<<Everything is a tradeoff. Let the experts make the call.>>
I guess Mr. Sirota just made my point. Why won't NASCAR let the experts make
the call?
If Eanhardt trinkets were 40% of NASCAR's $500m annual trinket revenue why
aren't they trying to keep the family jewels safe?
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Sirota [mailto:msirota@isc.upenn.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 9:19 PM
To: Eric Salem; Mark J. Andy
Cc: 'TeamdotNet'
Subject: Re: NASCAR officials say Earnhardt's belt ripped
Eric Salem wrote:
> Other questions from an arm-chair quarterback:
>
> Full Face helmets are not safer than open face helmets? Hello.
Open face helmets typically offer wider field of view, and they're
lighter. So no, depending on the details of the incident, full face
helmets are not necessarily safer.
> one-time crush rollcage padding isn't an advance over the old-style
> foam?
Not if your head comes back to hit it in the same place, it might not
be. Depends on the details of the incident.
> crush-able foam isn't an advancement over concrete walls?
No, not if the typical angle of attack to the wall is shallow. Anything
crushable will tend to "catch" the car and throw it back, while cars
simply slide along the concrete while they dissipate energy. Depends
on the nature of the crash.
Everything is a tradeoff. Let the experts make the call.
Mark Andy followed:
> ... If safety equipment only affects the individual, then leave it up
> to the individual.
>
> (One thing I'm wondering is how many NASCAR team sponsors are calling
> up their teams saying that the HANS device just became required. Note
> that safety gear _does_ directly affect the sponsors).
Safety gear also certainly affects the sanctioning body. Look all
these people beating up on Nascar for not being more proactive with
respect to safety -- don't you think this is all gonna hurt 'em where
it counts (in the wallet)? They have a vested interest in preventing
injuries too, just like the sponsors, the teams, and the drivers.
Mark
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