Safety expectations

[cake]

I run the #97 4cyl at speedworld. I will not race again until I get a HANS device.
It will take missing a few weeks to save up the money for one but it's worth it!

[dd38]

The car crushed like it was built/designed to do. If there were bars running to the front it would have been a lot stronger/harder/sudden impact and would have resulted in a much harder hit because the car would not have crushed inward(stop more suddenly).

[egspeedway]

This crash and picture are eerily similar to the wrecks of Dale and Adam Petty. They all involved a hard hit on the right front that angles diagonally back through the driver. In all three cases if the car had a very rigid roll bar setup the energy of the accident is transferred straight back to the driver. While I can't see the bars in the recent wreck we do know that NASCARs bars were ridiculously rigid before the generation 5/6 cars. To this day I believe this is what cost us Dale for sure.

[Matt Albee]

This crash and picture are eerily similar to the wrecks of Dale and Adam Petty. They all involved a hard hit on the right front that angles diagonally back through the driver. In all three cases if the car had a very rigid roll bar setup the energy of the accident is transferred straight back to the driver. While I can't see the bars in the recent wreck we do know that NASCARs bars were ridiculously rigid before the generation 5/6 cars. To this day I believe this is what cost us Dale for sure.

I think you're right about the rigid cages being the cause of injuries and maybe even deaths in the past. And it wasn't so much the cage design as the type of tubing that was used. Chrome Moly doesn't have much give to it.
But race technology has moved forward and can be designed to absorb impacts.
This is an area where the local race car builders can step in and help save future beginning drivers from tragedies like this. Start building every car, including pure stocks with an eye toward extra crash protection where maybe it wasn't really thought about before for the lower cost, beginner classes. And make sure every track with every class is onboard with the changes.

[zerofor]

As I stated in another posting

Front and rear loops should be mandated for all cars in all classes.It doesnt look like this car had a front loop to the cage.Maybe someone else knows for sure.ALL OF OUR HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO THIS GIRLS FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

[Bobby Diehl]

The cost of safety is never to high.

The FASTRUCK Series in 2003 made it part of the rules. No head and neck device no racing period. Impact at any track with concert walls can be fatal period. No one can't afford one period.
Just my 2 cents period.
Good luck.......

[Winger]

I posted this on another thread but I'll add it here. Watch this video of a 59 Chevy Bel Air colliding with a 2009 Chevy Malibu. I think you might be surprised. I was. The driver of the 59 Bel Air would have been killed instantly, while the 09 Malibu driver may have suffered a slight knee injury. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ptUrQOMPs

[Jimmy McKinley]

This crash and picture are eerily similar to the wrecks of Dale and Adam Petty. They all involved a hard hit on the right front that angles diagonally back through the driver. In all three cases if the car had a very rigid roll bar setup the energy of the accident is transferred straight back to the driver. While I can't see the bars in the recent wreck we do know that NASCARs bars were ridiculously rigid before the generation 5/6 cars. To this day I believe this is what cost us Dale for sure.

The young lady's car at Ocala hit head-on; it wasn't a "right-front" hit (watch the video of the car being hauled off the track; the front took a *square* hit).

As for Dale's crash, what they found was that the seatbelt had been installed to the seat incorrectly, tearing the webbing of the belt. Bill Simpson got blamed for "faulty manufacturing" of the belts, and that's about when he sold Simpson Safety Products and started up Impact Racing.

Another part of Earnhardt's wreck was the fact that as he was hitting the wall, Schrader's car plowed into the right front corner at the same time, and Earnhardt's head and neck were strained in two different directions at once.

[Groundpounder]

The young lady's car at Ocala hit head-on; it wasn't a "right-front" hit (watch the video of the car being hauled off the track; the front took a *square* hit).

As for Dale's crash, what they found was that the seatbelt had been installed to the seat incorrectly, tearing the webbing of the belt. Bill Simpson got blamed for "faulty manufacturing" of the belts, and that's about when he sold Simpson Safety Products and started up Impact Racing.

