, jam on the brakes, immediately duck down on the seat to present as low a profile as possible. The sudden stop will cause the attackers to overshoot your car. Plus it will drastically cut their angle and their firing time. Depending on the terrain, traffic conditions, and the attacker's position, there are several options open to you. When on a curve, go into reverse to gain the cover of the curve and break visual contact. Ram the rear of the attacking vehicle. Careful to hit at a correct angle so as not to lock up. Striking hard could neutralize the ambushers, especially if they aren't using seat belts. An escape option is the jumping of curbs or dividers, especially in an urban attack. This tactic takes knowledge and practice. A curb or divider must be struck at an angle between 30 and 45 degrees. This is a narrow angle, but it can be done. Striking the curb at less than 30 degrees can cause the driver to lose control of the steering wheel. At more than 45 degrees, there's a possibility of blowing the tires. Done correctly, there's no great problem even with high curves. But be aware of the terrain, holes, soft dirt, and other obstructions. Do not drive around the roadblock since you're exposed to the total firepower of the attackers. The worst possible angles as illustrated in this simulated ambush exercise. Don't side swipe the attacking car in an effort to shove it off the road. The two cars could lock together. This would give the terrorists a good shot at you. Drive straight through the impact point. Surprise, shock, confuse the terrorists so they cannot react. Attack and get out of there as quickly as possible. Keep on that accelerator. Don't kill the engine. Even with considerable front-end damage, your vehicle will run, but keep the engine running. Normally, do not ram a blocking vehicle broadside. From this angle, the vehicles are locked together and you face the grave danger of being immobilized. Permanently. Naturally, the ramming tactic is impractical if a bus, a cement truck, or a steamroller is the blocking instrument. Along with the offensive tactics, there are some simple but vital rules that should be followed. Keep your seat belt fastened until you're ready to leave your vehicle. This is most important in ramming situations and for your own general safety in normal driving. Keep all doors locked at all times. All windows should be kept rolled up. Use the air conditioning or open the windows no more than an inch for air circulation. With the windows up, an attacker cannot reach into the vehicle. Plus, it helps to prevent objects such as rocks, grenades, and Molotov cocktails being thrown directly into the car. However, there is no guarantee that the window will stop all thrown objects. Keep a full tank. If pursued by attackers running out of gas, could be fatal. Be equipped with functional flat mirrors and use them. Be aware of movements to your rear. Make this a reflexive action. Drive a good two or three blocks ahead. Be cognizant of possible threats. Park vehicles, staged accidents, road construction. Be alert to any vehicles attempting to pass you including motorcycles, especially be wary of a cycle with a rear rider. Keep the car radio turned down in the front seat. It may be distracting to the driver. A siren system can be very effective in urban areas, especially against untrained or unsophisticated attackers. The horn can be an option, but naturally it's not as effective shock-wise as an electronic siren. Do not resort to high speed in a chase situation. There's too much chance of losing control of your vehicle. Use speed only on clear straightaways to gain more time to make turns and other evasive maneuvers. In a pursuit situation, any passengers if unarmed should duck down as low as possible to reduce target area and make maximum use of cover. Normally a mile from an urban ambush site offers a degree of safety. Break off visual contact as soon as possible so that you are not a target for long-range fire. In a night confrontation, use your high beams for better viewing and to blind your attackers. As in a daylight attack, take your best point of impact and ram straight through. Once through, break visual contact as soon as possible. The best defense is merely to avoid the ambush situation in the first place. Several ways of doing this are take different routes to your destination and avoid the habit of establishing a predictable behavior pattern. Vary your schedule. Sometimes your best way home will be the long way. Being a few minutes early or late is better than not arriving at all. In summary, know your vehicle. Remember, your car is a weapon. Very deadly weapon. In an ambush, your chance for survival may be decided in the few seconds you have to make a decision and to initiate a course of action. Therefore, whenever you're driving, keep in your mind various ambush situations and your reactions. Know what you'll do and do it. Don't be kidnapped or be killed because of panic, worse in decision. Get as much hands-on driving training as possible and prepare yourself psychologically to react. Now let's review the basic steps of breaking a roadblock ambush by ramming. When confronted by an ambush roadblock, break slowly and shift into low. Then break suddenly. This sudden stop confuses the attackers. Quickly assess the situation and decide on your reaction. If you're going to ram, determine the best impact point. Accelerate, build momentum as you strike straight through the ambush vehicle. Do not break. Do not ease up on the accelerator. Do not swerve. Ram straight through. The attackers, not you, will be shocked as in. Once through the roadblock, break visual contact with the attackers as soon as possible. The offensive driving tactics you've observed are not 100% failsafe. There is no written guarantee of success. Bad timing, a bad ramming angle, vehicle mechanical failure. These could all result in an entanglement or a stall. Remember, unpleasant as it may seem, one option may have to be surrendered. Still, with proper mental conditioning, correct tactical procedures, and bold decisive actions, the odds for survival are excellent. It's up to you. You must believe it can happen and prepare yourself mentally to react. Counterattack for your survival.