The simplest way to think about the safety when it comes to these devices is that they are intended to function as a complete system. HANS, helmet, harness, roll cage, bucket seat. When you start mixing and matching what you use and don't use, you are outside the designed function of the system, and things can happen that weren't tested or intented.

Finally, this needs to be heard over and over again. Almost 10yrs ago i got in a argument at a local track where the rules said that i MUST use helmet on track, i kindly asked if he would pay for my whiplash recovery in case of an accident. But no, so i stupidly drove my m5 with helmet that day. Luckily i didnt crash.

Great advice Misha and amazing video...We always take risk no matter what we do we minimize risk by being well informed and making decisions for ourselves. Love it 100% Agree with everything said.

Good information. I live in the US, New Jersey. The law on the street is, if you have a roll cage or half cage, it has to have padding attached to it. So you don't split your head open on it in case of an accident. At the local tracks you must wear a helmet no matter what.

Been on track a few times, mostly spa, and they sadly almost always make it mandatory to wear a helmet even on the "slow" days

Thank you for shedding light on this topic. Really good explaining, and letting people do their own choices. As a dragrace driver, I would also only wear my HANS and helmet if I was in a racing prepped vehicle. When I am fully strapped in in my dragster, I have very minimal head movement due to the HANS, and this setup would be useless in a normal car with a 3-point seatbelt.

An excellent and cogent explanation on the need for good risk assessment. Too often people take measures to reduce one risk and miss the new risks they have created.

Good headline, and helps if you listen to what is being said, fully agree its not always the best choice, also the best safety system is control the ego 👍

I think this a great video to share information and very insightful, especially in terms of ring regulations. There’s no other way I would know that on open days, HANS is not allowed. Misha does great videos all year, even with his repaving videos. I still want him to do a ride-along on the tow truck.

This is such a good and important video. Thank you Misha!

Super interesting and informative Misha. Thanks for making this video

Exceptional video! I've been wondering what the nuances surrounding helmets are, and I even asked about it when I saw a video of you wíth a helmet on. Thanks for this!

Great video again... I like that you've demonstrated your mindset of considering the best possible approach even where some options don't deliver 100% satisfaction. I think that's healthy... and I think it's also healthy over time for all parties to continually reevaluate. I wouldn't make a judgement on the organization... I've never been there, but it does seem from afar a peculiarity of that circuit that it's a racetrack pretending to be a public road (which is better than the other way around) but then to learn here that with that HANS restriction you have drivers almost expected to pretend they're not in race cars! I dunno about that... I think you need to be able to drive any car with all its safety features enabled as it was designed!

great video about stock car safety! I think the discussion can also continue about ring tracktools.. and whether helmets are needed for cars with roll bars. Of course, most of them have at least 4 points harnesses.. but here comes the problem as it looks like most drivers of TF wear helmets and Hans device is not allowed on tf. So.. It's quite a big safety hazard. I think people especially with factory roll bar equipped cars perhaps should not wear helmets too, because roll bar (let's say Porsche gt cars) is not equal to cage seen in the video and there is little chance to hit something in the back of the car. My point is that you really need to think twice what type of metal you have inside and maybe helmet is not the way to go even with racing harness if there are certain Hans restrictions applied.

Not sure I subscribe to the part on issues with wearing a helmet in a standard road car. There’s no data I’ve seen that suggests you’ll have worse injuries with a helmet than without. The airbag inflation and explosive tensioner on a seatbelt mean your body does not twist in the dramatic fashion suggested. Your seat being ultra upright and deliberately tilting your head forward exaggerates the reality of head movement and the whiplash claim. I’d rather wear a helmet on track than not, and to base not wearing one on only a frontal impact alone is a bit narrow minded. I think you should have stated a lot more that this is just your opinion - whilst it may be shared by others, it is just an opinion and not a fact.