Another part of Earnhardt's wreck was the fact that as he was hitting the wall, Schrader's car plowed into the right front corner at the same time, and Earnhardt's head and neck were strained in two different directions at once.

Wow, what an "expert" opinion...

From what I understand, there was no ambulance or EMT on site...if that is true, it's criminal...correct me if I am wrong...if not hope they sue his azz off...

[Jimmy McKinley]

Wow, what an "expert" opinion...

I'm not understanding your "opinion" comment. What was the "opinion" that I stated?

[sprint11]

No emt?

If there were no emt or ambulance then every driver should boycott BRP.. though i doubt that was the case.every track should have more than one on hand ..

[rhinoracing11]

Following the story leading up to the accident to me it was a recipe for diaster.She had never driven a car till that day and only drove it in the pits.She wanted to be like her sister, her sister had raced before.Racing is All she wanted to do.Personally the little girl was as brave as they come, she had No Fear.Thus a 15 yr old wouldent have the respect of the machine she was driving or really didnt know the dangers of what can happen.To me parents are to blame, no Hans no roll bar pads and no understanding of the situation you are in.
Rob

[Winger]

If there were no emt or ambulance then every driver should boycott BRP.. though i doubt that was the case.every track should have more than one on hand ..

When I was shooting there, they had one EMT to cover the whole facility. They had an old ambulance for appearance sake but it was basically useless with doors that wouldn't open, no lights or equipment inside or anything else. Things may have changed but I doubt it.

rhinoracing11
Safety expectations
We had another young driver Sat. Night put themselfs in harms way doing what they perceived as, a love to race.She is 15, driving in her 1st race. On a dirt track, in a 4cyl Gladiator.Prayers goes out to the family.That being said....Should tracks let 14,15 yr olds drive? ALL drivers should have a HANS device and should be track regulated no hans no racing.Should so much pratice time be put in before you actully race.I beleive this happen last year as well another young driver injured him self.Tracks wake up!
Rob

There needs to be a lot of education in the field of safety at the tracks, particularly in regards to young people. It's hard to criticize parents who don't know any different and thought they were doing all they could. It looked like the parents of this girl did that. The car appeared to be well built, and she had a new helmet and fire suit. Padding is seriously lacking on a lot of cars, particularly in the lower divisions. Knowledge of helmets, HANS devices, seats, and seatbelts and how they all must work together to protect people, especially younger people is non existent locally. You don't want a HANS device without the proper full containment seat. A HANS device can get hung up on the back of a seat in a rear end collision if the wrong seat is used. That can actually cause a neck injury. Seatbelts must be properly mounted and then tightened, checked and tightened again, then tightened again. Helmets must properly fit. Helmets are now being made especially for children and should be fitted exactly for the child. Don't expect to buy a large one that they can grow into. I knew a kids head was bigger than an adults but they are actually longer and require helmets made for the different proportioned head. I didn't know that. Here's a link to a great site with some good safety videos for new young racers. It's done by professionals by one of the top racing groups in the world. Videos are done in plain language that everyone can understand. If you're a racer or plan to become one, it's worth visiting the site and watching the safety videos. Then you can go on to watch the fitness videos, nutrition videos, etc. I guarantee you'll learn something no matter how long you've raced. http://safeisfast.com/

[egspeedway]

Wow, what an "expert" opinion...

From what I understand, there was no ambulance or EMT on site...if that is true, it's criminal...correct me if I am wrong...if not hope they sue his azz off...

I am not offering this as fact but was told that some track insurance companies do not require an ambulance on hand if the track is within a certain proximity of a hospital.

[Benny The Mule]

Wow, what an "expert" opinion...

From what I understand, there was no ambulance or EMT on site...if that is true, it's criminal...correct me if I am wrong...if not hope they sue his azz off...

There is one in every crowd..........congratulations! you are the first.