How to Execute a PIT Maneuver
This chase-ending move might be one of the best-known tactical driving skills.
In this How-To video from our upcoming Cars & Guns adventure, which we put together in partnership with Team O'Neil Rally School and Sig Sauer, we show you how to execute the PIT maneuver, or Precision Immobilization Technique, aka the Pursuit Intervention Technique. Whatever you call it, it's the move you've probably seen on YouTube (or Cops) used by law enforcement to spin out a car from behind during a chase.
(And, this should be obvious, but it must be said: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Not only is it dangerous, but under certain circumstances it is legally considered use of deadly force.)
The PIT maneuver has three easy steps: match speed with the car ahead of you; make contact between the front side fender of your car and the rear side bumper of the pursued vehicle; steer through in the direction of contact. A basic familiarity with left-foot braking will help you match speed precisely, while both the contact and the steer-through should be gentle—a touch (not a jolt) of contact followed by a fluid turn of the wheel and constant pressure on the throttle. Momentum takes care of the rest.
Check out the full Cars & Guns trailer here, and come back for the grand finale tomorrow, Friday, April 21.