Winter driving isn’t just normal driving with worse weather—it’s an entirely different operating environment governed by physics, not confidence or technology. Cold temperatures, snow, and ice drastically reduce the tire’s grip on the road, shrinking stopping capability, steering authority, and margins for error. For anyone responsible for passengers, clients, or mission success, winter driving is not about skill alone—it’s about understanding and respecting the limits of traction.

EXECUTIVE PROTECTION & SECURITY READING GUIDE All forms of professional protection demand sound judgment, careful planning, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to continuous learning. This…

At ISDA, we frequently emphasize the importance of measuring a driver’s ability to utilize the full capabilities of their vehicle. While driver performance is often…

VEHICLE PREPAREDNESS Cooling System Air Conditioning Battery & Electrical Tires Fluids Spare Vehicle / Contingency Prep DRIVER PREPAREDNESS Personal Health Fatigue Monitoring Attire Driver Cooling…

A while back, an article in Forbes Magazine titled “Ford Crown Victoria Wins Best Cop Car Of All Time… Beating Today’s Vehicles” caught our attention….

Recently, we discovered an experimental tool called NotebookLM. It is free to use and described as your AI personal research assistant.

We use AI Chat to help improve the quality of our articles, pose questions on numerous subjects related to secure transportation, and are often surprised by the insightful responses. So, we thought we would ask ChatGPT: Could you explain the concept of the Security Driver Triangle?

As a Security Driver, having a solid understanding of vehicles and driving is crucial. The market expects you to be knowledgeable about everything related to…

Over the last 50 years, we have created the most extensive collection of information available to the Secure Transportation and Security Driver/EP/Training community. Starting in the early 1970s with…

In our August newsletter, we discussed the Diplomatic Security Service, and GM Defense had completed Phase III in developing next-generation armored Heavy-Duty Sports Utility Vehicles….

We have discussed armoring small vehicles – and how additional weight influences the vehicles characteristics – this article will discuss the Vehicle’s Center of Gravity (CG).

Transportation Security White Paper – Circa 1979 This downloadable PDF is a Transportation Security White Paper I authored in 1979, forty-six years ago. The paper…

For many years, we have recommended run-flat tires for all executive vehicles, as they offer not just security, but also safety. In the case of…

Most executive vehicles are equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which are controlled by algorithms. An algorithm is a set of instructions that takes input and produces the desired output. The ADAS algorithm takes input from the driver and decides when to take control of the vehicle. This happens when the algorithm determines that the driver is operating the vehicle unsafely.

However, in a security scenario, the driver may need to deviate from the path the ADAS wants to take, causing potential issues.

Recently, a vehicle ambush in Nigeria gained attention on social media. The incident involved two cars, with the principal’s vehicle coming under heavy fire. Despite the attack, the principal and his driver managed to escape unharmed. The vehicle’s run-flat tires played a significant role in the successful escape.

ISDA’s Security Driver Journal is your essential resource for continuing education and benchmark research, all designed to improve your skillset and advance your business.

The Journal is a twice-monthly educational email publication containing articles written specifically for the Security Driver/Secure Transportation community delivered to your inbox.

Threshold braking is one of those concepts that has been misunderstood for decades in the police and protective driving community.

In June of 2020, a young student at the University of Central Florida created a Twitter bot using Raspberry Pi and an algorithm to process jet tracking data left publicly accessible by the US Federal Aviation Administration. In early 2022 the possibility of bypassing the confidentiality of private jet travel was made public by news coverage of exchanges between Elon Musk and the student.

As a business, you operate within a Business Model. Your Business Model governs your future in the profession. Noted business author Peter Drucker defines a Business Model as the answer to these questions: Who is your customer, what does the customer/client value, and how do you deliver value at an appropriate cost?

History shows that secure transportation is where the corporate community spends a majority of its training dollars. If you, by chance, review the IRS code, you will find that protective driver training is the only skill that the IRS requires. There is no mention of executive protection training, shooting, or martial arts, just protective driver training.

Facebook security spending is in the news again. Facebook’s parent company Meta, spent $26.8 million on security and private jets for Mark Zuckerberg, according to their 2021 Security and Exchange Commission Schedule 14a filing. 

We noted with interest a recent article in Car and Driver magazine concerning the 2022 Mercedes Benz S 500. Along with many of its other attributes, the S500 managed to navigate the skidpad test at .92 Gs

As we say goodbye to another year, here is a look back at the Accomplishments – new content and features – by the International Security Driver Association for our members.

