Jefferson County deputies become defensive drivers

Snap and roll. J-turn. Dutton?s weave.

All just a small part of the Jefferson County Sherriff?s Department?s defensive driving course. With cars whizzing about at the Pekin old airport runway Wednesday through Friday of last week, approximately 30 individuals involved with the sheriff?s department navigated their way through several courses as part of the annual program.

With as much time each and every deputy spends behind the wheel on a daily basis, the class has become invaluable. When asked when some of the tactics come into play, county sheriff Jerry Droz had a quick answer.

?Every day,? he said.

From inopportune deer running into the road to playing children chasing a ball is where the evasive course will shine through. On to the park-and-turn course where deputies do exactly that ? quickly and accurately get in and out of tight spots ? with a stopwatch running. Finally, Dutton?s weave ? a grid of packed cones that simply allows one to get to know the capabilities of the car a little better.

?All of it just makes you more aware of your surroundings,? Droz said. ?More aware of how the cars will handle ? each car is different, which is why have different variations here.?

The high-speed test can be found on the evasive course. Cars accelerate along a straightaway before having to make a last second decision on which path to take. The test uses five speeds ? 25, 28, 30, 33 and 35 mph ? all of which seem a bit faster with a wall of cones getting closer. When presented with a fork in the road, a sensor alerts the driver at seemingly the last possible moment with a series of lights at the end of the course of which path to take.

Anticipation won?t work here and a technique called snap and roll gets the cars through the cones. A quick snap of the wheel will put the car down the correct path before they roll it back for a short straightaway and jerking back to center ? all without losing speed.

?At 35 mph, by the time you hit that pressure switch, there?s not a lot of time,? said chief deputy Gregg Morton, who went through the course about 40 times just last week. ?I wouldn?t try it at any more than 45 miles per hour. You?re already putting the car in G-forces that are beyond the traction limitation.?

Helping out a little bit is the traction control system on the Dodge Charger squad cars that weren?t even around five years ago.

?I?m not here to promote the Chargers, but they?re the ultimate squad car for this kind of thing,? Morton said.

For the complete article, see the Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.