CRASH PAD - Required to Reduce Broken Back Risk !!
CRASH PAD - This should be part of your standard equipment.
Here's why...
Tighter belts or stronger seat or pour-in fitted containment won't reduce spinal compression forces in a crash !!!!!
In fact, all those things actually work to optimize the forces to crush your spine !!!
The seat guys know how to make great seats and a well built properly fitted seat is very important to reduce the risk of upper body injury from being thrown around in the cockpit.
BUT, and it's a big BUT,
NONE of that will help your spine in a crash.
We've done a lot of research to determine the cause of spinal compression injuries in racing crashes and find a solution to address the problem.
The problem is that your spine is a stack of bones that hold you upright.
When you are belted into a well built rigid seat, your spine is in perfect alignment so that a vertical downward force can only compress the bones together until they break.
It doesn't happen in every crash but when impacts occur at the right angles,
the weight of your body, head and helmet compress your spine like a pile driver !!!
Your head and helmet weigh about 10 to 12 lbs like the weight of a lite bowling ball held perfectly on top of your spine by your Hans and headrest.
Your body weight pulls down on your shoulders and rib cage and those are held up by your spine so that's where the downward force goes.
The force from the momentum of your body, when the seat does a dead stop can only compress your spine when your tailbone is firmly against the bottom of the seat.
SO, what is needed is a way to slow your downward motion, EVENLY, to spread the impact energy over time, because,
the force of impact equals -the energy of the downward motion- divided by -time-.
These back breaking impacts last about 1/10 of a second so if it can be extended to 2/10, the force on your spine can be cut in half !!
To do this doesn't take much because the duration of impact is so short, but you do need
1 - SOME SPACE to slow down (braking distance for your butt) and
2 - THE RIGHT COMPRESSION RESISTANCE to evenly slow the downward motion of the spine.
3 - The more space, the better.
A rigid seat and tight belts won't do that.
Lots of tests were done by the US Military because they had the same problem and wanted the most effective way to reduce spinal injuries in soldiers.
The CRASH PAD uses the material and method that was found to be THE BEST for the US Military to Reduce Spinal Compression Injuries in vertical down impacts.
It's The Right Stuff.
It compresses evenly during short duration impact and supports your weight when racing to provide the needed space to slow your downward motion when needed.
If there was something better, we'd use it !!!!
So this may be a long explanation but you need to know that your good seat, properly installed belts, and pour-in containment are not the answer.
There is lots of misinformation being spread around, unfortunately, and some poor performing progressive foams and rubber offered, without research or testing.
STUFF HAPPENS !!! Race Ready !!!
Do your back right and put The Right Stuff in your seat with
The CRASH PAD and then do a pour-in to contain your upper body.