"For the last several months I've used the HANS, I haven't had any complaints at all even though I'd heard it was uncomfortable to wear one. To me, the HANS device does feel more comfortable because it distributes the pressure around the neck and shoulders area."
Product DescriptionsThe main function of both the HANS and Hutchens devices is to limit the amount of "stretch" in the head and neck areas in the event of a crash.
The HANS utilizes a collar and yoke system constructed of carbon fiber and Kevlar. The device is worn on the upper body under the shoulder straps. It is connected to the helmet by two flexible tethers that allow normal movement of the head, but limits extreme head motions and neck loads. The HANS device requires drivers to send their helmets to Hubbard/Downing, manufacturer of the HANS, for the clip attachment to be installed.
"When you're in a wreck, the shoulder straps hold the device to the body under high deceleration like when a car runs into a concrete wall," says Jim Downing, president of Hubbard/Downing. "The HANS keeps your head close to the body and takes the strain off the neck because that's what can kill a person.
"The HANS device takes the load around the head and neck areas way down below the injury threshold and gives you a chance to get back in a spare car and race again instead of laying up in the hospital or even worse."
The Hutchens device is a system of straps worn outside of the driver's suit tethered with a quick-release mechanism attached to D-rings on the helmet and a positive anchor point that attaches into the seatbelt. One movement releases the harness to ensure a quick escape in the event of a fire. The Hutchens device comes with hardware and instructions for self-assembly.
Bobby Hutchens, general manager at Richard Childress Racing, came up with the idea for the safety product that carries his name.
"For all practical purposes, both companies (Hutchens and HANS) have the same goal of reducing head and neck injuries among drivers," Hutchens says. "To me personally, it's a situation of where I don't care whether they wear the Hutchens or the HANS, just as long as they wear one of them. All the parts and pieces of the harness are something all the racers have seen and are familiar with. With the Hutchens, we're trying to get the tension in those tethers going to the helmet before the head actually starts to go forward in the event of a wreck."
Price Of SafetyIn the months following Earnhardt's death at Daytona, both manufacturers have put a tremendous amount of overtime into making sure supply meets demand. Another important factor has been making the devices affordable for local Friday- and Saturday-night racers.
The most affordable of the restraints is the Hutchens with a price tag of $300. The HANS device costs $1,275.
"Next year we will begin to get the price down significantly lower than what it is right now," Downing vows. "The reason for that is the guys that can't afford a HANS are the ones who need it the most."
Smith says the HANS is well worth the money.
"I'd do it all over again," Smith says. "If I can spend that kind of money and increase my safety by almost 50 percent, it's really not worth the risk to not use those kinds of devices. But the cost factor probably does come into play. If they had the HANS and the Hutchens on a shelf at all the short tracks across the country and they were free, I guarantee you 75 percent of the racers would wear them."
Sammons says the price really shouldn't matter. "When it comes to safety, that's something you can't put a price tag on," he says. "Then again, racers always want to put that money elsewhere to make their cars run better. I wouldn't get back in the car without something like the Hutchens because I feel so much more secure with it on. I actually forgot to put the Hutchens on not too long ago, and I actually got out of the car during the national anthem and put it on. So to me, it's a priority."