The cost of Safety

[1320ft]

Hey Guys,

Please bear with me for this, it's part racer, part sales rep, part official.

I have been around motorsport since I was 2 weeks old and ANDRA official since WSID opened & obviously selling racer safety equipment for a few years.

But I am still amazed by the amount of people I come across who are prepared to skimp on safety equipment when it comes to motorsport. From the basics of using a cheap helmet that would barely protect you if you fell off a push bike, to people who dont want to fit fire systems & roll cages etc.

I mean, I see it day in and day out, people who are happy to spend thousands to $100K + on building a car, but only want to spend $50 on a helmet, a -1 suit or cant justify $2k for a cage.

Please guys if you are doing any form of motorsport, think of the bigger picture, cars can be rebuilt, people cant.

And here comes the sales rep in me, if you need any safety gear, please contact me, if I dont stock what you need, i'll point you to who can.

http://vpw.com.au/Category/Index/19

[CaptShiner]

100% agree

I remember a few years back i went to get a new motorbike helmet, one of the stores in town only had $100-$200 helmets in stock (mostly rjays i think).

I ended up nearly in a blue cos i had a cack at them for being negligent. Really if you were in the business of selling motorbikes or racing equipment wouldnt you want to look after your clients.

Ultimately you are better off with the better safety gear and a slower car than the other way around.

How many F1 or even V8SC use the cheapest gear? There is a reason they don't.

That's my drunken rant done.

On a lighter note my Starion gets picked up from the paint shop tomorrow.

:D

[panda]

I'm a Workplace Safety Rep for S.A. for the company I work for & have just returned home from a national safety conference in Sydney. It seems that we all acknowledge that we are not prepared to compromise safety in the workplace, but are too blasay about motorsport safety which is even much more dangerous. I'm also a senior motorsport CAMS official & am constantly ensuring the safety of not only competitors, but officials and spectators as well.
The vast amount of protective equipment available will always mean a vast range of quality.
Im a racer on a tight budget, so generally look to but a middle of the range product.
Thanks Aaron for raising this subject.
Peter