Ask Ross: Are We Over-Reacting to Safety Regulations in HPDE Events?
Are the ever-increasing costs of safety worth it?
In the past while, I’ve received numerous queries about whether we’ve gone too far with the cost of safety, and whether the benefits of so many rules and regulations are worth the investment and hassle. I’m merging many related questions into a series of responses.
Q: Why are there so many laws and rules during HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) events?
A: I agree that there are many rules — all with the best intentions to keep the sport as safe as possible. I sometimes think there are a few people who just enjoy creating and enforcing rules, but by far the majority of the rules and regulations in our sport are very well-founded. The individuals and organizations putting on events at race tracks are experienced, and therefore have seen what can happen, so they do their best to proactively reduce or eliminate bad things from happening again.
Q: Why is an $800 helmet only good for 10 years?
A: Age definitely reduces the protection that a helmet provides — a lot. I’m sure you’ve seen foam rubber that’s deteriorated through aging. The foam inside a helmet is not the same, but the aging process is similar. But it’s more than just the material wearing out, it’s the design updates, too. If helmets weren’t improved over the years, we’d all be wearing leather caps like in the 50’s! Head injuries are one of the most common problems in motorsport, so anything that can be done to protect our heads is a good thing, in my opinion.
I find it funny (but not really funny — in fact, it’s scary…) that many drivers have no problem buying sets of new tires that cost more than $800, and last much, much less than 10 years, and yet complain about having to buy a new helmet — something that can save their life — every few years.
Q: As we know from every technology development there is a time when a 1% improvement is no longer worth an extra $500. How can we justify the cost of all the required safety equipment?
A: I don’t know if the next generation of helmet, safety harness, head and neck restraint, or any other piece of safety equipment is 1% or 80% better protection, but I know it’s significant (take some time to read about the Snell Foundation helmet testing to get an idea of what the latest specs mean). What’s one’s head worth, right? I realize that our sport is not the least expensive thing we could be doing! But since we’ve decided to participate in it, we have to accept that there are expenses, and some are things that can make a life-or-death difference.
Q: Why does my HPDE car have to have two race seats if the driver has a race seat?