HANS Device Plus The Halo Saved Romain Grosjean.

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Formula One car from 1994 with no real protection compared to today's racing cars. The cockpit is wide open leaving the driver totally exposed.

Yesterday most of us that follow Formula One witnessed an accident that can only be described as a lucky escape. This was putting all the safety elements that have been introduced over the last 5 years into one massive test.

The HALO was introduced when Rubens Barichello was hit by flying debris kicked up by the car in front and nearly killed him. There was a lot of opposition to the Halo at the time with many saying the cosmetics of the car didn't look great. They also said it would impede the driver from getting out the car if there was a serious accident. that could be true but then there is also a release mechanism that allows the rescuers to lift the entire seat out with the driver still buckled in.

The halo did it's job yesterday and without it we surely would be talking about another fatality in the sport. the halo can resist up to 20 tonnes of force and as the car went through the barrier it actually created a safe path protecting Romains head. The Halo was only part of it though as the HANS device is what kept Romain Grosjean from losing consciousness. That type of impact would have been so severe most people would have lost consciousness and when the seconds are ticking away with a raging inferno around you the chances of getting out unscathed are less likely. It is estimated that a severe front on impact can be as much as 40 G's exerted on the body and the muscles in the neck would not be able to stop the helmet whipping forward on it's own.

The HANS device is made out of carbon Fiber and is a head restraint that prevents the head and thorax from jerking forward in a front on impact. The device slips over the shoulders and runs up the top half of the spine keeping the helmet in place. There are two sets of straps that act like a seat belt for the helmet and head. This simple device keeps the head still and stops the whiplash type of effect that could jar the brain causing the driver to lose consciousness. Think of it like an air bag for the head that relies on supporting straps.

In the past we have seen head injuries caused by a helmeted weighed head cause more damage than anything else. The whipping action used to cause basilar skull fractures with tragic results mainly resulting with brain trauma.

In 1991 the HANS device was introduced and sales were very slow until Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 at the Daytona 500. Up to that point 250 units had been sold in 10 years. Since that tragic accident more than 140 000 units have been sold world wide and the FIA and other sanctioning bodies have made this mandatory in order to be able to race.

It will be interesting to see what new additions we will have over the next 10 or even 20 years as technology is being driven on all fronts. Fuel that isn't flammable surely has to be at the top of the list now as yesterdays accident was another wake up call. Fire has not been an issue for nearly 20 years so there is still work to be done.