Reese
Nitro Member
Nitromater
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Racing Accidents
- Thread starter Nunz
- Start date
I was talking to an ambulance person once and we were talking about car accidents and he said to me that you can make a car of any kind really safe but it doesnt mean the person is going to survive an accident , he said that you wouldn't believe how much damage can be done to the human body just through being shaken around or hitting something . Take the Kalitta crash as an example , the police report said he hit things with a force of 200g's can you imagine what that kind of stopping force does to the human body . I think the human body is starting to become the weakest link in some of the crashes that are happining now .
turbo ken
Nitro Member
It is a shame when a "non-pro" gets seriously injured or killed, and there is hardly any mention of it accept for a little paragraph, or "obituary" on the driver, they should look at sportsman accident the same as they do a "pro" accident.
On another note I wish they would outlaw throttle stops, make's the super classes boring to me I'd rather see them have to "leg it out" to run the number, plus the "average fan" doesn't understand why the cars launch hard then lift then get back on it, when I explain the throttle stop to someone who doesn't know about them they usually reply with "why don't they just run in a quicker class".
On another note I wish they would outlaw throttle stops, make's the super classes boring to me I'd rather see them have to "leg it out" to run the number, plus the "average fan" doesn't understand why the cars launch hard then lift then get back on it, when I explain the throttle stop to someone who doesn't know about them they usually reply with "why don't they just run in a quicker class".
Joker
Nitro Member
Joe, your talking about Mike Manners and he actually ran alky dragster this past weekend at Ennis and made the field. I loved watching him run super comp in that car. Nothing like pulling a wheelie at 60ft when that baby took off.
But back on topic, racing is dangerous. Always has been, always will be. It doesnt matter if we slow them down to 100 mph, people are still eventually going to die. And I agree about roadsters being the unsafest car out there. The biggest problem with sportsman wrecks is normally driver error. If your out of the groove, have had to lift, etc then you alread lost he round and thre's no need to get back into it but they do and thats normally when they wreck or slamming on the brakes at the finish line.
JL
Nitro Member
Great point Ryan... Could you put anti-lock breaks on one of these bad boys?
With my car, I pulled the throttle stop out because I think going 1.07 in 60' and 172 mph. is more fun than 1.90 in 60' and 167 at 8.90... Just my opinion
clwill
Nitro Member
Excellent post.
Just adding to what I have said , if anyone is interested (Somehow this topic has become about throttle stops) here is a good article of G-Forces g-force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NHRA News: Super Gas racer dies after crash at NHRA SPORTSnationals (9/21/2008)
NHRA.com did write an article on this, the only problem is that it did not make big time news. I think something like this needs to be a big deal. Hopefully the drag racing world will take note of this and make the proper adjustments.
NHRA.com did write an article on this, the only problem is that it did not make big time news. I think something like this needs to be a big deal. Hopefully the drag racing world will take note of this and make the proper adjustments.
Yeah, you had to go searching for it.
John D.
Nitro Member
I think this whole accident issue is getting a little off-base. Drag Racing is not safe. As a Viewpoint article in our next issue of Drag Racing Action (Jan09-on sale mid-October) points out "100% safety in 100% of all scenarios is an unrealistic goal." That being said, what concerns me particularly about the McRobie incident is not what caused the accident; after all, it could have been any number of reasons; however, what caused the fatality? Is there something that could be passed onto other racers with regards to safety? Head and neck restraints, better seat belt mounting, better seats, roll bar padding, etc. I don't know what caused McRobie's accident or the reasons for the fatality, but I think it would be helpful to know. I understand there might be legal ramifications for the acknowledgement of the issue, but the h### with legal. We need to be safe! -John DiBartolomeo
Joker
Nitro Member
Have you guys heard about this:
Developing News: Driver dies after wreck at slick dragstrip | track, buff, driver : The Star Online : The Newspaper of Cleveland County
Some stupid kid ran down the track the wrong way after the track closed and hydroplaned and killed himself at about 40 mph. I sure hope the track owners dont get sued over something this retarded. My condolences to his family though.
Developing News: Driver dies after wreck at slick dragstrip | track, buff, driver : The Star Online : The Newspaper of Cleveland County
Some stupid kid ran down the track the wrong way after the track closed and hydroplaned and killed himself at about 40 mph. I sure hope the track owners dont get sued over something this retarded. My condolences to his family though.
John you actually zoned in on the reason I started the thread. It's usually easy to determine what causes an accident, but the real concern is why didn't a driver survive it. Many fuel drivers have said that the HANS device has saved them from disaster, but we know that this device is just as important to someone hitting a wall at 100mph as it is at 300.
clwill
Nitro Member
I agree Nunzio and John. Drag racing isn't 100% safe, and wouldn't be worth doing if it was. Clearly the attraction to many of the participants and the fans is the chance to walk up to the edge and peer over.
The key thing is to examine each and every accident in detail to determine what caused it, and then move to remove easily preventable causes. We've seen this course of action time and again in the NHRA and it has consistently shown to save lives.
From the control of various staging line games (e.g. "the last movement to stage must be in a forward direction"), to the introduction of various shields (e.g. behind the driver's head after Darrell's accident), to going to 1000' while they figure out shutdown area problems, the sport moves forward by small steps building on the backs of previous tragedy. It happens that way in every endeavor, from aircraft and auto design, to football and other sports.
As fans, we just need to hold them to careful investigations and reasonable responses. To expect nothing to change would be ridiculous -- one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
The key thing is to examine each and every accident in detail to determine what caused it, and then move to remove easily preventable causes. We've seen this course of action time and again in the NHRA and it has consistently shown to save lives.
From the control of various staging line games (e.g. "the last movement to stage must be in a forward direction"), to the introduction of various shields (e.g. behind the driver's head after Darrell's accident), to going to 1000' while they figure out shutdown area problems, the sport moves forward by small steps building on the backs of previous tragedy. It happens that way in every endeavor, from aircraft and auto design, to football and other sports.
As fans, we just need to hold them to careful investigations and reasonable responses. To expect nothing to change would be ridiculous -- one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
FABMAN
Nitro Member
It has been 20 yrs since i have drove a race car because of neck injury so i can tell you the importance of the neck restraint. When my grandchildren start racing they will use all safety features available to them, a lot of drivers say they're uncomfortable but you life and well being is worth getting use to wearing them.
