Sneak Previews of Forthcoming Books : Road Safety : ‘The test found that the .38 was ineffective against an automobile.’

The following is from “Fatal Fascination: Where Fact Meets Fiction in Police Work,” by Phil and Karen McArdle, published by Houghton Mifflin Co. this month. A test showing that it is difficult to stop a car with a gun proves reassuring in light of the recent spate of L.A. freeway shootings.

IN LIFE AS in fiction, police officers often try to stop a fleeing suspect by shooting at the getaway car. To measure the effectiveness of such gunfire, the Sheriff’s Department of Janesville, Wis., conducted some tests in 1963 with rifles, pistols and shotguns. The results of their work are still valid.

We will give the results of their tests for a .38 caliber revolver loaded with regular ammunition. The target was a 1950 sedan.

Test 1. Shot fired at the front door from a distance of 10 yards. The bullet penetrated only the exterior metal.

Test 2. Shot fired at the trunk from a distance of 25 yards. The bullet passed through the trunk, struck the back of the rear-seat backrest and was stopped.

Test 3. Shot fired at a tire from a distance of 25 yards. The tire deflated in about two minutes.

Test 4. Two shots fired at the rear window from a distance of 25 yards. Neither shot penetrated the window.

The officers who conducted the test found that the .38 was ineffective against an automobile.

It is possible that with controlled expansion ammunition the .38 and .357 pistols would show less penetrating power, since the energy of the new rounds dissipates quickly on impact.-- Copyright 1988 by Phil and Karen McArdle. Reprinted by permission of the authors.