Multi-sided systems are designed to deploy in mid-air and land with the spikes pointing up. This concept has a few downfalls. One is that mid-air deployments are high visibility, and if spotted by the driver of the target vehicle, could set in motion evasive tactics. Spikes are safest when they are concealed to surprise the driver. Spike Belt is encased in a tight camo sleeve designed to be invisible from the sky and the roadway. This design reduces deadly evasive tactics.

All types of Spike designs are designed to be pre-deployed on the opposite side of the roadway, then pulled into the path of the target. The result is safer deployment, but not always practical. This website has several deployment styles and retrieval of the pulldown tabs that detail potential risks.

The figures above show the deployment of a Triangle-sided system, with the spikes thrown crooked on the roadway. In Figure One, the car passed over the spikes, with the officers on the edge of the roadway and no time to adjust to open up the spikes. In Figure Two, the second car is also approaching the spikes, but the officer is behind cover. In both cases, the spikes can fail because they are crooked with limited deployment time to pull the strip open to a perpendicular orientation.

Triangle designs have spikes positioned at a 45-degree angle. If the strip is crooked on the roadway, the spikes could point away from the tire. Spike belt has spikes that point up every time. The strips can be crooked or a car can approach from any angle, and the spikes will work every time.

Spike Belt is encased in a tight sleeve with a rectangle strip which will not fold sideways, limiting the possibility of a crooked orientation on the roadway.

The squared corners orientate the system sooner, giving the officer ample time to seek cover. The rectangle end caps will not tear into the sleeve and cause pre-mature wear from handling or practice deployments, problems we further discuss in corded deployment page.

Shown above is a typical Triangle system, the spikes point at an angle, picture number two shows the spikes deployed, without a sleeve, and picture #3 shows deployed inside a sleeve. These pictures show additional issues with triangle systems which Spike Belt has solutions for. We explain them in the tabs named singular deployment and Cord reel Deployment.