> Here's an interesting little detail: I don't know of any race/competition
> vehicles that use airbags. (Nascar, F1, Indy, etc...)
I've noticed this comment a couple of times, and feel compelled to
add my own two cents. I remember a LOT of discussion about airbags
in NASCAR after Ernie Irvan T-boned the wall during practice and damn
near died (concensus was the airbag wouldn't have done squat; his brain
smacked against the front of his skull in spite of the full complement of
NASCAR-mandated safety equipment which still went a long way towards saving
his life). The upshot is that there are some crashes that can kill you,
no matter how much or what type of safety equipment is used.
One reason airbags aren't used in competition is that there are many
collisions where driver action can prevent further crashing and damage.
Airbags temporarily disable the driver's ability to control a vehicle.
This is one reason airbags make me nervous. What if I hit an obstruction,
and go careening towards that tree on the side of the road as the
airbag explodes in my face and forces my hands off the wheel?
Can you imagine short track Winston Cup racing where airbags go off
every time they trade a little paint? ;)
Ron
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:08:08 EDT