Page 22 - KCRPCA Sept Oct 2018

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Dr. Robert Hubbard
This safety restraint device was de- signed by Dr. Robert Hubbard, the de- signer of crash test dummy heads at General Motors, and Jim Downing, a professional race car driver. They started studying racing accident deaths in 1981 and found that the Basilar skull fracture was a cause of death in many racing in- cidents. It wasn’t until 20 years later that the FIA mandated the use of these types of devices as a result of the NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt death at Daytona Speedway in 2001. Earnhardt’s car hit the wall head on, causing his death as a result of a Basilar skull fracture. The
would be a good option to add to club registration, so students could denote whether they require an instructor with a HANS device, so hopefully they can make that happen to ensure this is seam- less. Again, this will likely apply to a very small portion of students, as most are driving street cars with standard ap- proved DOT belts at levels that require an instructor in the right seat. This also applies to the instructors who tend to give rides to students during their ses- sions; they will also be required to have their student in a HANS device if they are using 4/5/6 point harnesses in their
Sep / Oct 2018
ferent designs used; they vary mostly in how they are attached to the driver’s body, but the functions are the same. Its function is that in an accident, it keeps the head from snapping forward (think touching your chin to your chest), which can cause a Basilar skull fracture, which is a fracture at the anterior or posterior base of the skull, and can lead to serious injury or death.
change in velocity was determined to be only 43mph in that wreck.
This new PCA minimum standard will take some coordination by HPDE orga- nizers to make sure that those students with harnesses in their cars are given an instructor who also utilizes a HANS device, which would solve the issue of having to provide a HANS device to your passenger on your own dime. This