HANS device
Encyclopedia
  |
The HANS device (also known as a head restraint) (Head and Neck Support device) is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports. It reduces the likelihood of head and/or neck injuries, such as a basilar skull fracture
Basilar skull fracture
A basilar skull fracture is a fracture of the base of the skull, typically involving the temporal bone, occipital bone, sphenoid bone, and/or ethmoid bone....
, in the event of a crash.
Description
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
s on either side, much like the Hutchens device
Hutchens device
The Hutchens device is a device for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap...
but placed slightly back. In a properly installed 5-point or 6-point racing harness, the belts that cross the driver's upper body pass directly over the HANS device on the driver's shoulders, and buckle at the center of the driver's abdomen. Therefore, the HANS device is secured with the body of the driver, not the seat.
The purpose of the device is to stop the head from "whipping forward" in a crash, without otherwise restricting movement of the neck. In a crash, an unprotected body is decelerated by the seatbelt with the head maintaining velocity until it is decelerated by the neck. The HANS device maintains the relative position of the head to the body, with the device transferring energy to the much stronger chest, torso, shoulder, seatbelts and seat as the head is decelerated.
History
The device was designed in the early 1980s by Dr. Robert Hubbard, a professor of biomechanical engineeringBiomechanical engineering
Biomechanical Engineering is a bioengineering subdiscipline which applies principles of mechanical engineering to biological systems and stems from the scientific discipline of biomechanics. Many cases are related to Biomedical engineering and Agricultural engineering.- Research Groups:...
at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. After talking to his brother-in-law, road-racer Jim Downing
Jim Downing
James "Jim" Downing, born January 4, 1942, in Atlanta, Georgia, is the five-time IMSA Championship winning, owner/driver of , and principal in the development of the HANS Device.-Personal life:...
, after the death of one of their mutual friends, Patrick Jacquemart who was killed in IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
testing accident at Mid-Ohio, when his Renault Le Car struck a sandbank leaving him dead on arrival with head injuries, it was decided that some sort of protection was required to help prevent injuries from sudden stops, especially during accidents. A major cause of death amongst drivers during races was through violent head movements, where the body remains in place because of the seat belt
Seat belt
A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
s but the momentum keeps the head moving forwards, causing a Basilar skull fracture
Basilar skull fracture
A basilar skull fracture is a fracture of the base of the skull, typically involving the temporal bone, occipital bone, sphenoid bone, and/or ethmoid bone....
resulting in serious injury or immediate death.
Notable race car drivers who died from Basilar skull fractures include:
- Formula 1 driver Roland RatzenbergerRoland RatzenbergerRoland Ratzenberger was an Austrian racing driver who raced in Formula Nippon, Formula 3000 and Formula One...
in the 1994 San Marino Formula One Grand Prix1994 San Marino Grand PrixThe 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season... - Indy 500 drivers Scott BraytonScott BraytonScott Everets Brayton was a race car driver from Coldwater, Michigan, on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event...
, Bill VukovichBill VukovichBill Vukovich was a Serbian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races...
and Tony BettenhausenTony BettenhausenMelvin E. "Tony" Bettenhausen was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958.... - NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
drivers Adam PettyAdam PettyAdam Kyler Petty was a professional racing driver. He was the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history.-Early life:...
, Tony RoperTony RoperAnthony Dean "Tony" Roper was a NASCAR driver. He was born in Springfield, Missouri, to Dean Roper and Shirley Medley. Growing up his family was heavily involved in auto racing. Roper started racing in 1986. For the next six years Tony raced in IMCA Modifieds and late models on Midwest dirt and...
, Kenny Irwin Jr., Terry SchoonoverTerry SchoonoverTerry Schoonover was a racecar driver. He was born in New Lebanon, Ohio....
, Grant AdcoxGrant AdcoxGrant Adcox was a stock car racing driver who died in a single-car accident in the 1989 Atlanta Journal 500 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.-Career:...
, Neil BonnettNeil BonnettLawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
, John NemechekJohn NemechekJohn Nemechek , was a race car driver who was killed in an accident during a Craftsman truck race at Homestead, Florida.-Life and racing career:...
