The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) may have recently anointed the 2015 GM pickups a 5-star safety rating, but its system is a bit too mundane for the likes of Texas Armoring Corporation (TAC). In TAC’s world, it’s a different reality, where 60-mph impacts are instead 600 mph, and death or injury comes not from an accidental crash but from an assassin’s bullet.
Jason Forston, the company’s executive vice president, makes the rather compelling case for a bulletproof vehicle in the video, articulating statistics like the occurrence of terrorist attacks by mode of transportation (80 to 90 percent), number of ransom kidnappings per year (40,000 to 60,000), and so on. So it is that the protagonist in the short promotional, driving his silver Escalade, has a reason to thank himself for the investment made when a sniper shoots his windshield and driver’s window.
Founded in the early 1970s, TAC owes its existence to Ron Kimball, the father of current CEO Trent Kimball. Back then, Ron was an agent for the U.S. government working south of the border. He saw the importance of having one’s vehicle made bulletproof, as he witnessed several heads of state escape death thanks to a combination of bulletproof glass and armored bodies.
Some forty years later, the products made by TAC have been installed on automobiles belonging to athletes, businessmen, celebrities, politicians, and more. Costs involved range from $65,000, which will stop a .44 magnum, to $195,000, which will stop multiple armor-piercing rounds.
Evidently, you can put a price on safety; upgrading your car's armor ranges from $65,000 to $195,000.
With increased protection from ballistic elements comes additional weight. This ranges from about 600 to 3,200 pounds.
Money can’t buy everything, but it can undeniably help you live longer. Especially if you’re heading to work and a laser starts dancing across your chest. At least, that’s what we took away from this. How about you?