Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

Things go wrong in drag racing, a fact of life

Lets here about what your practices are in addition to the common sense habits of making sure your belts are snug etc.

After I crashed my challenger a few years ago, I not surprisingly had a stiff neck and some bruises, etc. Besides vowing to lift when the car gets out of shape, I didn't really change my ways......but watching my kids at the top end of the track at up to 130 mph has made me a bit more thoughtful.

This offseason, I started doing neck exercises for the first time since jump school. Not sure if others do this too. Full face M helmet now for me, no more open, oddly the full face M is quite a bit lighter than the Open helmet it replaced.

Would like to know if anyone is using a hans in stock/superstock that isn't required to. Crashing a collectible/valuable car is a terrible event, walking away from it though is priceless.

Back to work for me, here in the still snow covered northeast.

Thanks

Eric

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

"Besides vowing to lift when the car gets out of shape"

That is the number one most important thing for your safety !

I am always surprised at how far people will drive an out of shape car,

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

I planning on getting neck restraint,not sure which one yet, I had a friend crash head on into wall at Ohio Valley last fall after 190 mph pass he figures was still 150-160 range when he hit, he had no back or neck injuries. We were talking about it and I said probably don't really need one at 100 mph, and he replied he would not go without one even in my car, I thought about it and I believe he is right.
I have already bought a wide angle rear view mirror and will put side mirrors back on car if have to,will have to learn to drive stripe using mirrors.
There is NO DOUBT the Hans device saved his life,they put him through the,can't think of the name of machine?, c scan,pet scan? whatever 3 times because doctor thought they had to be missing injuries to his neck and back from a crash like that, he had crushed big bones upper and lower parts of his leg tibia,fibula?? crushed knee,thumb,broke collar bone.
Mike Taylor 3601

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

Great post and when your kids are driving it is even more nerve wracking. My daughters always used Simpson helmets and neck collars when they raced jrs and when they went to my 11 second car they still wear a jacket, full face helmet and collar. They even wear the pants because they can slip them on over there shorts in the hot weather. It scares me how many people spend tons of money on go fast parts and buy the cheapest helmets they can find. I also received some good advice from a fellow superstock racer " if it doesn't feel right, lift and stay out of it"

Kevin

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

I did buy a used HANS device a year ago, because even though I haven't raced in a while. I like to show my car, and promote seatbelts, and safety in general, etc., so the HANS device kind of went along with presenting safety. I think after Dale Earnhardt Sr. death, a lot of the casual race fans, have heard of a HANS device, but a lot haven't seen one up close, so it went well with the presentation. When/if I ever do get to start racing again, I will use it - I'm goofy enough with out rattling my brain more.
My 6 year old Grandson started racing 1/4 midgets this year, and always wore a neck collar, even though he was in the slowest rookie classes. After he hit the wall head on, a few weeks ago, and still liked racing, we have got him a Hybrid device. We are trying to do this after this first little incident, before it is "locking the gate after the horse is gone" situation!
This is just my 2 cents.
Thanks

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

Always felt that the lighter the helmet the better. No sense having all that inertia hung on your neck.... Has to increase injury potential from rapid deceleration...

I'll be looking at a new helmet this winter. Weight will be key.

Kevin

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

How much protection can we expect to get from just a collar? I used one in hot rod because it was required but haven't been wearing it in my stocker.

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

The neck collar will help you from getting a broken collar bone from the full coverage helmet if you have an accident. I would wear an open face helmet if you don't want to wear the neck collar. When I rode dirt bikes the guys that had full coverage helmets got broken collar bones more often than an open face helmet.

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

I wear open face, just feel like I can see better but have been playing around with the full coverage I know its safer. I know all too well about the collar bone, broke mine on a dirt bike when I was younger but hadn't put it together with the helmet till now. Thanks

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

It boils down to how much your life is worth and the prospects of spending the rest of your life in a wheel chair or bed paralyzed.

With the higher weight of Stock and Super Stock cars and the speeds they are going down the track, you need better protection.

I also believe the current Aluminum seats that are being used as replacements seats, although better than the OEM seat, do not provide enough protection during impact.

Although heavier than the current Aluminum seats in use, for my new car, I am using a FIA approved seat that has been tested for high impact protection.

One of the best ideas Ford did for the CobraJets, was the use of Recaro FIA approved seats.

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

I also put roll bar padding on the steering column to save your necks caps , so hopefully you can talk away. Barrel rolls are terrifying . I think at the nationial events you might want to go over to the simpson trailer and ask them to try on the hans set up , they are very nice people .Before my helmet expired , I must have tried on 20 different helmets on before I found the one that fit just wright , and then I bought my new helmet on the spot . I did the same thing when my jacket and pants got worn out .The women let me try on differant jackets and pants , she said , try on this other one its your size and its a close out special at a marked down price . Ken R.

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

After watching a friend tumble his 11 second nova. I have not made a pass without a neck collar.

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

I have to bite my tongue when I see what some people do for safety gear and seats, simply because it "looks" good or is the cheapest route. I've barrel rolled and due to good tight harness, cage, restraints, seat, etc. I was racing the next day in my other car. Wish everyone could see the car that Ken Etter crashed at Fontana (or even the Facebook pic of Paula's car) and recognize that even in a high 10 sec stocker the impact "can" be pretty dramatic (traumatic). Not trying for the moral high ground here, I've made lots of runs with open face, stock seats, etc. but age and experience (are there better tutors?) has taught me that a pound of regret is easily avoided with just an ounce of caution. Ok, Sunday sermon is over...

Re: Safety.....the neck....helmets.....etc
 

I personally use a HANS devise in my SS/DA Camaro. No, it's not mandated in the rule book. At first I was concerned about driving the finish line with it on. It is not a problem, I never skimp on safety.
In fact, I also have a parachute and a belly pan on our car, which neither are required as well. But, The first year I had it on, I used it at Maple Grove at the 1300 ' mark as our crank broke and every drop of oil was in the retention devise. It stayed there until the car came to a stop. Then it started flowing over the top and on to the track. I really feel it saved me from a top end crash.