Preventable Deaths - The Need for Additional Police Driving Training

Law enforcement line of duty deaths involving vehicle crashes have been steadily rising over the last 30 years (NLEOMF, 2018). Crash related deaths now comprise half of the deaths recorded among law enforcement (NLEOMF, 2018). Sadly, many of these deaths are preventable. While agencies are aware of the issues, very few seem ready to try to stop the unnecessary loss of officer’s lives. By implementing policies requiring seatbelt usage, setting limits on non-emergency vehicle responses, and through regular driving training, many of these officers could have been saved. While costs of training and concerns over reduced response times exist, they are outweighed by the costs of lawsuits for officer related fatality crashes and that an officer must arrive to a call for service in order to be effective. Law enforcement agencies should require all patrol officers to undergo a police driving course each TCOLE cycle.