| Author |
Message |
Aidworkers Exchange
| | Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 05:04 pm: | |
Aid Workers Exchange - October 2, 2002
Road Safety for Aid Workers
by Brett Page.
Security of the vehicle, its passengers and cargo should be uppermost in the mind of the driver. Be it the streets of London or through the massed and desperate population of a refugee camp, there are always those who covet a vehicle and its contents. [read full article]
Your Say ...
Do you have any hints and tips to share about vehicle and convoy security?
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Fortunata Temu
| | Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 05:05 pm: | |
Yes I have very little experience in convoy
transportation. However from the experience I have while going for field work, there are instances where you may request an armed police escort. Of course you have to pay them some money to facilitate their way back. This is an experience from Tanzania in routes that are notorious for ambushes by armed robbers. |
Mick Farmer
| | Posted on Saturday, November 09, 2002 - 05:09 pm: | |
Security Training /Being Proactive
If your national and or international staff are driving in insecure areas and you would like to minimise the risk then please contact OCUL as training does make a difference.
Obviously, there are risks in operating in insecure areas therefore necessary safety precautions have to be taken. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of good planning, awareness and management. These are the basics of adopting a "proactive" mindset.
For instance, in our counter car-jacking workshops one of the topics we discuss is how car-jackers pick their targets. They are seldom spontaneous.
The car-jackers always have a plan and will have practised it! Therefore, to avoid car jacking you also need a plan and need to be prepared to put it into action if necessary.
We also discuss threats and trends and pre incidence indicators. This information arms you with the intelligence necessary to avoid rather than to escape!
Most of the information is generic and can be transposed to differing areas of insecurity. What you need, however, is accurate intelligence on what is happening when, where and how in your area. Remember that information is your first line of defence.
If you are operating in insecure areas there are certain key points to be aware of:
1. Know What To Be Aware Of.
What are the threats and trends? How are the ambushes/attacks being set up? What time of day are they happening? What are the common areas for attack? Etc.
2. Know Your Environment.
Get to know what is "familiar vs. familiar". Look for things out of the ordinary such as a strange vehicle or people looking out of place. Most human activity revolves around some sort of routine. Look for any breaks in the normal routine of your community. But try not to fall into a routine yourself, as this will help a potential attacker.
3. Know Your Routes.
Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the routes that you use and get to know any alternatives. Look for potential "choke points". These are areas either natural or man made that slow your vehicle down. These are where potential attacks are likely to be planned and carried out at. Look for places on your routes that you could be most vulnerable. I.e. blind corners. Work out "what if" scenarios to these areas. Get to know the safe havens on your route. A place to go where you know it's safe in the event of an emergency.
4. And Trust Your Instincts And Those Of Your Passengers.
Don't dismiss them out of hand. If something doesn't feel right get out and go to a safe haven. Get help and get the area checked before travelling down the road.
These are some basic elements of security awareness and if followed can help you to avoid an incident.
In our security driving course "Protective Driving" we go through the above and more in detail. We predict that you can avoid an incident 90% of the time if you adopt the Proactive Mindset.
What of the other 10%? We teach evasive driving techniques to help you counter a threat when the brown stuff hits the fan! And we only teach what works. No fancy hand brake turns!! Not practical for when you are suffering from an immense amount of stress and driving a 4X4 to boot! In this situation you need a conditioned response. This is the hinge pin to our practical exercises.
The www.OnCourse4wd.com Web site includes a growing library of driving resources, articles, security alerts, forum, Q&A, online driver support and much more.
Mick Farmer
Training Director
On Course Uganda
"Driving Courses Designed For African Roads"
OCUL is a driver-training outfit based in Kampala, Uganda. It teaches driving courses designed for African road conditions and hazards. They have over 10 years operating in East Africa and Southern Sudan and have trained humanitarian aid organisations, embassies, corporations, vehicle dealers, professional drivers and 4wd vehicle owners.
Visit Our Website: www.oncourse4wd.com
Join Our Newsletter: www.oncourse4wd.com/newsletter.htm
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Brett Page
Guest
| | Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2003 - 08:18 pm: | |
In areas of heavy conflict, particularly those in which Strike Aircraft are patrolling and being utilised, it is wise, where possible and feasable, to inform the combatants of your intended movements including routes, the number and types of vehicles and the timings of your move. Being allocated an emergency frequency with which to communicate with them is possible but unlikely and they will probably be monitoring the UN network anyway. A way of being identified from the air should be agreed upon with the forces you wish to avoid being attacked by and applied to the roof of each vehicle. |
Steve Barker
Guest
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2003 - 09:10 am: | |
Noted the comment about armed escorts in Tanzania and wanted to add that armed escorts should be in their own vehicle so that they can be highly visible. It is of little benefit to have a couple of uniformed armed guards sat next to you or in back seat whilst you are all traveling in an NGO vehicle.
