Safety Organization Urges NASCAR to Rev Up Safety Efforts

    DES PLAINES, Ill.--Feb. 12, 2001--As the Daytona 500 kicks off another NASCAR racing season at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, the Illinois-based American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is urging officials to increase their safety efforts to reduce fatalities and injuries on the track.
    "In light of last year's deaths of drivers Kenny Irwin, Tony Roper and Adam Petty, we are urging NASCAR and racing officials to implement new safety products and initiatives such as soft walls to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future," Samuel J. Gualardo, CSP, ASSE President, said today. "We have over 32,000 members across the U.S. and in 64 other countries committed to making workplaces safe. Many are big NASCAR fans and racers themselves and many work in the entertainment and hospitality industry."
    In a letter sent to NASCAR President Mike Helton January 8, Gualardo applauded NASCAR's pioneering inventions in the area of safety resulting in many life-saving products and systems now utilized by the general public such as the fire safe/retardant protection suit; the self-contained gas tanks; the vehicle roll cages; use of the head-and-neck restraint system; introduction of the restrictor plate and their research into aerodynamic body changes aimed at slowing speed. We also applaud NASCAR for mandating last August that NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams have their primary and secondary throttle shafts equipped with an independent travel stop to impede the throttle plates from opening, he noted, and by announcing the addition of an auxiliary ignition on/off button aimed at disconnecting power to the ignition system.
    Noting NASCAR's suggestion to form a committee to address safety issues, Gualardo offered ASSE as a resource.
    "We are concerned with the safety of NASCAR drivers and crew," Gualardo said. "Especially following the deaths of Roper, and Irwin and Petty who died months apart from head-on crashes into the wall at New Hampshire's International Speedway. There have been too many tragedies during races that could have been prevented by utilizing new safety initiatives such as soft walls and other products for better protection."
    With the explosive growth of NASCAR racing as well as the increased marketing of its products, Gualardo asked NASCAR officials to take a strong leadership role in protecting their drivers. Although experienced drivers on the circuit have been trained on how to maneuver safely when heading toward a wreck to minimize injuries and fatalities, they still occur. NASCAR's increased safety efforts teamed with the drivers' expertise could greatly reduce additional fatalities and life-shortening injuries.
    Gualardo also urged NASCAR to consider increased research and implementation of soft walls; stuck throttles and utilizing crash boxes and the data collected in order to increase safety. "The investment you make in putting up protective walls and implementing other such safety features will quadruple in worth over time as you reduce fatalities and injuries and increase respect and credibility for the sport, especially as you expand your markets," Gualardo added.