Safety Equipment -Use it or Lose IT
Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2001 3:01 pm
The 2001 Daytona 500
I watched the race this past Sunday. I thought how very fortunate it was that Tony Stewart did not have fatal injuries when his car became airborne in the 19 car pileup near the end of the race.
However, two hours after the race ended, I was shocked to hear of the death of Dale Earnhardt. I saw the crash on the last lap and the rescue workers attempting to remove him from the car. The fact that no movement was coming from the car was frightening to me. I knew the injuries were going to be serious but I was not ready to accept death.
I am not one of Dale's fans but I admired his tenacity and talent immensely. Race fans will miss him very much.
As a racing fan, I want to see a good race with everyone competing fiercely but death should not be an outcome of the competition.
Racing at 180+ MPH without the head and neck restraints is a blatant disregard of safety. Nascar recommended that drivers use the HANS (head and neck safety device), but did not require them to do so.
Only 4 drivers chose to wear the HANS devices.
The debate will go on and on whether this HANS would have saved Dale’s life. Certainly, we know one thing. Dale did not even give it a chance to prove if it could have worked.
Full speed sparring without the proper protective equipment is also disregarding safety. In tournaments you are not allowed to compete without it.
We can learn a lesson from this tragic incident. While sparring in the dojo, if you want to step up your level of competition or if you are doing scenario training, please wear the proper protective equipment (CUPS INCLUDED). As least give it a chance to diminish the injuries.
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Len Testa
I watched the race this past Sunday. I thought how very fortunate it was that Tony Stewart did not have fatal injuries when his car became airborne in the 19 car pileup near the end of the race.
However, two hours after the race ended, I was shocked to hear of the death of Dale Earnhardt. I saw the crash on the last lap and the rescue workers attempting to remove him from the car. The fact that no movement was coming from the car was frightening to me. I knew the injuries were going to be serious but I was not ready to accept death.
I am not one of Dale's fans but I admired his tenacity and talent immensely. Race fans will miss him very much.
As a racing fan, I want to see a good race with everyone competing fiercely but death should not be an outcome of the competition.
Racing at 180+ MPH without the head and neck restraints is a blatant disregard of safety. Nascar recommended that drivers use the HANS (head and neck safety device), but did not require them to do so.
Only 4 drivers chose to wear the HANS devices.
The debate will go on and on whether this HANS would have saved Dale’s life. Certainly, we know one thing. Dale did not even give it a chance to prove if it could have worked.
Full speed sparring without the proper protective equipment is also disregarding safety. In tournaments you are not allowed to compete without it.
We can learn a lesson from this tragic incident. While sparring in the dojo, if you want to step up your level of competition or if you are doing scenario training, please wear the proper protective equipment (CUPS INCLUDED). As least give it a chance to diminish the injuries.
------------------
Len Testa