Safety and basic driving rules....

[yoshi]

what was the situation with the funco buggy that the guy died? just curious about cause so i dont repeat it.

His seatbelt broke. There are a couple possibilities. The first is that his belt was already loose, and since he was a fairly large guy the weight thrown into the loose belts was enough to break them and throw him out of the rail. The second is that since his seat was broke in the accident, maybe that's where the slack in the belt came from. Some people blamed faulty seatbelts but Crow makes good stuff and that has never happened before.


As far as your question on how to prevent it, keep your belt snug, make sure the belts attach no lower than 6 inches below your shoulders on the tube behind you, solid mount your seat as tracks are a weak point and make sure the seat is firmly attached to a roll bar right behind it so it can't break and bend backward like the Funco rail did...

[stew6371]

sucks to hear about someone dieing from a hobby like this. thanx for info.
as far as the helmet restraint, it is a must. that is what killed dale earnhardt. his neck stretched until his neck snapped. they also said it stretched far enough for his chin to hit the steering wheel. now nascar drivers are required to wear a hans device.

[tenaja]

what was the situation with the funco buggy that the guy died? just curious about cause so i dont repeat it.

His seatbelt broke. There are a couple possibilities. The first is that his belt was already loose, and since he was a fairly large guy the weight thrown into the loose belts was enough to break them and throw him out of the rail. The second is that since his seat was broke in the accident, maybe that's where the slack in the belt came from. Some people blamed faulty seatbelts but Crow makes good stuff and that has never happened before. ...

You missed one possibility...
The guy might have hit so hard that even if the seatbelt would have held, he would have died anyway. Remember, there is no point in building a seatbelt that can withstand 100g's, because the human body gives out at what, 7?

[yoshi]

what was the situation with the funco buggy that the guy died? just curious about cause so i dont repeat it.

His seatbelt broke. There are a couple possibilities. The first is that his belt was already loose, and since he was a fairly large guy the weight thrown into the loose belts was enough to break them and throw him out of the rail. The second is that since his seat was broke in the accident, maybe that's where the slack in the belt came from. Some people blamed faulty seatbelts but Crow makes good stuff and that has never happened before. ...

You missed one possibility...
The guy might have hit so hard that even if the seatbelt would have held, he would have died anyway. Remember, there is no point in building a seatbelt that can withstand 100g's, because the human body gives out at what, 7?

I dunno, I understand the flip was pretty bad but i've heard alot of other cases where people that were as big if not bigger had worse flips and not had the belt break. The important thing is the belt stays snug at all times, a little bit of slack throws alot more "G's" into the equasion and that's where the fault will occure. I have never heard of another single seat belt failure, ever, and it has been talked about alot lately. If there were a case, someone who knew someone who knew someone would have said something by now...

[2lcf]

i have a good example of a helmet without a neckbrace, even on a quad.

two years ago, i was a dumbass and tried to show off a bit by hammering it thru 2 small water puddles, little did i know the second one was not a puddle it was a hole, when the front tire hit the second puddle i believe my suspension was just starting to compress from momentum, the tire decided it was going to stop, it planted itself and threw me over the left front corner, i landed square on my side and shoulder, didnt even bruse my shoulder, but from momentum my head went side ways also, and when my body stopped my head probbaly gained speed, anyway the lower ridge of my helmet made contact with the center of my collar bone and remove a piece the same witdth as the helmet, it was extremely painfull and now airports do not like me.i think if i would have had a neck support on i probbally would have shook it off and continued to ride. instead i took the ambulance ride out and ended up with a 10" scar on my body.

OK............now I understand what happened to BUGPAC..............


just kiddin............luckily that's the only injury you received.....

I have seen and heard of soooo many accidents where people are wearing and not wearing seat belts.........in my personal opinion, seatbelts are a must in the buggies, the helmet issue is still a big topic, with the weight throwing your head around and causing more neck trauma....what people must remember,,,you and you buggy are not invinsible.....you are flesh and blood......you must respect your buggies capabilities.......and don't be a fool, don't drink and drive/ride........

[SchutzhundGSD]

I'd like to add another recommended item if I may. Having grown up racing 1/4 midgets, I was exposed to alot of safety gear. My parents always made sure I had the best stuff for the job, sometimes to the point that I got made fun of, but now, it's a mandatory measure for some of the stuff we used. Anyway, in a violent wreck, it's hard to keep your hands on the wheel, which results in hands and arms getting out of the cage. The best solution is arm restraints, but cage nets work pretty good too.

[Gene]

I've seen them on the shelf and read about them. What is the thing connected to other than your wrist? Do you find some location that keeps your had from passing a certain point and how do you find tha point?
Gene

[KWiKSand]

I have never used them, but I believe they just attach to the seat belts.

[yoshi]

They attach to your lapbelt so you still have free motion for the wheel and shifter, but not enough to go out the window in a tumble....

[K-fab]

With wrist restraints, make sure that you attach them to the lap belts where they go into the lock - beit buckle, cam lock, or rotory knob - right against the locking mechanism.

The idea is that when you have to bail out quickly (fire!), and you release the harness lock it lets the wrist restraints free and you can get out with the restraints still attached to your arms.

Too often people attache the wrist restraints to something fixed in the car or on the wrong spot on the safety harness and when they unbuckle the harness, they're still held in by the wrist restraints.

It's a common mistake that could cause some major issues....

Lemme out, LEMME OUT!!! :shock: :shock:

I have mine long enough to allow me to reach the top of the wheel, and, of all things, scratch my nose or adjust my glasses when I'm racing. Any longer and I can get too close to the window.