Police Captain Travis Yates, Tulsa, Okla., has been awarded the first ever Honorary Fellowship of Advanced Drivers of America, Inc., for his outstanding services to police driver safety.
(PRWEB) August 9, 2005 -- While the number of deaths involving police vehicles, in the US, has recently reached an all-time high, one police officer in Tulsa, OK, has been successfully fighting to buck the trend.
"I have been watching Captain Travis Yates work from a distance for the past two years," said Eddie Wren, director of policy for New York-based Advanced Drivers of America, Inc., and there is no doubt that he is at the forefront of police driving standards in the USA.
It was a great pleasure to tell Captain Yates that we have chosen him to be an Honorary Fellow of Advanced Drivers of America – a recognition that is intended to reflect only the very highest commitment to traffic safety in any of its various forms."
This is a new award, from ADA, and only two honorary fellowships will be presented in the USA each year.
As arrangements for this years second recipient are not yet finalized," said Wren, it is true to say that Travis is the first ADA honorary fellow of all time."
Travis Yates has been in law enforcement since 1993. From early into his career until now, Captain Yates has been a great advocate for police driving safety. He is a Team Leader with the Tulsa Police Law Enforcement Driver Training Unit. In addition he is a nationally recognized driving instructor and a certified instructor in tire deflation devices and the pursuit intervention technique. He also holds a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, from Northeastern State University.
Through his mandatory curriculum, in 2001, at-fault collisions for officers in Captain Yates agency were reduced by 18 percent. He was awarded a Chief's Medal for his efforts and dedication to police driving safety.
In 2003, more police officers died from pursuits than any year in history. That same year, Captain Yates set up a web site in an effort to share his information with other instructors and police officers. Today, the www.policedriving.com website receives thousands of unique visits each month and has assisted countless police departments around the World. Travis continues his efforts in the field of driver training and safety. He is pursuing stricter penalties for eluding suspects and teaches at a Nationally Recognized Instructor School. In addition to his duties as a unit commander he continues to administer his department's driver training unit. Travis remains a national advocate for safe driving, safer pursuits, sound policy and mandatory training.
Advanced Drivers of America, Inc., teach the ‘System of Car Control method of advanced driving, which has now been in existence and continually developed for over eighty years. It is the method used for training British traffic patrol police officers, and unlike the American system, is carried out almost entirely on public roads rather than on closed circuits.
Wren – himself a former UK traffic police officer – said: It is fascinating to see how different the British and American systems are. It is not simply the driver training ideology that is dissimilar; it is the entire way in which police vehicles are employed in various critical situations. The whole thing is a different ethos."
Notes for Editors
1. Captain Yates may be contacted via: policedriving @ yahoo.com
2. Advanced Driver of America, Inc., may currently be contacted by e-mail only, as the staff are out of the country for two weeks (until August 22) -- ada @ driveandstayalive.com -- Thereafter, they may be contacted by phone at: 716-632-5502
3. The ADA website is at: www.driveandstayalive.com/z-ada/ada-home.htm
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