Showing Restraint

This issue marks the fourth year that we’ve devoted a portion of our February issue to driver safety. With another new racing season quickly approaching—at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere!—we again feel strongly that this is a good time for all of us to reexamine our own personal safety gear, within the broader context of what is the current state of the art. As such, in addition to a fascinating conversation with racer and safety harness pioneer John Fearnley, of Willans, we have also pulled together a thorough examination of the significant changes in store with the new 2010 Snell helmet standard and how this radically different testing methodology will change the way you buy helmets. And since a helmet is nothing without a high-quality fire suit, we have also scoured the globe to bring you our first driving-suit buyer’s guide, complete with more than a dozen suits catering to the vintage and historic racer.

Another area of personal driver safety that has undergone tremendous change and development in the short two years since we last examined it is the head and neck restraint. With many radically new devices on the market, and a very comprehensive testing standard implemented by the SFI foundation, our John Zimmermann breaks down all the currently available systems and the research and technology behind them.