Many of you list your accidents while WEARING a neck brace and how you/your lads have NOT been injred!
Fine and dandy!
However.... think it THROUGH!
Over the years, I have had EXACTLY the same accidents that you/your-kids have had WIITHOUT a neck brace and I have ALSO not broken a collarbone (or ANYTHING ELSE for that matter). I have also hit the barriers at Snetterton absolutely FLAT out at Riches WITHOUT a neck brace. Does THAT prove that I am safer WITHOUT a neck brace?
Of COURSE it doesn'tT
To be precise, I also crashed MANY times in the 1960s and 70s BEFORE I had a full face helmet and wasn't injured then. Does THAT prove that we do NOT need full face helmets NOW?
Of COURSE it doesn't!
I have also had accidents after drinking cans of Orange Squash and I wasn't injured in THOSE accidents: are we SURE it was the orange squash that saved me? Well.... there's no PROOF to say it WASN'T the orange squash that saved me!
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Nik and I are NOT saying that these things are NOT safe! What we are saying is that we have NO REASON TO THINK THEY ARE SAFER in KARTING! And nor have YOU! We both want toe MSA to look at them and give a ruling! Damn it, if they ARE safer then we SHOULD be TOLD to wear them! If they do the job, they WILL BE a good safety addition.
However, the standard foam neck braces ALSO came in with the 'claim' that they saved neck injuries and I have even seen the SAME claims about THOSE back in those long ago days. However, time has NOT proved that they DO increase driver safety and there are even SOME suggestions that that REDUCE the safety! I do NOT know either way but I DO know that the MSA have had plenty of time to 'approve' of them but have NOT chosen so to do, as yet!
Please continue to wear them if you feel they HELP you but PLEASE don't make the suggestion that they ARE safer simply becasue you/your-kids have not been injured while wearing them. That is NOT 'proof'!
Ian
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