Those accidents drew a lot of attention. Only seven of the 43 drivers used the HANS device at Daytona this year. If there are injuries in football, they change the rules to prevent those kinds of injuries. They add bars to the face mask or pads, or prohibit pulling on the face mask. In rodeo, no one wore protective vests until someone was stomped on and had their rib cage crushed.
Racers go around thinking they're bulletproof.
We're guilty of reacting when something happens. It's time for a change. The doctor who worked on Earnhardt, at the track and at the hospital, said the impact of his car against the concrete wall was so great that the HANS may not have made a difference. In any case, Earnhardt was well aware of the device and chose not to wear it. That's the simple, unalterable truth about motorsports tragedies.