After looking at NASA's schedule with Lowe's and the possibility of future events at Charlotte and other speedways I have now begun considering purchasing a HANS Device when I begin racing. Have any of you considered it? Any pros and cons to using one? Am I being overly cautious?

 

Well, my neck collar is my alternative..

Notice no nascar drivers use them, I wonder why?

 

Speedvision WC is now requiring the HANS device for next season.

 

Some do. The rest are fools however NASSCAR just mandated that all drivers are required to wear some form of restraint system - either the HANS or the Hutchins Device.

FYI - your neck collar prevents muscle fatigue, not basal scull fractures.


[Modified by Cobra, 9:53 PM 11/8/2001]

 

There is a NASCAR driver who thinks an open-face helmet is safe enough. Oops, meant to say there WAS a NASCAR driver who thought an open-face helmet was safe enough.

Seriously, I thought a few NASCAR drivers were already using the HANS device. ???

Going overboard on safety can't hurt, IMO. Rob Hines, SCCA national and "pro" racer, wears one. Even when driving a T1 Camaro.

 

The other alternative which, from what I heard is equally effective is the Hutchens Device:
http://www.hutchensdevice.com/

At $300 and not requiring any helmet alterations (provided it has D-Rings) it seems like a better "starter" device.

 

Actually a VAST majority of Nascar drivers use them now. And only 1 nascar driver said he would not wear one at all, and that Nascar shouldn't require them to wear them.

 

Their most logical arguemnt against the device was exit/entry of the vehicle. Not a good arguement to begin with, and totally a non-issue with the enlarged window openings.

 

Hum, I have watched hundreds of races and never noticed.. Maybe I should keep my eyes more peeled!


[Modified by Honda318dx, 10:47 PM 11/8/2001]

 

I haven't seen a race in while, i don't watch that much TV. I'm just going by what they say on RPM2nite or the other race news shows.

 

I'm thinking because it sounds a bit uncomfortable and ASSCAR's rules don't mandate them? BTW, um... aren't most NASCAR drivers using them now? Cons seem to be that it takes longer to belt in, the motion range restriction might be an annoyance if your head is very mobile while driving. Other popular complaints are that it would take longer to escape from a burning vehicle.

 

NASCAR now requires the Hans or Hutchens devices for drivers, Tony Stewart I believe was the only driver still holding out on it (I may be wrong, but I think it was he). Why would you not want that extra protection? If it keeps you from becoming a vegetable or losing your life, then I think it's worth it.

 

I guess you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Kind of reminds me of jackasses on motorcycles that refuse to wear helmets, or people that don't wear seatbelts. Actually, now that I think about it, go ahead and let them do what they want. It should help thin the herd.

 

WC drivers have the option of using a collar. Hans device is recommended. Taz wears the Hans. A skull fracture would be caused by the head impacting a hard object. I thought the reason to wear the Hans (or a collar) was to limit head movement independent of the torso. i.e. The body being belted in would not move but the head, in a frontal impact, would continue to move forward. A full face helmet would limit it because the chinbar would hit the upper torso. FYI, a properly fitted collar does more than help fight fatigue. It limits helmet movement. They do work. I walked away from the rollover that destroyed my old car with zero neck pain.

 

While it may assist some with muscle fatigue (though not with me), and I agree it won't stop a basal skull fracture, those 2 things are not it's purpose.

It's purpose (as it has been explained to me) is to keep your helmet from injuring you. Either by keeping it from breaking your breastbone if your head flies forward\down, or simply overextending your neck towards your shoulders\back. A helmet is heavy, and in an impact, your neck will not be able, by itself, to keep your helmet from hyperectending itself [your neck].

YMMV...

 

They prevent BASAL skull fractures - this is also known as a wicked case of whiplash where your neck breaks at the base of your skull.

 

As an SCCA cornerworker and someone who plans to join the roadracing ranks at some point in the future, I'd consider the HANS device HIGHLY recommended, and I plan to purchase one before I start racing wheel-to-wheel.

If getting out of a car is a concern, get the version that detaches from the helmet; it's a few dollars more, but yanking two cords completely detaches the HANS from the helmet, giving you full freedom in seconds - never mind the fact that it might keep you conscious and ABLE to get out of the car under your own power in the case of a heavy impact.

As far as head movement, I don't know the range of motion that the HANS restricts you to, but a full-face helmet does quite a bit to restrict your range of vision already. If the HANS will let you turn your head anything close to 90 degrees either direction, it's not going to have any effect on your field of vision.

I'd recommend going to a club race and asking around; we've got some drivers in Midiv who are using them, and I'm sure you can find a driver or two at pretty much any event across the nation. The drivers I've heard from agree with the statement that, once it's on and they're buckled into the car, they don't realize it's there.

It's true, the $1300 you spend on a HANS could be spent on tires, or shocks, or go a long ways towards a GREAT engine rebuild....but, it's the same philosophy as buying a helmet (or any other piece of safety equipment): think about the potential for what might happen without such a device.

Jarrod
(feeling old after this safety monologue)

 

Cobra,
My admitedly small amount of medical training would lead me to believe this is incorrect. I consulted some of the EMT books & medics here at the station. The 'classic textbook' explanation seems to support my belief. Seems like a "stretching" of the spine in the C1 & C2 region would be more of the problem for spinal cord etc damage. I then did some checking on the internet. There I found several articles basically saying "many medical personnel (Drs etc) don't realize that these type of accidents can cause basilar (basal) skull fractures. It does not need to be caused by a impact. The fracture probably happens before the impact because of the rapid deceleration of the body with the head being unrestrained". Thanks for making me look it up.
So.....Who has tried the Hutchins (?) device?
Mike

 

Join the wheel-to-wheel mail list, plenty of opinions on both can be found there. Most of the drivers on the list are SCCA National or SCCA Pro drivers, with a sprikling of other series.

 

web address?

 

Try http://www.wheeltowheel.com.

 

Alot of nascar drivers complain of loss of motion and vision. some have come up with an alternate head restain that is allows for better vision. I know Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte are using these. I'm sorry I don't know the specifics of the design.

when I get into more serious racing I will seriously consider one.

 

The only NASCAR driver to shun the HANS device is Tony Stewart. All the others wear it.