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The people behind the HANS system started moving into its single seater use
in the late 90's with the knowledge of the severity of several accidents in
open wheeled motor sport, that could be considered 'high profile'. And the
device had been used in several classes of US racing - cars and boats
before it was considered.
The original HANS had been invented by Dr Robert 'Bob' Hubbard of Michigan
State University, but it took Mercedes Benz support to determine whether
the HANS was better than uaing air bags in the reclined-seating driver
position of a single seater race car. At the end of testing the view was
that the passive HANS was performing as well as the complex active air bag
with its explosive actuating devices and operating sensors.
The SCTA I believe has the most information about accidents at Bonneville
and El Mirage, having investigated everyone that occurs. This data needs
to be brought together with a specialist such as Dr Hubbard (or even
someone like Dr Sid Watkins of the FIA) to enable the competitors in the
sport to be informed as to what system(s) would add to driver safety.
Of course as my friends on this list and landracing.com keep pointing out,
there are many body styles to be dealt with other than streamliners in the
SCTA lists and I accept that there may not be a single solution. So
research could be lengthy to arrive at meaningful results informing people
of the ways forward in driver safety. I do not know how much funding this
would take but an independently administered trust might be a way to
support the research.
The questions then start to be formulated - will the SCTA release fatal and
serious injury accident information?, would a Dr who is able to interpret
the data be willing to take on the research?, could the sport provide the
funding or arrange third party funding, by a corporate body even?
Malcolm Pittwood, Derby, England
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