[DeTomaso] NPC: Racing Safety

[asajay at asajay.com]

FWIW...

When I recently got to take a ride in a true NASCAR car at Charlotte  
Motor Speeday, the latch-link system is what was used.  Yes, it takes  
a bit more to get assembled and latched, but the locking mechanism is  
a bit more resistive than the cam-locks which makes it less prone to  
accidental release.

Asa Jay


Quoting "michael at michaelshortt.com" <michaelsavga at gmail.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
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> Michael L. Shortt
> Savannah, Georgia
> www.michaelshortt.com
> michael at michaelshortt.com
> 912-232-9390
>
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