SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/751602
SAFETY: HEAD AND NECK RESTRAINTS, BY STEPHEN ROMERO PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURERS DEVICES THAT ARE TRULY SAVING THE LIVES OF OFF-ROAD MOTORSPORTS RACERS O ver the years, there's been lots of development towards improving the safety of racers when they're involved in an accident. Helmets, harnesses, seats, fire suits and more have come a long way since the early days of racing, but one of the most talked about safety devices to come into the sport, is head and neck restraints. Currently, head and neck restraints are not mandatory in off-road racing. That could change, however, now that these restraints have proven over the years to save countless lives in motorsports racing. Thanks to safety experts like NASCAR safety director, Tom Gideon and IndyCar safety consultant Dr. Terry Trammel, these people are proponents of the devices who speak frequently about basilar skull fractures, the most common type of serious injuries caused by excessive neck tension during a crash. In fact, Gideon was one of the earliest supporters of head and neck restraints for motorsports, while working with General Motors early in his career. What happened to NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. illustrates how frontal-impact crashes without the use of neck and head restraints can turn a seemingly insignificant mishap into one with fatal consequences. If you saw it on television, like millions of others, Earnhardt's crash into the wall at the Daytona 500 in 2001 looked awful, but was very survivable. Some experts speculate that had Earnhardt worn a head and neck restraint he would be alive today. SAFETY: HEAD AND NECK RESTRAINTS THE NECKSGEN REV HEAD AND NECK RESTRAINT IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR USED IN SCORE RACING AND COMES IN THREE SIZES TO PROVIDE BETTER FITMENT FOR RACERS. 072 SCORE JOURNAL