How to Avoid Injuries and Death in Motorsports Research Paper

How to Avoid Injuries and Death in Motorsports - Research Paper Example With this superior engine power and high speeds involved, motorsport is dangerous and involves freak accidents. As observed by Lipp et al. (2007), the high engine power of these engines makes them attain extremely high speeds with speeds as high as 369.9 km/h having been recorded in previous events. This makes the probability and severity of accidents extremely high. In fact, it is riskier than other sports such as football, boxing, rugby and the others. In spite of this risk, Gilbert (2014) observes that it is an addictive sport such that once started, drivers never quit no matter how many times they get involved in accidents. Therefore, this calls for detailed measures to make the sport safer for all the participants. motorsport  is all about speed. Engines are designed to produce over 8,000 horsepower, making the vehicles attain speeds of over 300 mph within a short period of time (Gilbert, 2014). As technology towards manufacturing more powerful and faster vehicles is adopted, a more innovative effort is also geared towards promoting the safety of the participants. As a result, there has been a significant achievement on motorsports safety technology over the past couple of decades. The technologies involved have been geared towards minimizing the likelihood of drivers suffering serious injuries due to a crash (Foster, Begemean & Melvin, 2011). As such, motorsports safety has sought to act directly on the driver to reduce the impact of the crash and control the crash energies that the vehicles develop. With this regard, technology has focused on four key areas. The first area is the neck and head support technology. It would be appreciated that motorsports involve high speeds and restraint on the driver. According to Foster et al. (2011), this risks basilar skull fracture on the driver due to the immense tension forces that build up in the neck as a result of the head whipping forward against the restrained torso when a frontal impact occurs. Thus, the technology to make drivers safe in such a scenario has focused on developing proper neck and head restraints.