SEATBELT ANGLES: 0-10 IN TEN
At the recent meeting of Speedway Australia’s National Safety Committee, the importance of correct seatbelt mounting was high on the agenda.
Speedway is a sport that attracts a high proportion of spinal injuries, due to the varying stresses that are placed on the body during an accident. Luckily there are experts and organisations dealing with the problem, and it’s been established that a seatbelt angle from the shoulder to the belt mounting bar of between zero and ten degrees is optimal to minimise the injury risk.
Most smartphones come with an app that makes it very easy to check belt angles once the driver is seated in the car. We encourage pit crew and family members to whip out their phone and check the belt angle once their competitor is strapped in. This is a 10 second check that could greatly reduce the risk of injury.
For more details, check out the SFI Foundation’s handy guide, available here