, Dale EarnhardtDale EarnhardtRalph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
, J. D. McDuffie and Clifford Allison - ARCAAutomobile Racing Club of AmericaAutomobile Racing Club of America is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States, founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager. The ARCA RE/MAX Series races stock cars similar to those seen in past years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and indeed most cars...
driver Blaise AlexanderBlaise AlexanderBlaise Alexander was a stock car racer from Montoursville, Pennsylvania. He began racing at the age of 12 in go-karts, winning the coveted World Karting Association East Regional championship in 1992. In 1995, he moved south to Mooresville, North Carolina and was named Rookie of the Year in the... - CARTChamp CarChamp Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
drivers Jovy MarceloJovy MarceloEdward Jovy Marcelo was a Filipino race car driver from Quezon City, Philippines, who was killed in practice for the 1992 Indianapolis 500....
and Gonzalo Rodriguez
While death from such injuries is usually immediate, some drivers have survived Basilar skull fractures such as NASCAR's Ernie Irvan
Ernie Irvan
Virgil Earnest Irvan, more commonly known as Ernie Irvan is a former race driver in NASCAR. He is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers...
and F1's
Philippe Streiff
Philippe Streiff
Philippe Streiff is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 55 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 21, 1984...
.
Dr. Hubbard has had extensive experience as a biomechanical crash engineer, including in General Motors' auto safety program. His first prototype was developed in 1985, and in crash tests in 1989—the first to use crash sleds and crash dummies using race car seat belt harnesses—the energy exerted on the head and neck was lowered by some 80%.
After major racing safety companies declined to produce the product, Hubbard and Downing formed Hubbard Downing Inc, to develop, manufacture, sell and promote the HANS in 1991. However, the product languished until 1994, when Formula 1 showed interest in the wake of deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
. In 1999, CART driver Gonzalo Rodriguez was killed after suffering a basilar skull fracture in a crash. At the same time, Mercedes was completing research of the HANS for their Formula 1 program, finally deciding that it out-performed their airbag project.
On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was killed in the Daytona 500, the 4th death in NASCAR in a 14-month span due to basilar skull fractures. While it is still debated whether his death was the result of a broken seat belt, or inadequate head and neck restraint, the fact remained that he died of a Basilar skull fracture, which is prevented by the proper use of belts and a head / neck restraint. Dr. Hubbard is quoted:
"...(I was) shocked by that. I recorded about 80 entries in my telephone log the first day. And I didn't even write them all down. I was on National television 10 times that Monday. I had been down in Florida and came home on Friday and went cross country skiing in Michigan. So, I didn't know he died until I got home and there was voice mail on my answering machine at 10 o'clock at night. I actually had 2 interviews that night before I went to bed."
Before this point, many drivers, including Earnhardt Sr., resisted the HANS (and similar) devices, claiming them to be uncomfortable, more restrictive and fearing that it would cause more injuries and problems than it prevented. Some stated that the positioning of the device made the seat belts feel less secure or rubbed on the shoulders or collar bone. Earnhardt Sr. himself referred to the device as "that damn noose
Noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot slides to make the loop collapsible. Knots used for making nooses include the running bowline, the tarbuck knot, and the slip knot.-Use in hanging:...
", claiming the tethers would sooner hang
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
him than save him in the event of a crash. The week after the death of Earnhardt Sr. at Rockingham Mark Martin had said "I would not wear one for anything ill just keep my fingers crossed and take my chances" However, drivers were not willing to participate in the process of perfecting the fit, and endure the limitations imposed by such devices.
The device was first adopted by the National Hot Rod Association in 1996, following the death of Top Fuel driver Blaine Johnson
Blaine Johnson
Blaine H. Johnson was a professional drag racer.Blaine, along with his life-long crew chief and brother, Alan, were competitors in the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Series, a series which they entered in 1988...
, but wasn't a mandatory device until 2004, after the death of 2003 Top Fuel Rookie of the Year Darrell Russell
Darrell Russell (drag racer)
Darrell Russell was an NHRA drag racer. He was the 2001 NHRA Rookie Of The Year. At the time, he was only the third driver to win in his Professional debut....
, who was killed during the Sears Craftsman Nationals in Madison, Illinois
Madison, Illinois
Madison is a city in Madison County and partially in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,545 at the 2000 census. It is home to Gateway International Raceway and the first Bulgarian Orthodox church in the United States.-Geography:...
. Since that time, all drivers in all categories, either professional, or sportsman, must wear a HANS device, or risk immediate disqualification from the event. Much like NASCAR, the NHRA authorized the use of both the HANS, and the Hutchens device
Hutchens device
The Hutchens device is a device for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap...
until 2005, when the HANS became the sole head and neck restraint device used. The major difference between the HANS device used in NASCAR, CART, or Formula 1, and the one used in the NHRA is that the main part of the device is molded from high strength polymers. The NHRA version is also wrapped with seven layers of Nomex
Nomex
Nomex is a registered trademark for flame resistant meta-aramid material developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967.- Properties:...
fabric, which is the same material as the seven layer fire suits that all NHRA drivers must wear. This extra precaution prevents the device from melting should an engine fire occur.
