Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 10, 1992 TAG: 9201100340
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
POLICE TO CHECK CRUISERS
Roanoke officials will evaluate the safety of the city's 1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic police cruisers following the death of an officer and nationwide complaints about the car's anti-lock brakes.George Snead, the city's director of administration and public safety, said Thursday he will ask police officials and the motor vehicle maintenance manager to assess the safety of the cars.
Roanoke purchased 17 of the $11,900 cars last year and put them into service from May to July.
The cars have become the vehicles of choice for many police agencies in the Roanoke Valley, as well as throughout the state and nationwide. The Caprice Classic is the only full-sized car offered with a police package, which usually includes a beefed-up suspension, a bigger engine and other features.
Snead's action came after city police received inquiries from other police agencies about the car's safety and performance.
Fred Robinson, a 20-year department veteran, died early Sunday when the Caprice he was driving struck a turning car on Williamson Road and veered into the front of a building. Police have not determined the cause of the wreck, but they have said the brakes and other equipment will be examined.
The vehicle's braking system is being looked into as a possible cause of dozens of unexplained accidents nationwide.
"It would be fair to say that I want to get all the facts," Snead said. "Obviously, when there is a pattern you want to find out more."
James A. McClung, who manages the city's vehicle fleet, said maintenance records show that the car Robinson was driving required new front brake pads about every 10,000 miles.
The front brake pads on the car had been changed three times, most recently on Nov. 15, when the car had 29,000 miles on its odometer. When Robinson got into his patrol car early Sunday, the car had 38,506 miles on the odometer, or about 9,500 miles since the pads had last been changed, Police Department records show.
Responding to complaints about the braking system, General Motors Corp. this fall sent out a videotapes to explain to police officers how to drive cars with anti-lock brakes. Roanoke police officers saw the tape.
The GM video shows real officers driving real police cars in a variety of rapid or high-speed braking maneuvers designed to show that anti-lock brakes inhibit wheel lockup and allow steering control, as long as the driver jams the brake pedal to the floor and keeps it there.
Officers could feel a throbbing in the brake pedal and think it wasn't working, Chevrolet officials told Automotive News.
Jim Perkins, Chevrolet general manager, told the Chicago Tribune that the nation's police may need a lesson in driving cars with anti-lock brakes. Most officers learned to drive in cars with regular brakes, Perkins said.
The Caprice Classic braking system uses sensors to detect wheel lockup. The sensors feed the data back to the brakes, which automatically start pumping to avoid wheel lockup that could cause a skid or spin. When drivers apply the anti-lock brakes, they stop quickly in a straight line regardless of road surface.
During a pursuit, however, police officers tend to apply the brake pedal hard to induce wheel lockup, so they can swing the car's rear end around to maneuver a turn. That cannot be done in a car with anti-lock brakes.
"The officer thinks by locking the brakes he can make his turn, but with [anti-lock brakes] he can't lock the brakes," Perkins said.
Police said Robinson was swerving to his right to try to avoid the collision. However, it will not be known whether brakes were a factor in the crash until the investigation is completed.
USA Today reported in September that police in Indiana had cited the following incidents in asking GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate the car's safety:
An Illinois State Police trooper had a rear-end collision after his brakes failed.
A Kentucky state trooper crashed head-on into another car, killing the other driver, when brakes failed.
An Indianapolis officer died when his car slammed into a tree during a high-speed chase.
A Peru, Ind., officer broke his back in a similar accident.
Keywords:
FATALITY