Head and Neck restraints...mandatory?

[wideopendesert.com]

After reading another thread that was hi-jacked by this topic, I thought I would start a new thread, per Dan200 , to discuss this as I have some questions.

It is my plan to implement a team rule that nobody gets in the race truck without a H and N restraint but which one to buy? I am not talking about fit or comfort or price. If sanctioning bodies make them mandatory what do you think the rules will be. Our helmets must be of a certain type and the safety harness is dated as well, so what will the rules for a H and N be?

My team will be wearing them, period, but I want to make sure people are not spending $ just to do it again to meet race orgs rules.

What do you guys hear/know/think?

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[dan200]

Thanks Pete...

FWIW Simpson and racing solutions no longer have the once popular D-Cell in production.

[Lifeflight]

This Just In.
SIMPSON/saftey Solutions Hybrid Head Restraint Gets FIA Approval.
Only the second such device to be Approved by the FIA.
This comes from page 20 December 2011 CIRCLE TRACK magazine. The Hybrid Retails for $1,095 and ships race ready.
Check it out at "teamsimpson.com"
Maybe this will help all those looking for a quality neck and head restraint.

[NIKAL]

IMO I think the racing series should highly, highly suggest that a H&N restraint be warn, but I dont think mandating them is the right way to go. For one I think you will alienate some racers who dont have one or choose not to wear one. Bottom line is racing promoters are here to make money. By forcing the H&N device I think you will keep potential racers from racing in your series. You cant really compare other forms of racing to desert racing either, as other forms of racing, race under a sanctioning body (USAC, SCCA, FIA, NASCAR) which make the rules that all orgs running those type of cars race under. With off-road racing if you dont like the rules at one series you can go race with another that might not enforce or have that rule.

Now here is a couple of things a promoter like HDRA who might be considering mandating the H&N devices could do. First the series can go directly to a manufacture and ask them to be the official H&N device of that series, and by giving them advertizing rights and a few other perks they would offer current members to that race series a greatly reduced price on their H&N device. Second thing the race series could do is offer teams that use H&N devices a reduced entry fee, and if you choose not to wear one then you pay the regular entry fee. This way if you chose to buy a H&N device after a full season or so of racing you would have paid yourself back in reduced entry fees.

[M.Harvey1600]

Here is the perfect solution for budget racers...

RENT-TO-OWN Head and neck Restraints

only $130.00 per race til you pay off your neck restraint. you are able to use the HNR while you are paying it off. there is no excuse for not wearing an HNR, they should be mandatory like all of our safety gear is.

and btw you can ship your HNR back to safety solutions to have it re-certified to meet SFI requirements if there is a mandated length of time for use. I am sending my R3 in to be re-certified this December since my SFI sticker had peeled up.

[TexasBaja]

Here is the perfect solution for budget racers... RENT-TO-OWN Head and neck Restraints only $130.00 per race til you pay off your neck restraint. you are able to use the HNR while you are paying it off. there is no excuse for not wearing an HNR, they should be mandatory like all of our safety gear is. and btw you can ship your HNR back to safety solutions to have it re-certified to meet SFI requirements if there is a mandated length of time for use. I am sending my R3 in to be re-certified this December since my SFI sticker had peeled up.

I know this company is the only one out there that rents H&N restraints but for whats its worth... Watch him.. I ended up getting mine for 2 easy payments of 340.00. He uses FedEx to ship but if FedEx fails to pick it up weather at a drop off location like Office depot, FedEx office or if they pick it up from your office.
I rented my first one last year. Went to ship it back and since we are a company and FedEx comes to our shop we called them for a pickup. That afternoon we had a major thunderstorm blew through San Antonio that had tornado's and FEDEX suspended all shipments for that day. I called him and explained what happened and he told me it was not his problem, read the rules and charged me another rental.
Our next race which was the Powder Puff race we rented two more but had them shipped to one of our drivers house in Cali. That Monday she took them to a Fed Ex office, got a receipt and went on her mary way. The next day there was a charge on our CC for 2 more rentals. When we called he said that the system showed we did not ship them and the rules are the rules and hung up on us. We contacted him the next day to prove that we did ship it and the show our receipt but he stated that it was not his problem and hung up again.NOT VERY GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!! What happened was she dropped it off around 4:30 pm and the Fed Ex person did not feel like inputting it into the system and left it there for someone else to do the next day. Again... Not my problem.

We now own our R3 but it was painful on my pocket book. Make sure you get it to the Fed Ex office and get a receipt for you CC Company to dispute. That's my .02

[Forty1Racing]

I agree that some day they should be mandatory. I can't say for sure my Neck restraint has saved my life for sure but... It wouldn't have been good with out it.

Idk what every rule book looks like but the bottom line is ultimately the racer is responsible for their safety.

[9rocky]

They are mandatory on our team. No one drives or rides without one. They should be mandatory in all racing series.

[Old School 8]

There was a huge thread on this last year. SNORE was polling, if they should REQUIRE them. I dont think it got enough "yes" votes, on REQUIRED. I too agree that if you feel like YOU should wear one, be my guest.

I feel there are many types of people (desk jokey's, vs construction workers). There are many different types of race vehicles (class 1 vs class 8 stock) and there are many different types of terrain (Baja 1000 vs the San Felipe whoops).

Some will voice that everybody should be required, all the time, every race. I dont believe that. I should be your CHOICE. I've talked with a lot of "Legends" in our Sport, and they generally agree that it should be about choice.

[AZ45]

I sell them and don't think they should be mandatory, but I think they work and you are safer with one. If you have extra money, buy a real racing suit instead of that single layer that wouldn't protect you from a sunburn. That said, the major sanctioning bodies are now mandating HNR's, so it likely will happen in off road for insurance reasons. The SCCA, who was the last major hold out is now requiring them for Club Racing starting Jan 1.

Start at the top and address the most common injury to off road racers, solve those problems...then work down the list to broken necks.

Whats the most common injury to off road racers?
1)
2)
3)

I bet you have to think pretty hard about 2 and 3.