It could have saved several lives, but probably the one that we have left with greater force she is the one of Ralf Schumacher, that in the past Great Prize of the United States disputed in Indianapolis, had violentísimo accident in the fastest curve of the circuit: the number 13, that is curve 1 of the mythical one I make oval. This curve is taken to more than 290 kilometers per hour. Ralf lost the control of its car by reventón of one of its back tires presumably punctured when being above the rest of an accident that was in the released one between four vehicles. It is worth the pain to repeat it, the accident was violentísimo: Ralf struck perpendicularly with the back part in the wall of concrete of Indy.

The HANS saved to Ralf of a probably tragic end. His Williams struck the wall to but of 290 km/h

The injuries were not serious: muscular pains and a brief loss of knowledge. But they could rather more be. One of the people in charge of which this has not happened is the HANS Device (Head and Neck Safety Device).
Whenever there are perpendicular or lateral frontal accidents, the driver of the car, or in street or the track, undergoes the “Effect Whip”. This is a force, that at the time of the impact moves the head violently forwards and due to the lap belts, in the thousandth neck and the head the same or greater violence only moves backwards with. It is a weapon of double edge: the blow with the steering wheel if nothing soon cushions (an air stock market, for example) and the impact back, in the endorsement, can cause severe damages in the neck, respiratory tract and skull of the pilot. Who more exposed are, they are clear, the pilots of races of the quickest categories of the world: Champ Car, IRL, NASCAR and Formula 1.
And for that reason System HANS was born.

Hubbard explains kindness of its invention in the waiting room of the 500 miles of Indianapolis

The inventor of the Head And Neck Safety Device, is Robert Hubbard, a professor of American biomechanics graduated as the University of Harvard, that obtained east result 15 years ago with the support of the state of Michigan and its stepbrother Jim Downing (that was an important industralist of the automotive world). Insurances of its invention, Downing added its small industry of automobiles, a small prepared section to construct HANS in 1991.
At first sight, its design is quite simple. Of the same material that is constructed the single-seaters of Formula 1 (Kevlar) takes control a support, that by means of strong belts this hooked so much to the endorsement of the pilot's seat like the helmet with resistant hooks.

The North American Michael Andretti was one of the pioneers in using HANS in series CART

The objective of system HANS is to avoid the injuries caused by “effect whip” when an accident at high speeds takes place. To strike the steering wheel as much as the endorsement can be fatal for the conductor: Mika Hakkinen, champion of 1998 and 1999 of F1, are the test than the inventors say, since the Finn underwent the “effect whip” in his accident in the classifications of the GP of Australia of 1995 in Adelaida. Mika struck several times the steering wheel and the endorsement, reason why it suffered severe cerebral injuries as much so it was two weeks in comma. Mika recovered perfectly, but with the HANS it would have left unharmed.
The other utility of the HANS is to avoid that the head strikes with the edges of cockpit in case of lateral accident.

The Spanish Fernando ready Alonso to rise its Renault with its HANS Device already incorporated

Their disadvantages are few: it is a system I inconvenience for the pilot, who unaccustomed to their use or with lack of physical form in the neck and shoulders can have some muscular cramps and pains. It happened to Justin Wilson to him in the GP of Malaysia of Formula 1 in the 2003, when she had to retire of the race by his intense pains in the neck.
The other disadvantage is that it delays in a pair of second or plus the exit of the car on the part of the pilot in case of accident, because to lower of the car, it is necessary to cast off of system HANS.

A TEST OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS

Formula 1 hoped a pair of years to incorporate system HANS. Now it is obligation

Doctor Hubbard proposes the following example to verify the effectiveness of the HANS. Before, we must know that the neck suffers injuries when tightening themselves and to receive a weight greater to 700 pounds and when moving in all their phantom by the effect whip to 740 pounds.
Without the HANS, the neck it receives a force of 1220 pounds by tension and 1550 by movement in an accident to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour). This would cause slight injuries in the neck of the conductor.
However, with the HANS the weight to support in the accident would be of only 210 and 295 pounds, respectively. That is to say, the head practically stays static, since it does not receive force nor weight. This accident would not produce any injury.
The HANS Device began to be used by CART in the year 2000 and was obligatory in the 2001. The Indy Racing League was united in the 2002, and the Formula to the 1 and use it NASCAR with obligatory nature from the 2003.
It is without doubts, a modern system that is one more a aid for the security in track that is a key aspect of motoring. And that already has many thanked for.