[John Greist]

Leaving lawyers and lawsuits aside - it's only 99% of lawyers that give all the others a bad name - what's really needed are data about efficacy of these appliances in preventing cervical and basil skull fractures.

We aren't going to get randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to resolve the issue but there are still plenty of folks dying out there based on their beliefs that head and neck support (HNS) isn't necessary - at least 3 vintage racers last year. Has anyone reported credible evidence that a HANS user has died of a cervical or basil skull fracture? Until HANS user mortality data are confirmed, the evidence supports continued use of HANS.

I've attached another famous proposal from the British Medical Journal for a RCT of parachutes. The hypothesis was proposed because there are a few reports of people surviving high falls and some scientists resist conclusions unsupported by RCTs. Seems about like the debate on HNS.