8 replies to this topic

[John B]

The new stabilizing neck restraint (known as HANS) has been in a number of lower levels since the 1980s, and now is coming to F1 and probably CART. It involves tethering the driver's helmet to a collar behind the neck which is attached to the shoulders. F1 has being looking at it since the Wendlinger and Hakkinen accidents in the 1990s. It's being called the biggest advance in safety since full face helmets.

Cart drivers including Fittipaldi have tested them and said it requires some adjustments, not surprisingly moreso on road courses than ovals.

That type of injury, the head moving violently compared to a restrained body, may have caused Adam Petty's recent death.

[EddieJF1]

But might there be more brain injuries, what with the head stopping quickly from the tether, and the brain moving a bit inside the skull and colliding with the skull (like a knockout punch from a boxer)? Unless they have some energy absorbing material in the neck area to decelerate the head without snapping it to a stop? I presume since it's been in use for quite a while, they have seen a range of accidents.

Just a thought. Hopefully it will work quite well and save even more lives.

[doohanOK]

I just don't want to here these words:

Murray: "And there's a wheel rolling on the middle of the circuit!"
Martin: "No Murray, that's a helmet..."

regards,
doohanOK.

[John B]

Eddie, a crash involving a driver using the system the system happened recently at the Japan race. Apparently Fontana said the device was "amazing" and that he "never felt the crash."

As far as the brain movement you mentioned I guess it'll have to be trial and error, and whether the risk of that injury is more than compensated by the decrease in risk of injury by the head swinging around.

[Williams]

EddieJ, I doubt that the HANS device would hold the head so rigidly as to create deceleration high enough that the risk of brain injury would overcome the risk of neck and skull injuries cause by the unrestrained head bashing around the cockpit.

[EddieJF1]

John B,

Sounds like it works quite well then.

Williams,

I was just thinking of any slack that might be in the tether for the helmet. Once that slack is taken up, the helmet will stop, and the head will want to continue forward. From John's post, the system seems to work well, especially if the crash wasn't even felt.

Anyone have some drawings or pics of the device on a driver in a car?

[John B]

The crash I was referring to actually happened at Nazareth. Noberto Fontana was originally injured at Motegi earlier this spring and was told to wear the device or not compete. He then crashed again at Nazareth and the quotes came from that incident.

Christian Fittipaldi has gone on record as strongly endorsing HANS, and a driver who was required by the IRL to wear it because of a past injury finished the 500. Teammate Andretti will probably start using it soon too (and I'm sure some creative minds are thinking up jokes as they read this ;))

There are some photos in the current Autoweek issue.

[westendorf]

I gave a prestentation about the benefits of fitness for racing drivers about three years ago as part of a saftey seminar for Michigan drivers [U.S.] One of the other presenters was the man that invented the Head and Neck Safety divice [H.A.N.S.] at first I thought well that's silly but it looked well thought out and he had a very strong argument for it. I believe he's from the Lansing Mi. area and is a Doctor. I may look into this again and post more info if I can find it. The type of accident that nearly cost MH his life would be the exact type of thing this H.A.N.S. would help prevent.
ciao, GFW

[GaryG]

It should help. Adam Petty apparently din't of massive head trauma. It's been speculated that had he been using the HANS device he might have survived. The irony is that his father, Kyle, had tested the HANS device for possible use in Nascar.