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[McClarinJ]

I'm looking for techniques and technology that could help someone escape the bad guys in various situations. I'll start it off with a strategy I developed for losing the bad guys in a cloud of smoke during a vehicle pursuit, but which could also provide cover for flight on foot.

I bought four "military style" smoke bombs at an Army/Navy surplus store, tested one, and wired and taped the others together to make a 3x smoke bomb. Using clear packing tape (coulda been duct tape) I attached a Bic lighter near the fuse ends, taped the fuses together, and taped them over to a position where the lighter flame would ignite them. My objective was to be able to set off the 3x smoke bomb with one hand while I drove with the other. The smoke is produced for an approximate 90-second period.

I made the wire (actually two big twisties from a garden hose I bought) long enough that I could light the smoke bomb and suspend it outside my driver's side window as I drove. I anchored the other end to the hand pull built into the arm rest on the door. This setup permits the smoke bomb to stow in a door pocket till needed (hopefully never). See pix below.

I should test this strategy with a volunteer in pursuit, both by day and night, to see how effective it is. I'll get some more smoke bombs for this purpose and shop for a volunteer. For test purposes I might also wrap some insulation around the smoke bomb bundle to keep it from possibly singeing my paint in the early stages since it does emit some sparks.

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Okay, for other ideas, do you have a tunnel, zip line or other unusual escape route out of your house? Do you carry a disguise in your vehicle or BOB? Hair color kit? Skin color kit? Depilatory cream? Do you have a stocked hiding place where you could disappear for a week? How about just a buried cache you could access if you suddenly had to flee? Have you devised any diversions that would let you sneak away while attention was focused elsewhere? Have you planned (or set) any booby traps? How would you evade trackers, especially with dogs?

[anvil]

If I was to do this I would take a vacuum line from the intake and run it in to a can of oil. ? Diffrent oil different colors from blue to gray. Now you must put a valve in line to limit the intake to a drip drip .This WILL burn  your valves if done very much. have fun and also check out this link

 http://www.hi-vel.com/Catalog__23/Smoke_Generating_Devices/smoke_generating_devices.html

[McClarinJ]

Great link, anvil.  Flares, smoke bombs, tracer ammo and armor-penetrating ammo.  I could have a HUGE shopping cart on that site.

[Shanks Mare]

Depending on how fast your are driving, couldn't they just follow the smoke?

[Hollywoodgold]

Depending on how fast your are driving, couldn't they just follow the smoke?

Correct. I believe you want to drop the device after obscuring the direction of movement and in doing that momentarily stop the pursuit. Unless the smoke hangs low and heavy making it dangerous/uncertain to pursue it would be simple to follow. The devices at the link that use trip wires are interesting for arming gates during nighttime. Got me thinking about an easy solution to a problem I have.

[dogsledder54]

Wouldn't THIS (your first picture)
tend to get you arrested, since3 it looks like a'homemade bomb ?

[McClarinJ]

Wouldn't THIS (your first picture)
tend to get you arrested, since it looks like a 'homemade bomb ?

I suppose but anything could be a bomb and this one says it's only a smoke bomb on the labels.  I'll have to rely one the LEO's reading ability.

[McClarinJ]

Depending on how fast your are driving, couldn't they just follow the smoke?

The plan would be to obscure their vision enough that they wouldn't notice a sharp turn till they were past it.  Then in the time gained I could drop the smokebomb right before my next turn so the smoke wouldn't follow me.  It would give me 90 seconds to lose them, not too good on a country road but doable in a city providing the smoke cover is adequate.

Today I bought some other pursuit foils:  aerosol chain lube and aerosol undercoater.  I like these because they would primarily affect the pursuit vehicle, limiting collateral victims.  The idea is to hold the spray can over my roof and spray till their windshield is plastered with it.  Whichever I decide works best I'll mount next to my fire extinguisher so I can grab it quickly.  That and a little more bullet-stopping mass behind my drivers seat and I'll be ready for 'em ;-)

[Shanks Mare]

It would all depend on wind and times of use, such as today or totonka, or who we are trying to run from.

Some folks have helo-coptors and things, and the use would be mute. Dirt roads, a tracker could come back and track the tread marks.

It could also be used to potentialy cause an accident of the boogymen, either way getting you the same results, escape!

Can't say it wouldn't work. 

[McClarinJ]

I ran my test on pursuit-foiling windshield treatments and must say the rubberized undercoater is my favorite. I've already mounted a tall spray can of it next to my handy fire extinguisher. It's sitting in a plastic drinking glass I screwed in place. If the need arises, I'll grab it, pop the cap off, hold it above my roof in my left hand while I drive with my right, and spray till empty (or till I lose them).

In the photo, both undercoater (right) and chain lube (left) were applied, smeared, doused with water, smeared again, and doused with more water. I was concerned the undercoater might dry too rapidly but it remained soft enough to smear for 30 seconds or more.

[McClarinJ]

Tailgating is an infuriating and unsafe practice. If they don't respond to brake taps I usually pull over at the first opportunity and let them pass. However, a powerful HERF gun would be imminently more satisfying. Point it at 'em, "fire" it, and KO their electronics. Just make sure it's not a cop or you're probably asking for big trouble. Assume that if a cop's tailgating you, he's already radioed in your plate number.

I've been meaning to make a HERF gun and run some tests. It would be SO TEMPTING to use it on litterbugs, cigarette butt tossers, loud-muffler bikes, rap listeners with whopper woofers, turn signal non-users, bird flippers, and on and on and on. I think HERF guns are outlawed in some jurisdictions so best find out before using.

[socalserf]

I'm looking for techniques and technology that could help someone escape the bad guys in various situations.

How about old fashion caltrops?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Instant-Caltrops/

[McClarinJ]

Caltrops were one of my first thoughts but I would prefer methods that take out only the purser's vehicle and don't result in some innocent party having a dangerous blowout due to a caltrop.

[Zookeeper]

I always carried a pocket full of steel bearings to throw when riding on Exs Harley.

[McClarinJ]

Did you ever have to use them?  Here's one thing I wonder about them, aside from liability issues: Assuming a 60 MPH  pursuit, if you toss ball bearings at the pursuing vehicle they will only hit with the velocity of your backwards toss aided somewhat by the airstream catching them.  That's because both vehicles are at the same approximate speed.  If ball bearings were tossed into the path of the pursuing vehicle from a stationary position (say by a pedestrian), they would strike at 60 MPH, enough to crack windshields and headlights, even punch a hole in the radiator, but I doubt that would happen when thrown from a vehicle with the same speed and direction.