Motorsport QLD - Mandatory HANS Devices - UPDATED!

5/11/2013 UPDATE:
Queensland Raceways have confirmed that this only applies to racing events. Sprints, Drifting and General Practise are excluded.
 
 
As of the 01/01/2014, it will be mandatory for all drivers at Queensland Raceway and Lakeside Raceway to use a HANS Device.
What is a HANS device? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HANS_device

 
These are not a particularly cheap item to buy as they range from $500 - $1200, it's pretty hard to put a price on your life. All the top forms of motorsport have moved to using these, WRC, F1, V8SC, Nascar and more.
 
This unfortunately raises the price of entry level motorsport, but such is life :(

There have been two people killed this year, one at each track and I would say the insurance companies have clamped down hard on this, forcing the requirement for HANS device a minimum for even amateur motorsport.

And by way of an example . . .
 
http://youtu.be/Uxueb0hGKC8
 
trimmed from a longer clip, posted some time ago.

Knightrous, is it the use of a HANS device that has been made mandatory, or is it a requirement for a certified head and neck restraint?
 
There are a number of different types of devices that do the same things as a HANS, so it seems restrictive to make one particular approach to the problem of these injuries the mandated solution. The analogy here is helmets, the type and brand of helmets is not specified, but be they open face, closed face, lift up, etc. they all have to meet the ASO/ISO rating standard to be accepted for use.
 
The WIKIPEDIA article referenced states that: "Starting in July 2007, many sanctioning bodies have approved any head-and-neck restraint which passes the SFI Foundation Specification 38.1 standard. They are the HANS, Moto-R Sport, R3, Hutch-II, Hutchens Hybrid, or Hybrid X." I know that the latter are American requirements but where did the information come from about the HANS at LR and QR?
 
As Dennis said we should all be for safety in these cars and I would certainly support anything that reduced the risk of injury. It's just handy to know exactly what will be required, and under what conditions.
 
Walter

The details in the article above are a little light, however I assume it means that non-race events (those which do not require a CAMS licence to attend) and practice days will be exempt from the HANS device requirements.  Would this imply public non-competitive events held by the likes of Downshift, Track Attack and Stokell Motorsport would not require a HANS device?

My take on the wording is that they are using HANS device as a generic term.  My DefNder  has never been queried at the events I've run in - and this includes a full-on scrutineering session for Rally Australia where others were being pinged for labels not being fully sewn on their socks!
 
I would expect that any device that has FIA homologation would be a "suitable neck restraint".

I agree with Dennis and Dom (who is Dom by the way? bit of a stranger around these parts).
 
It seems to me that if you are seriously into real competition then you have sold your children to pay for all the proper safety gear and had it fitted, you have done the relevant training or been mentored by someone who knows what they are doing, the car has been scrutineered, plus the events you go in are properly organised and there is medical support readily available.
 
Conversely you have suddenly realised how much real competition costs after burning through a couple of credit cards and having a car (or cars) that you never get the pleasure of driving because they are always in bits, and then decided that maybe being poor and on foot for the rest of your life isn't worth it.
 
Making these sorts of decisions can loosely fit under the overall subject of risk management which is not a complicated process, and I hope the various organisations involved in the "HANS" decision have conducted a full and thorough risk assessment, and this is not just a knee-jerk reaction to some recent fatal events.
 
Safety in motor sport competitions is not something you should pick and choose with, although, as a survivability analogy, when you see people riding motorbikes anywhere with a $400.00 helmet, but wearing shorts, singlet and thongs, you have to wonder if they have really thought about what might happen to them if they did come off.
 
The same goes for cars doing track work, just having a fire extinguisher and wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants plus a helmet, and then in situations as described by Knightrous getting out amongst 40 or so other cars with drivers who have similar competitive intentions seem to me about as useful in helping you to survive a crash as a pocket in a singlet.
 
As Dennis and Dom-who  have said its horses for courses, and just wearing a HANS-type device won't help if the other risk treatments like car crashworthiness, driver training, proper safety briefings, and event supervision are also not in place.
 
My challenge to anyone is how much do they really think about safety before going on track for any reason? Its not just about wearing a HANS device.
 
Walter

Crysis adverted, Queensland Raceways have confirmed this is only for Racing events.