ARE RACERS DOING ENOUGH ABOUT SAFETY?

I mentioned some racer safety concerns that have bothered me for quite a while in one of my previous articles. With recent events within the insurance industry (namely September 11, 2001) there will be a ripple effect that EVERYONE will begin to feel about July of this year. Basically, the "pool of funds" that every insurance company uses to help cover catastrophic risks has been drastically depleted. Every company has "re-insurance" to protect them from these type events, but in this case nobody could plan for an event of this magnitude. All the "re-insurance" companies and policies will be affected and all of us will feel the effect when higher premiums are negotiated within the insurance industry.

Remember one basic thing about insurance premiums and companies: They are regulated nationally and locally and must be protected from going broke to help protect the policyholders that rely on them. They cannot LOSE MONEY; they just pass the losses on in premium increases to remain solvent. That will conclude my basic insurance "schooling" but it gives you a little insight into this article.

Are racers doing enough about safety? At first I thought we did because we have to buy all the SFI-approved articles of protection that IHRA and NHRA require. From transmission shields to helmets there is an SFI-approved product involved and a certain specification. I totally agree with these SFI requirements and I think they have a positive effect on reducing injury and loss to all the racers who have the bad luck to "need" these safety items.

There is one rule missing that should be added: "All drivers are required to USE their restraint system (safety harness) and this harness must be worn in a manner to hold driver against the seat tightly.

What this means -- and I am not sure how it needs to be stated -- is that if we are required to wear the SFI-16.1 safety harness then we should be required to pull the belts tight!I looked through all the pages of NHRA and IHRA rulebooks and guess what? I did not even see where a driver is "required" to fasten the harness. I realize common sense comes into play on most rules, but recently I have seen things that scare the hell out of me. Here is a short list of what I noticed at just two different bracket races I attended. I mainly noticed just S/Pro and S/Comp racers since I race against them.

1. Drivers pulling into the burnout area with arm restraints not hooked up, neck collars that have been "trimmed down" to allow easier movement of their head to see the finish line.

2. Parachutes that have not been out of the pack for years. One thing they need to start right now is to have the guy "pop the chute" in tech inspection to see if it even works. I am sure the driver would like to know that if his brake caliper comes off!

3. Here is the WORST one: LOOSE SHOULDER HARNESS. I watched two friends of mine crash and die at my dragstrip in the past and I feel both deaths would have been prevented if the shoulder harness had been pulled tighter. Both died from massive internal injuries from striking their helmet and body on the roll cage tubing, and yes it was padded. I have included some pictures of racers who do not tighten their shoulder harness so they can "see the other car better." I guess they haven't seen a drag car crash yet and someone get injured. I think the starter or staging directors should take a quick "look" or "pull" on our shoulder harness if they want to and we should not protest. I hope they make it a rule VERY SOON.

4. Another "pet peeve" of mine is watching guys warm up their car supported only with a $69 floor jack. There is a rule to have these guys disqualified and I hope a tech official will have the support of the track owner in at least giving the racer a very strong first warning and a disqualification for the second offense. Do these guys even CONSIDER what could happen if the floor jack's 39-cent seal blows out with the car is running 3000 to 4000 rpm in high gear and all of a sudden it is on the ground and shooting through the pit area. What if your friends, wife and children are sitting around your pit area and you "launch" your car in their direction? Are your reflexes that good? Again, too much risk for the result, period. Get some jack stands under the car -- it only takes about 30 seconds!

5. One more thing I DO NOT see enough is Fire Extinguishers in the pit area or along the return roads. Every racer should be required to have a minimum of a 5 lb. fire extinguisher in their pit area. Tagged and certified current. Without one you can be disqualified. "They cost a lot of money! WHY should we be required to have one?" Instead of thinking about yourself and the cost think about how much money it could SAVE you! The racer next to you is working on his carburetor, it floods over and bursts into flames. No one is in the car and the electric fuel pump keeps feeding the fire. Now it is starting get out of control and your race car, trailer and tow vehicle are only 10 feet away! Nice time for EVERY RACER to be able to help out, don't you agree? For about $40 apiece we can all help protect our sport.

Here is the effect it could have: Go back to the insurance risk deal. We all need to do what we can to keep injuries and potential injuries and loss to a minimum. If we all start "nipping" at the rules, sliding by here and there it could have a disastrous effect. What if there wasn't an insurance carrier who wanted to cover the risks involved in drag racing? It would cease to exist as we know it.

Do I think that will happen? No. Could it happen? Yes. The middle ground to this would be a huge rate increase and possibly fewer events and MORE SAFETY RESTRICTIONS that insurance companies think we need. Of course, they aren't racers so you can bet they would be pretty stupid restrictions in some instances.

All I am asking is that you take a few minutes and think of SAFETY. For you, your family and friends and your equipment while you are at the track. \

Later this month I will be doing an in-depth article on the EXACT insurance coverages provided by dragstrips and the IHRA and NHRA. I have a lot of experience in this and I hope I can remove the "shroud of secrecy" that has always surrounded it. It is information you DESERVE to know. It is your family and expensive equipment you bring to these events that someone charges you admission for. The insurance is in place for reason. If you follow the rules and need its protection, you should get it. If you are not protecting yourself as well as you could, maybe you should NOT receive the same protection from the insurance.

I hope you will check back in a couple weeks for the "INSURANCE REPORT." It will be about what racers should know about racetrack insurance and the loss coverage offered by them.

Race safely so I can meet you at the track some day!

jok@racingnetsource.com

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