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Beginning January 1, 2012, Head and Neck restraints will become mandatory in SCCA Club Racing Regional, National and Driver School events. In December 2009, the Board of Directors approved the motion to require a device meeting SFI 38.1 or FIA 8858 specifications, and the announcement appeared in the January 2010 Fastrack News.

In an effort to have everyone prepared for the new equipment requirement, we have put together the following information. This is by no means comprehensive, and it is not an endorsement of one product over another. Just as when buying a helmet or any other piece of safety gear, each driver is encouraged and expected to do their own research and select the product that they feel best suits their needs.

Why is SCCA requiring a head and neck restraint system?

Testing and data support that use of head and neck restraints greatly reduce the possibility of severe injury or death in specific racecar accidents.

Which products are approved?

Like many of its equipment requirements, SCCA recognizes both SFI 38.1 (www.sfifoundation.com) and FIA 8858 (www.fia.com) standards. You can visit these sites to see their approved list of devices. As of Aug. 10, 2011, the following devices are currently approved by SFI or both SFI and FIA:

HANS Performance Products  HANS Device (all series)
Safety Solutions R3 Device
Safety Solutions R3 Rage Device
Safety Solutions Hutchens Hybrid Pro Device
Safety Solutions Hutchens Hybrid Pro Rage Device
Safety Solutions Hutchens Hybrid/Hybrid Rage Device
Safety Solutions Hybrid X Device

For more information about these products, including a list of dealers for each, visit:

www.hansdevice.com
www.safetysolutionsracing.com

**If your Head and Neck device is not on the above list of current approved devices, but does have the appropriate certification sticker from a past approval, then you will be considered compliant.
 
What if I use a device not currently approved by SFI 38.1 or FIA 8858?

Only the devices approved will be permitted and one of the approved devices will be required. These two organizations have strict guidelines for head and neck devices and these guidelines have become the industry standard that SCCA has elected to adopt.

I already have one of these devices. I'm all set, right?

Not necessarily! Make sure your device has the SFI or FIA approval/certification on it.

The following are general guidelines provided by HANS and apply if you have an approved HANS Device:

-          If you have a HANS Device with a SFI or FIA approval/certification sticker on it, you are all set.

-          HANS Devices built prior to 2005 will not have a sticker from SFI or FIA on it and are not eligible for use without it. These devices can obtain the sticker through HANS direct approval. HANS will inspect the device, replace the tethers with an upgrade to the Vision Advantage Plus sliding tethers and ship it back to you upon approval with the sticker for approximately $75. Additional costs may be incurred if additional repairs are necessary. Contact HANS directly to arrange for this.

-          HANS Devices built in or after 2005 but not carrying an SFI or FIA sticker will need to go through the same process as the pre-2005 devices before being eligible for use.

The following are general guidelines provided by Safety Solutions and apply if you have an approved Safety Solutions Device:

-          If your device has a sticker from SFI or FIA, you are all set.
-          If you do not have an SFI or FIA sticker, there are three levels of get it re-approved:

For stickers that have gotten wet and faded or fallen off, devices are inspected by Safety Solutions for cracks or any other anomalies and a replacement sticker is applied. The cost for the inspection and sticker is $5.50 plus return shipping charges.

For $75, the device can be re-webbed. This includes new tethers, padding over the shoulders and webbed fabric replacement. This price assumes all hardware and carbon fiber can be re-used. A new SFI sticker is applied during this procedure.

Does the SFI or FIA approval expire like seat belts?

There is currently no time-based expiration for SFI 38.1 or FIA 8858.

If you have any additional questions about the devices, please contact the manufacturers directly.

Please remember that these devices will be mandatory after 1/1/12. Arriving to the grid without one will be the same as arriving to the grid without your helmet you won't be permitted on track.

The Board and staff hope that this document has been useful and if there are any more general questions, please contact the staff at 800-770-2055 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..