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Originally Posted by fredens
The lead instructor for our group said “the Germans” had done extensive research and determined that BMW safety systems — meaning seat belts and airbags — had advanced to the point that the risk of a neck injury caused by the additional head momentum of a helmet was higher than any safety benefit that a helmet without a HANS might provide. This was not “some guy on the Internet”; it’s Performance Center policy, which must be approved by drivers, doctors (shorthand for safety professionals), and lawyers. I don’t believe it’s a step BMW would take lightly.
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The thing is, people like telling stories even if they they don't have all of the information. This instructor and apparently one at Thermal according to a story I read earlier this week.
While it might be Performance Center policy, don't assume that doctors/safety professionals and lawyers were involved in the way you think they should. Do assume that maintaining a fleet of many sized helmets that are no more than 5 years old is a huge expense. Also having different models of helmets in all sizes to accommodate various head shapes. Nothing will ruin your enjoyment of the driving event quicker than a headache caused by an ill-fitting helmet.
What the research likely showed is that with the way the events are designed and run along with the safety systems in the car, participants not wearing a helmet isn't significantly more risky. I doubt the research shows that wearing a helmet is more risky, but again would like to proven wrong by the details of this research.
Take a look at the attached image, even if it is a bit old.
BMW runs a safe event, the instruction is top notch, and there hasn't been any significant incident. That being said, “Safety regulations are written in blood.” There are several examples of seemingly reputable organizations making shocking oversights that were uncovered after unfortunate tragedies.
https://www.wesh.com/article/1-kille...rience/4441506 - what contributed to this fatality was that the event was being driven in the reverse of the usual direction and the barriers and run off wasn't designed for it in all areas.
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With this in mind, I advocate that drivers of late-model street vehicles should have the OPTION of signing a waiver and not wearing a helmet at HPDE events.
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That's not going to happen in the US. Nobody wants to keep a list of acceptable late-model vehicles that should be safe, allowing a participant to sign a waiver to run the event without a helmet, and still risk getting sued when there is a mistake in the list or the airbags malfunction.
Speaking of airbags malfunctioning, even if it is a bit of a tangent. Late model Volvo vehicles have some of the best safety ratings. But if you look at the Volvo documentation for disconnecting and reconnecting the main battery, it says that the first time you turn on the vehicle after reconnecting the main battery, you should do it from the rear seat to avoid getting injured by the air bags deploying (also attached).
While it's a rare occurrence for air bags to deploy after disconnecting the battery, it's far more common for air bags or at least some of the necessary air bags
not to deploy in certain impacts. That's why it's important to have multiple levels of protection, with the helmet being your final and possibly least effective level of protection.
What you should be advocating for is that the manufacturers of performance vehicles should make it easier for us to install and use safety gear like harnesses with little or no modifications to factory equipment. Scroth Quick Fit Pro in my E92 is an amazing upgrade. The G80 with bucket seats and cut outs for harnesses but no place to mount them is lousy.