In Pursuit of Safety During a Freeway Chase

So there you are, trundling along the freeway, catatonic with boredom. Suddenly, the mellow mood of your old Bee Gees tape is broken by an explosion of flashing red lights in your rearview mirror. Whup-whupping overhead are four TV news copters.

Coming at you is a homicidal punk on crack who has been fleeing the CHP all the way from Fresno.

You have just driven into a TV “breaking news” segment: a madcap freeway chase. Glued to our televisions at home or work, we’ve all watched them unfold.

So what do you do now?

Believe it or not, there is a set of no-nonsense rules that California Highway Patrol Officer Bill Preciado hopes you will follow.

“People should move to the right whenever they hear lights and sirens, but in most pursuits unsuspecting motorists are not going to have enough time to do that,” Preciado said. “The best thing is to maintain the speed and position they’re traveling at, and don’t make any unnecessary lane changes.”

If you try to change lanes, said Preciado, you may end up in the path of the vehicle being pursued or block the officers.

Your best bet to avoid being a victim, he added, is to be aware of your surroundings by checking the rearview mirror often and keeping the stereo volume down so you can hear a siren. Allowing space between you and the car in front gives you wiggle room.

“You want to be a safety-conscious person,” Preciado said.

And drive with your car doors locked. Who can forget the terrifying moment last month when a desperate fugitive, after a two-hour chase, ditched his stolen vehicle and carjacked an unlocked minivan waiting in traffic on a Santa Fe Springs freeway.

Moments later the fugitive shoved the minivan driver, Tim Cole, out onto the freeway, partially dragging him until Cole could release his seat belt. Cole suffered minor injuries, and the fugitive was caught.

By no means, Preciado said, resist an armed robber to keep a car. Give it up.

If you have time to get out of the way, do so. If you’re listening to radio news, for example, and hear that a chase is heading your direction, Preciado suggests pulling over to the right shoulder. If you have time, get off the freeway.

If you’re a bystander on a city street, get out of harm’s way and eschew heroics. Make no attempt to stop the criminal. Leave that to peace officers with bulletproof vests, batons, handcuffs, pepper spray, guns and training.

“We don’t want the public to assist,” Preciado said.

And if you’re sitting at home watching a chase on television and realize it’s coming toward your neighborhood, make sure your children are safely inside and then avoid the urge to be a firsthand spectator.

“It’s human nature for people to go outside and watch,” Preciado said. “They want to see a live drama played out in front of them, like the O.J. Simpson chase when hundreds of people lined the freeway, but doing so puts you at risk.”

If a suspect bails out of his car in your neighborhood, Preciado suggests quickly checking your home’s doors and windows to make sure they are locked. And if you hear any suspicious noises, do not go outside. Call the police.

“The reason you should stop and think about these things,” Preciado said, “is because it will come up one day.”