|
Head and Neck Restraints 101
Every so often race
car safety takes a leap forward. Unfortunately, all too often these leaps
are driven by the loss of life. The most recent advance in race car safety,
the head and neck restraint, was thrust into the spotlight through the
untimely death of Dale Earnhardt. Although head and neck restraints were a
topic of discussion prior to Earnhardt’s death, it has been since his death
that NASCAR and a number of other sanctioning bodies have mandated the use
of these devices. Although I am sure by now most agree on the value of head
and neck restraints, many weekend warriors still believe the devices are
only required when your running on the high banks of Daytona—nothing could
be further from the truth.
It has been shown in the past few years that
some of the hardest impacts have been seen on “short tracks”. Much of the
reason for this is the fact that the wall angle is higher on the short
tracks than on the large tracks in general. This increase in wall angle
leads to increased speed changes when the car hits the wall. This means
that the impact felt by the car and then by the driver can be very high.
It has always been my belief that the weekend warrior should be more
interested in safety than perhaps anyone. The weekend warrior has the
obligation of showing up for work each Monday morning. Believe me, as a
long-time weekend athlete I know it’s not always the serious injuries that
make Monday mornings tough, the minor bumps and bruises are also culprits.
Another reason safety is so important to the weekend warrior centers around
conditioning. Most of us are unable to condition to the level of a
professional. This places us at greater risk for injury. Finally the
weekend warrior’s probability of being involved in an incident is greater.
I don’t want to step on any toes, but most of us are not able to get the
same amount of seat time as a professional, which means we don’t have the
experience—therefore placing us at greater risk. I preface our discussion
on head and neck restraints with my two cents, because I believe that in
addition to reducing the risk of a catastrophic injury, head and neck
restraints also hold the promise of lessening the severity of any racing
injury, so you can make it back to the job on Monday to earn the money
required to do what you love.
What Happens In An Accident
Before we can explain how the Head and Neck
Devices work, we must first understand the anatomy of an accident. For this
explanation we turn to Trevor Ashline, inventor of the Hutchens Device, one
of only two devices that has been approved for use in NASCAR competition.
Ashline’s experience in the field of Restraint System Engineering allows him
to dissect exactly what happens in an accident. Ashline’s data has been
gathered from both real-world and laboratory testing. In the
laboratory/crash sled setting Ashline is able to closely monitor the forces
at work on a body during an impact. Ashline explains, “In an impact, the
first thing that happens is your body moves forward until it is slowed
by the seat belts and seat system. Your upper torso belts hold you
back, and your unrestrained head goes straight forward until your neck tries
to pull it down. This happens when your neck reaches full extension.” In
quite graphic terms, Ashline goes on to explain, “your neck just isn’t
strong enough to handle the forward momentum of the weight of your head.”
Although the biggest fear is severing the brain from the spinal column, the
fact that the neck is just a weak collection of bones held together by discs
and ligaments also presents the opportunity to cause serious, long lasting
damage to the structure. There is no better example than legendary midget
driver Mel Kenyon. Kenyon’s head is permanently tilted forward as the
result of an accident that left the ligaments in his neck permanently
stretched.
|
What does a head and neck restraint do?
Trevor Ashline’s Hutchens Device is designed
to do one thing, share the load with the neck in an impact. This is
accomplished by restraining the driver early in the impact, limiting the
severity of the load the driver sees and riding it out until the impact is
over. Ashline explains, “the pelvis is better equipped to handle g-forces
than the rest of your body. For this reason, it is critical to lock the
pelvis down with the lap belt. When properly locked down, the lap belt has
a load of 2,500 to 3,000 pounds on it. For this reason we use the seat belt
buckle assembly as the anchor for the Hutchens Device. From there heavy
straps, with low elongation webbing, run up the drivers back where they
attach to the helmet.”
Now, during an impact, as the head begins moving forward the straps running
up your back tighten up. The upper torso starts moving forward because your
pelvis is locked down. This begins involving the lap belt, which is under
2,500 to 3,000 pounds of load. As a result the straps running up your back
that are attached to your helmet tighten, greatly reducing the amount of
load your upper neck sees. Ashline continues, “If you wait and restrain
late in an impact, you see a huge spike in the load on the neck. The
Hutchen’s Device, when used properly, begins restraining early so you never
see the high load numbers that you would without one.”
How is it Installed
Installation of the Hutchens Device begins by
attaching either a single or optional double hook attachment to your
helmet. This requires you to drill either one or two holes on each side of
the helmet. The Hutchen’s Device then has leg straps and a waist strap that
must be fitted to the driver. A tether strap then runs between the driver’s
legs and attaches into the existing seat belt latch. Tethers then run from
the Hutchens Device up to the hooks you’ve installed on the helmet. The D-Cel
is similar to the Hutchens Device, except it doesn’t tie into the seat
belts. It relies on the driver’s pelvis for anchoring. As a result, the
driver has no attachment into the seat belt system with the D-Cel. For a
better understanding of the installation of the Hutchens Device and the D-Cel
visit their manufacturer at
www.safetysolutions.com. The site allows you to download the actual
installation directions.
It always amazes me that drivers will spare no expense in the quest for
speed, but look for every opportunity to save a buck when it comes to
safety. I am sure over the coming years whether mandated by tracks and
sanctioning bodies or just common sense, head and neck restraints will
become a must have for every driver.
|
|
Ashline's company, Safety Solutions, has
in-house testing equipment that allows them to analyze exactly what happens
in an accident. |
|
|
Speed Partz sells
the Hutchens Device for $324.99 or the D-Cel for $403.98
--To Order Call 513.755.7205--
We accept:
 |
|
|
