[DeTomaso] NPC: Racing Safety

[michael@michaelshortt.com]

I've used them all and prefer the "Duck-Head" or "Duck-Bill"  latch.

It takes some effort to latch it and get it off, never seen one release

in an accident.

Michael

Here's an example, same thing that is in my car.

http://www.gforce.com/products/harness/6020.php




On Fri, Nov 18, 2011 at 2:31 PM, <MikeLDrew at aol.com> wrote:

>
> In a message dated 11/18/11 8 45 58, asajay at asajay.com writes:
>
>
> > Another good illustration was the sedan that rolled a few times and
> > when it stopped, you could see through the windows, the drivers feet
> > and legs sticking up.  He had been totally turned over inside the car
> > during the roll.  Being thrown around on the inside without a seat
> > belt can't be too good either.
> >
>
> FWIW, I have a friend (he's the co-founder of the open-track/racing
> sanctioning group NASA; we went to high school together) who was running a
> borrowed
> SCCA VW Scirocco at Sears Point many years ago.   He managed to get turn 10
> all wrong, wound up brushing the wall and the car then barrel-rolled down
> the straight, rolling over several times.
>
> The car was equipped with seatbelts with a cam-lock latch; the type where
> each belt is inserted individually into a locking mechanism.   They are
> more
> convenient than the traditional aviation latch, which takes a bit of
> dexterity to operate.  The thing is, they are released fairly easily as
> well.   In
> his case, he was about halfway through his first roll when his flailing
> hand
> just brushed against the latch, and it OPENED, releasing him to bounce
> around inside the car like a pachinco ball as it cartwheeled down the
> track.
>
> He had in-car video of the episode and it was truly eye-opening.   Due to
> the full cage in the car, it retaining its basic shape, and he was
> surprisingly not seriously hurt, but it could have been a disaster.
>
> That's why I opt for old-school latches which are a bit more difficult to
> use, but much more positive in terms of requiring deliberate action to
> open.
>
> Cam-style latches that require you to grasp the round center and rotate the
> whole thing are probably the very best system.   If your cam latch has a
> little lever that you can operate with your pinky, think hard about
> replacing
> it....
>
> Mike
> _______________________________________________
>
> Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA
>
> Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/
>
> DeTomaso mailing list
> DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
> http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
>



-- 







Michael L. Shortt
Savannah, Georgia
www.michaelshortt.com
michael at michaelshortt.com
912-232-9390


This email is protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy
Act, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2510-2521, is confidential and may be legally
privileged.  If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified
that any retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this
communication is strictly prohibited.  Please reply to the sender that you
have received this message in error, then delete it.  Thank you