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Abstract
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The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) made shoulder harnesses mandatory equipment beginning in January 1967. Other automobile racing organizations (United States Automobile Club, (USAC); National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing, (NASCAR); and National Hotrod Association) have required shoulder harnesses as long ago as 1960. SCCA delayed in their installation because of the many problems in installing harnesses in a variety of automobile types, the majority of which are production cars. Mandatory use of shoulder harnesses was delayed until there was reasonable certainty that the harnesses would not produce injury.
Potential injury from shoulder harnesses arises from two mechanisms:
1. Lateral displacement of the head, neck and upper torso results from side rollover accidents and side impact accidents. Impingement of the shoulder harness strap against the side of the neck or the shoulder girdle may result in injury to the neck, shoulder girdle and chest.
2. "Submarining" is a phenomenon in which the restrained occupant slips from beneath the restraint system, allowing the lap belt to move upward over the soft part of the abdomen, and occasionally the chest and neck. Serious or mortal injury may occur in this situation.
The United States Automobile Club and the National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing are professional racing organizations. Both have recognized the potential injury hazards of shoulder harnesses and taken steps to prevent injury from harnesses. The USAC uses single seat cars with narrow bodies which prevent lateral displacement of the driver's upper torso. NASCAR uses modified stock cars with special deep bucket seats which contact the sides of the driver's chest and effectively prevent lateral displacement. To prevent submarining, USAC recommends that the seats have a deep trough for the buttocks and a hop-up for the thighs to prevent forward displacement with a head-on impact. NASCAR uses a different approach by requiring groin straps which anchor to the seat and to the lap and shoulder belt buckle. These straps are virtually identical to parachute harness straps.
These issues are discussed as applied to racing cars and to passenger cars. |