When preparing for an automobile race, there can be many steps to ensuring the safety of the driver. In just 7 steps, anyone can be properly suited up, safe and ready to go. Racing is a dangerous sport, so it is extremely important that all steps are done in a serious fashion and done correctly. Safety is the first priority of any racer, so these seven steps are seen as extremely important to drivers.
Proper equipment to use
Make sure all the proper safety equipment is available and in good condition. Good condition is considered to have no holes, no dents, chips and so on. In order for safety equipment to work efficiently, they must be in the correct condition.The proper equipment to have is a fire suit of your choice, a racing helmet, racing gloves, racing shoes and a HANS safety device. Once one has all of the equipment, they are ready to get geared up.
Comfortable clothing
Underneath all of the safety gear, you need to have comfortable clothes on. It may vary depending on the sex of the person or what the specific person likes. For females it’s normally leggings, shorts, or spanks and a tank top, or t-shirt. For males it’s boxers or shorts and a wife beater or t-shirt. Make sure you have ankle socks on as well. Make sure you feel 100% comfortable because it gets very warm under all the gear.
Fire suit
Now that we’re all ready to go we can start to put on the safety gear. The first piece of safety equipment is the fire suit. There are many different types and varieties of fire suits, but it again, depends on the person’s specific liking. There are one piece and two piece fire suits, so make sure every zipper on all parts of the fire suit are completely zipped up leaving no room for error. The more covered in fire retardant gear, the better chances are for safety.
Shoes
Now that the fire suit is on, slip the fire proof racing shoes on and tie them. When tying the shoes, make sure the laces are tucked into the shoe, so it does not get caught on any of the pedals inside the race car. Also, make sure the shoes are tied not too tightly so circulation is not cut off and not too loosely so the shoes do not fall off as well. Pull the pant legs of your fire suit over your ankles so there is no gap between the shoes and fire suit.
Helmet
It is time to now put the racing helmet on. Helmets are an extremely important necessity for race car drivers because of the protection it gives the drivers skull, brain, and neck. Put the helmet on so it’s completely pushed down and secure the bottom rope just like a belt. This prevents the helmet from falling off your head in an accident.
HANS Device
There are a couple different devices that do similar or the same thing as a HANS, but HANS is definitely the most reliant. A HANS device is a device that straps onto the back of your helmet and sits over your shoulders and back of your neck so we can not move your head very well side to side. The HANS device is essential to a drivers neck and spine safety. These devices are expensive, but well worth the investment.
Gloves
Almost done! The only thing left to do now is to put on the racing gloves. Not only do the gloves protect the skin on the hands, but also protects the hands from the grip of the steering wheel leaving blisters and sometimes sores.
There it is. 7 simple steps to being fully prepared and safely prepared to race a race car. It’s important all the safety equipment is in good condition and can be used without any doubt. Comfort and safety of race car drivers is important and without it, the sport may be even more dangerous than it already is.
Taylor L Therrien
