Would neck support have saved Earnhardt?

Stock Car legend Earnhardt, 49, died from suspected fractures to the base of his skull when his Chevrolet Grand Prix hit the wall between Turns Three and Four at Daytona on Sunday. He initially lost control after a brush from behind by Sterling Marlin and was T-boned by Ken Schrader before hitting the wall almost head-on, both ending up on the grass infield. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Earnhardt never regained consciousness.

The HANS device, which is used by a mere handful of NASCAR drivers but all of the Mercedes DTM squad, is designed to protect the back of the neck, especially in frontal impacts such as Earnhardt's. Known as the 'Intimidator' for his unflinching on-track tactics, Earnhardt refused to wear a full-face helmet - never mind a bulky, slightly awkward-looking neck brace.

When asked if the HANS device might have made a difference in the outcome of Earnhardt's crash, Dr Steve Bohannon, director of emergency medical services at Daytona, said: "I really don't know if that would have or not [saved Earnhardt's life]. That would be pure speculation at this point, not knowing the exact cause of death. I know a full-face helmet would not have made any difference whatsoever. He had no evidence of facial injuries. I don't know if the HANS device would have helped or not. I suspect not.

"He had blood in his airway. He had blood in the ears that we see with basilar skull fractures. But really no other external evidence of trauma," added Bohannon.

Among the NASCAR drivers to use the HANS device is 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett and Brett Bodine. The latter said: "We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the car go faster. To not look at safety the same way we look at performance seems pretty stupid to me."

The use of the HANS device is voluntary in Formula 1 this season, but is expected to become mandatory in 2002.

"We are working quite hard on the HANS," said Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello. "At the moment it hurts my shoulders quite a lot, but I am trying to make it work. It makes it more uncomfortable to drive and you cannot turn your head as much. If I was the FIA [motorsport's governing body] I wouldn't have it as compulsory. But with safety you have to have the option and it would be nice to be able to choose whether to use it or not."

But former Grand Prix driver and outspoken safety campaigner Derek Warwick believes the powers-that-be should be doing everything to enhance the survival chances during accidents.

"The problem is that people believe now, because there hasn't been many fatalities, that motor racing has got safer," said Warwick. "It's not got safer, we're just going through a lucky period. Earnhardt has proved to us that every now and then our luck runs out. Prof Watkins [the FIA's medical delegate] has done a tremendous amount with the seats and helmets and everything else, but there's a lot still to do in order to support the driver properly. I think the cars are getting so strong that drivers can't sustain the impacts they're taking."