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
mandated HANS devices in 2003 after extensive testing, sharing the results with other FIA affiliates. Using that information, CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
made the device compulsory for oval tracks in 2001, later requiring the HANS devices for all circuits. Starting in October, 2001, NASCAR mandated either the HANS or Hutchens device
Hutchens device
The Hutchens device is a device for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap...
head and neck restraint be used, going with the HANS device exclusively starting in 2005. ARCA
Automobile Racing Club of America
Automobile Racing Club of America is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States, founded in 1953 by John Marcum. The current president of ARCA is Ron Drager. The ARCA RE/MAX Series races stock cars similar to those seen in past years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and indeed most cars...
followed suit in the wake of a basal skull fracture crash fatality in an ARCA race at Lowe's
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in October 2001 which claimed the life of Blaise Alexander
Blaise Alexander
Blaise Alexander was a stock car racer from Montoursville, Pennsylvania. He began racing at the age of 12 in go-karts, winning the coveted World Karting Association East Regional championship in 1992. In 1995, he moved south to Mooresville, North Carolina and was named Rookie of the Year in the...
. The World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
and Australian V8 Supercar Series made the device compulsory for drivers in the 2005 season.
Acceptance by drivers was helped by the addition of quick-release shackles developed and implemented by Ashley Tilling. They were sourced from the marine industry, being used on racing sailboat rigging. The shackles allowed the drivers a simple and quick pull to release the HANS device and exit their vehicle. The first driver to utilize them was NASCAR driver Scott Pruett of PPI Motorsports. Shackles were also used on the Hutchens device and others.
Today, most major auto racing sanctioning bodies mandate the use of head and neck restraints; the FIA has made HANS use compulsory for all International-level events from the beginning of 2009. Even monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
drivers use the HANS device in many events.
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.
Results
One of the first people to benefit from the implementation of the HANS device was North Carolina Governor, Mike EasleyMike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
. On May 2, 2003 the governor was running laps for charity at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
when he lost control of Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
's #48 stock car, slamming into the wall at approximately 120 mph. The Governor was unhurt, and actually returned to the track in about one hour, this time driving Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
's car.
During the 2007 F1 Canadian Grand Prix
2007 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2007 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 June 2007, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It was the sixth race of the 2007 Formula One season...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Robert Kubica
Robert Kubica
Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...
survived a 230 km/h (143 mph) crash into a concrete barrier. Kubica escaped relatively unscathed, suffering only a mild concussion and sprained ankle. The accident was very similar to the one that claimed the life of Roland Ratzenberger
Roland Ratzenberger
Roland Ratzenberger was an Austrian racing driver who raced in Formula Nippon, Formula 3000 and Formula One...
in 1994.
A few weeks later in the GP2 Series
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
sprint race at Magny-Cours, Venezuelan driver Ernesto Viso
E. J. Viso
Ernesto José Viso Lossada is a Venezuelan race car driver. He is commonly referred to as Ernesto Viso or, since his move to American racing, E. J. Viso....
's car somersaulted over the barriers at tremendous speed, smashing through an advertising hoarding and narrowly missing a bridge, leaving the Venezuelan only a severe concussion and painful arm. Viso later revealed in an interview that after seeing Kubica's crash, he had decided to tighten up the straps on his own HANS device, and admitted it probably saved his life.
Another driver to benefit from the use of a HANS Device was 14-time NHRA Funny Car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
Champion, John Force
John Force
John Harold Force is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories...
. During a race against fellow racer Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King dragster, he has also been nicknamed "The King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start...
at the Texas Motorplex
Texas Motorplex
The Texas Motorplex is a quarter mile drag racing facility located in Ennis, Texas. Built in 1986 by former funny car driver Billy Meyer, the Motorplex was the first National Hot Rod Association "super track." It annually hosts the NHRA O'Reilly Fall Nationals each September, when hundreds of...
, Force's car broke in two after severe tire shake, sending the rear part, containing the cockpit into the wall at almost 300 mph, before coming to rest at the track's halfway point. Force received several injuries, including a fractured ankle, bilateral wrist fractures, several severed finger tips and a severe laceration to his right leg, but received no head injuries.
In April 2008 at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
, Michael McDowell, a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver who was a rookie making his second career start in the Sprint Cup Series, lost control entering Turn 1 during qualifying and slammed the wall head-on at approximately 185 mph, barrel-rolling
Barrel roll
A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on its longitudinal axis while following a helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes described as "a combination of a loop and a roll"...
eight times after the initial impact. After the crash McDowell exited his #00 Aarons Toyota and walked away with no injuries.
In October 2011, Jimmie Johnson crashed into the wall at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in almost the exact
angle of Dale Earnhardt Sr's fatal crash in 2001. Johnson suffered minor injuries. The HANS device was immediately credited with avoiding a tragic outcome.