The crash test data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have shown that small increases in speed can have huge effects on crash outcomes as shown in their new tests conducted by the AAA Foundation for traffic safety. They found that slightly higher speeds were enough to increase the driver’s risk of severe injury or death.

This is the first in a series of articles that will cover Best Practices for Protective Driver Training. First and foremost, driving training is a science.

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

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.

Those who are conducting driver training in this extreme heat be cautious of over-tightening the wheels lug nuts. The combination of heavy loads on the front tires, over-tightened wheel lugs, and extreme heat can be problematic.

Carlos Marighella and the need for Surveillance Detection are inseparable; his impact on the executive protection and secure transportation profession is immeasurable.

There are no metrics that cover Sharing Knowledge, the amount of information and knowledge shared by ISDA members is by any metric impressive.

All vehicles have inherent characteristics that, if not understood and monitored, can decrease a vehicle’s performance and create a dangerous scenario for the principal. There are numbers that represent these vehicle characteristics; most can be found in the owner’s manual.

From Moro in the late ’70s, to Herrhausen in the ’80s, and Reso in the ’90s, and more recently Omar García Harfuch in 2020, there has been a common denominator. In each of these attacks, surveillance detection has played a significant role in the scenario’s outcome.

Although there are no metrics that cover “Sharing Knowledge,” in 2019, the amount of information and knowledge shared by the ISDA membership is unsurpassed in the profession.

During my 45 years and for the past 18 years, Joe Autera, and I have conducted forensic analysis on countless vehicle attacks. As we have in…

In June of 2010, Rodolfo Torre Cantu, a physician, and politician running for governor of the Mexican State of Tamaulipas, was assassinated while driving in a non-armored two-vehicle scenario.

Three Seconds to Safety is a booklet that covers carjacking. Like the author, Tony Scotti, the booklet is old; it was written in the late…

I have received PM’s, emails, and phone calls concerning training providers using the phrase “The Science of Driving, and OUR 80% standard for measuring driving skill, so I thought a history lesson was in order.

Although this more than 40-year loyalty to our brand and methodology may seem unusual to some, it is actually a common occurrence at the old Scotti School and now VDI.

Social Media, in general, is a source for entertainment, not a source of knowledge, but there are websites that we provide educational content at no charge.

When vehicle violence occurs, the Security Driver needs to have all three side of the ”Security Driver Triangle” working for them. However, there have been scenarios where two sides of the triangle (The Driver and the Vehicle) overcame weakness in the third side (The Environment), none better than the 1995 motorcade attack on Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze.

Since the mid-sixties, Carlos Marighella’s book “The Mini-Manual of The Urban Guerrilla” has been a must-read for terrorist groups throughout the world. The manual is the platform for Al Qaeda’s and Bin Laden’s training manuals.

In light of the recent publishing of Inspire Magazine Issue 17, which calls on its followers to target trains in the US and Europe. We(ISDA)…

The book was written by Tony Scotti and is more than 30 years old. The 220-page book was intended for executives and the general public…

Recently, some comments posted in the Social Media post/blogs got my attention. The comments were about females in the industry. Contrary to popular belief, women…

Armored Vehicle Basics – Part One is a short presentation of an upcoming online learning course that will cover Armored Vehicles.

It may not have a high educational value but it is great entertainment. It’s been 15 years since BMW made its first foray into Hollywood…

This article was originally posted in the November 2015  ISDA Member Newsletter. Considering a recent Fox News broadcast entitled – “Al Qaeda magazine calls for…

One of the first “vehicle assassinations” was that of Tsar Alexander II in Russia. He was one of the first victims of an assassination in…

On August 21st, the International Security Driver Association (ISDA) conducted the first in a series of Constant Learning Programs for the protective services community. ISDA…

This is about as bizarre as it gets – listen to the comments of the victim there are many Surveillance Detection lessons in this interview.

Job title: Security Driver Job summary: Drives automobile to safely and efficiently transport corporate executives, dignitaries and others deemed at risk while performing the following essential…

We tend to think about vehicle ambush as something that happens someplace other than the US. But recently one of our former students got involved…

For some in the industry, especially those just entering the business, there is a misconception of what defines Security Driving, and in particular, the job…

This is a phrase you see often in books – magazine articles – on power points presentations – “85 % of all attacks against the…

A while back, I was asked to do lessons learned from a vehicle ambush. It was a two-car scenario, with both cars taking some hits…