Brock and Prather are right about safety tech. There isn't any to my knowledge at the local scene. The problem the tracks face on that point is that once they start inspecting the cars and then when there is a problem, then they have opened themselves up to speculation and possibly have to take the responsabilty since they approved the car and driver. That is a big risk today.

In a sport when you still see guys running without fire proof undies(tees or nothing at all), it is hard to convince them to do things like mount the seat properly and wear the proper safety gear. With all of the false bravado and devil may care attitude that is prevaliant amongst some drivers, how far do you really want to go to try and protect someone from themselves without all of the responsability being transferred to you?

I agree that many of the problems come from just general lack of knowledge, but also a general feeling of:"It can't happen to me".

In reality, even though there is some adjustability built into the cars as far as the cockpit goes, all drivers require some differences and in many ways the cars need to be custom built or adjusted for each one.

So many guys complain about the Hans and the like, but often it's the cost of the product that makes them sqawk and not the actual product itself. I do know that some guys in the past did have a problem with it hurting their shoulders, but I believe that has been taken care of with the different sizes. There is also the question or rear impact, but I believe that with a seat where the head area is relieved for the unit, you run into less of a problem with that.

There is only so much you can do to protect the driver, but one of the first hurdles is getting a driver to want to protect themselves.

Drivers need to inspect the cockpit and identify anything that could hurt them. They need to make the seats and pedals where they are comfortable and won't phsically wear them out. Drivers need to keep themselves in the proper physical and mental shape when competing so they don't wear out. A "death grip" on the wheel will cause the driver to wear out the same as a driver who isn't physically strong enough to compete over a long distance.

Head Nets,Containment seats, properly placed seat and shoulder bars,Hans, Fender washers, 3/8 Bolts, fire proof undies etc... are all items that should be used.

No matter what though; as long as sprint car and midget racing is around, so will injuried drivers. No matter how safe the cars are made to be.