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Old 02-22-2005
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gman gman is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: miami beach
Posts: 68
Re: An Open Letter to Skip Barber Regarding HANS devices - Please Vote & Give Feedback

as i sit typing w/ one hand after landing on my head sunday , i cant forget the conversation i had w/ sy about 30 mins. before i got into my car.

the conversation went something like this:
sy "do you have a hans device?"
me "no - planning on getting one very soon"
sy "you really should get one"
me "i know been meaning to for a while, i'll have one for the next race"
sy "good, you really shoould be wearing one"
me "i know"
blah b blah b blah

as i sat upside down waiting for the rescue crew, w/ what i assumed at the very least a broken hand (wiggling my fingers and toes to make sure it was nothing more serious), the first thing that followed my thoughts was that i need to get one of those hans devices sooner rather then later. i dont think i will ever get into a car again w/out one. in fact, i never should have gotten into the car w/out one in the first place.

i guess i got lucky that it wasn't a lot worse.
i would also like to add arm straps - had i been wearing those (~$20), i would have raced the memorial later that day. instead, i sit typing w/ one hand, hoping the orthopedic will have some good news for me when i go back for my second visit next week (hand was to swollen to examine monday morning).

regardless of experience, skill, judgement, etc., accidents happen. we are all aware of the dangers and risks of our sport (i believe this is what makes it attractive to many of us - otherwise we would all be at bush gardens riding roller coasters). with that said, we should uphold safety as a paramount concern to reduce these risks. i think sbrs should spend more time discussing safety and mandating safety protocalls / equiptment to ensure the safest possible envirnoment. just like helmets, hans devices and arm straps should be required. often we dont recogonize the importance of these until we experience a situation that makes us realize otherwise.

new drivers that dont have the experience to know better should be made aware of the benifits of these devices, before their experience catches up w/ them. sbrs should mandate their use and provide rentals for those that dont have their own. we all know the expenses of our sport, but often neglict the value of our health and safety.
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