Another aspect of carrying armed guards in your vehicle is that sometimes they have one bullet already in the chamber and when bouncing over bumps it is possible that the gun goes off. I have no experience of this because I always insist that armed escorts unclip the magazine and show me that the chamber is empty. There has never been a problem with me asking them to do this although it always gets a few bemused laughs
Best,
Steve Barker
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Anthony Zwi
Guest
| | Posted on Sunday, October 26, 2003 - 10:42 am: | |
For some time I've been especially interested in looking at road safety in post-conflict settings. This may be of particular interest where the UN is in charge - e.g. for some time in Kosovo, East Timor, etc. In these settings there seem to be high rates of crashes and collisions although I've seen no data to confirm this. Another interesting aspect is that there's one international authority i.e. the UN, and there probably should be more being done to limit road crashes and collisions and introduce suitable policies and practice changes to ensure reduced risks.
Any comment on this and its value as a case study in road safety?
Regards
Anthony Zwi
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
The University of New Soouth Wales |
tony loughran
Guest
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 12:23 am: | |
Approximately 7yrs ago i was tasked with conducting a series of RTA (Road Traffic Accident)investigations into serious injuries and deaths of media personnel and freelancers whilst working overseas. Following one of the investigations I identified that a properly constructed "All Terrain Driving course" for media / NGO / Government personel needed to be set up.
After months of research this particular course was put into place, and has since proven very popular, and no doubt has saved many lives. It is currently 2 days long and covers the following subjects:
- Risk assement, (route selection)
- Individual's driving / navigation capability assessment
- Convoy driving
- Desert / sand driving
- Arctic - cold weather
- Simulated skid / ice
(note: snow & ice was a major cause of RTA accidents / incidents throughout the Balkan conflict & and in isolated areas of FSU)
- vehicle recovery techniques, winch, kinetic rope etc
- Alpine / forest track driving
- Negotiating deep water
- Improvised repairs
- Vehicle meintenance (back at base, and in the field)
- VCP's (approaching / driving through checkpoints)
- medical / safety equipment to be carried on board the vehicle.
Note: all the above subjects are taught by carefully selected qualified instructors from a variety of backgrounds, and all delegates are required to drive: "soft skinned" vehicles, then 4x4, and then armoured vehicles.
Note: Individulas have been called upon in the past to drive all three types of vehicles in areas of conflict, and drivers haven't been made aware that each vehicle performs very differently.
I'm happy to discuss the above course or any safety and security recommendations i have put forward during the course of any previous investigations. Please send any queries to my e-mail address below.
best regards
Tony Loughran (OHS Risk Consultant)
former Head of BBC Global Risk Dept
www.zerorisk-international.com |
Colleen McFarlane
Member
Username: Collmac
Post Number: 1
Registered: 09-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 09:15 am: | |
You might want to have a look at the following article available at www.bmj.com It addresses the leading causes of death amongst national and international humanitarian staff: (road) accidents, disease and violence.
Schouten, E. J., & Borgdorff, M. W. (1995). Increased mortality among Dutch development workers. British Medical Journal, 311(7016), 1343-1344.
Regards Colleen McFarlane
PhD Candidate & Probationary Psychologist
Department of Psychological Medicine Monash Medical Centre Monash University 246 Clayton Road Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia Telephone: +61 3 9594 1479 Facsimile: + 61 3 9594 6499 Email: collmac@alphalink.com.au |
Mick Farmer
Member
Username: Mickfarmer
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 01, 2003 - 03:51 pm: | |
I just read a great quote on an American driving school site:
"The best safety device you can install in a car is a trained driver."
At the end of the day, aid organisation really need to make driver training, specifically accident avoidance a serious priority. Security is important but really its deaths relating to poor judgment and over-confidence that cause greater concern. All accidents are avoidable. Improved driving skills /judgment and hazard awareness are a must and will make a difference.
Unfortunately, many aid organisations are still far too reactive rather than proactive. There is also the mindset that one training course is sufficient. Continuance training for all types of driving is necessary. Security driver training instils a conditioned response, as I have seen Brett mention many times over. In other words these are skills that need to be practiced. The professional footballer or golfer just doesn't go out there and do it on the day. He/she practices until they reach a standard and then keep practicing to maintain said standard!
Hopefully, in the near future there will be a positive development in this area.
Mick Farmer
Driving Courses Designed For African Roads
Visit Our Website: www.oncourse4wd.com
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Matthew Bader
Member
Username: Matthew
Post Number: 5
Registered: 09-2003
| | Posted on Monday, November 03, 2003 - 10:05 am: | |
Dear Anthony, Andrew Downing, of the Global Road Safety Partnership, was present at this year's Fleet Forum in Geneva, where he gave a talk on road safety in the humanitarian context. He is extremely knowledgeable about Road Safety and would most likely be able to provide you with some bespoke information. Find out more about the GSRP on www.GRSProadsafety.org . Best regards,
Matthew Bader JACANA real world development US Headquarters 3916 Harrison Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20015 +1 (202) 255-5854 www.jacanaworld.org
Matthew Bader - mbader@jacanaworld.org
Regional Representative - Southern Africa
Jacana - www.jacanaworld.org |
Mr. Puneet Arora
Guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 09:27 am: | |
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(CCE) |
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