This is good advice for the people like myself, who want to build a car that's more a track car than a road car. This taught me stuff that I never knew, so thanks Misha

Very informative video, I loved it! Thank you Misha

nice video. lines up with what i've been told by my local boffins. i use a HANS so know the vision issue well but it is still surprising about HANS not being allowed. to be honest, low speed pit manoeuvres, backing up, exiting the garage etc is the most impacted as you can't swivel your head... i just go real slow. while on the track it's all good as long as you're looking at your mirrors, if you aren't doing that.. HANS or not.. you shouldn't be on the track full stop.

Thanks Misha. Can you please make a HELMET VIDEO? I am totally overwhelmed with the choices!

Essential information for anyone new to open track days👍👍

Great video! Another similar argument is neck braces on dirtbikes, some people swear by them while others will tell you that they will break your neck

great video, appreciate the explanation gives me a better idea of what to do

Great and important video! Thanks Misha

wow thanks for the vid misha! i’ve def asked this before out of confusion with us track rules lmao

Misha! One argument about Simpson Hybrid system.. the head movement is even stricter than with a Hans system and nuance that you do not need to be fasten with 4p. or 6p. harnesses because Hybrid system are weared as a kind of vest is not totally correct. Those straps on your body from Hybrid system is one - for more comfort while you are not tighten in the car, second - yes it gives you some additional stoppage of the head movement if in case while crashing where safety belts become slightly loose due to impact of the car body in places which moves/cracks some body parts where safety belts are fixed. So safety belt fixed points are changing their place and loosening their tightness. But never the less it does not built for moments where you are not using shoulder harnesses. Additionally Hybrid system gives you more safety in case of most dangerous rollovers through the front side of the car because system have two strap system attached to the helmet. This keeps your head overall movement in a circle more close radius. Any way it is very interesting fact how they in the Nurburgring are approaching to the safety and as you mentioned about modern car safety features. For example if in the same event when helmet is not allowed you drive with latest M3 and crash at 130 km/h and then I drove Golf 1 and crash at the same exact speed without helmet. I believe those are two totally different safety situations and probably for Golf driver would be safer to wear helmet. Just a thoughts of man who made some crashes in a road and rally car 😅

Under rated video and KZfaqr. I learn so much from Misha. Assumed the helmets were due to space in the car didn't know the facts.

You are spot on Misha... interestingly I think pretty much all around the world, even in slow cars, when you get onto a drag strip, you MUST wear a helmet even in a modern car, with air bags all over the place and no roll cage.

Great video! Great explenation with top notch vocabulary, i'm really jealous, your english is so much better than mine. Thank you, i've learned something new.

Thanks for the knowledge guys. Learning something new :)

Very important topic, thank you for your knowledge!

Speeking about safety you should make a video about why is it very important to do physical training. And what kinds of training as well. What to start with and what will be the next level and so on…

This camera quality is banger. Love seing high quality videos

Hi Misha, some great points Made. A lot of this has been Overlooked for a while now. I go to a local hillclimb, its not Very clear what they want. I think its a situation that may Go on and on...

The hybrid HANS device is designed to be used with a 3-point OEM seatbelt.

Top video. And very instructive . I was once in doubt to buy a helmet at the ed gas station which i ultimately did not do and with the money i saved i made a few extra laps on the ring . Greetings from the Netherlands 👌🏼💪🏎🇳🇱🇩🇪

In the states we’re only allowed to run a 4 point harness if it has ASM (Anti-SubMarining) technology due to some will pull the shoulder straps too tight and pull the lap belt higher then the hip bone. A three point does work, I found out the hard way by breaking my collarbone and cutting my hip from the seatbelt in an accident.

One thing to consider on the track however is how, despite the modern airbags, with two people onboard a road car there are certain kind of crashes in which is better for both to wear a helmet, as helmet against helmet > head against head. True, the weight issue remains... as usual, It's always a matter of trade-offs

Cage, 6 points harness, simpson hybrid and lid for me on trackdays. Good vid saw Roberts too.

Great content Misha. Btw that red datsun in the back deserves a video.

Great explanation, and finally someone mentioned roll over.

great and very informative video, loved it. Thanks

Mischa out here saving necks. Good info brother!

Thanks for this very interesting, well explained and objective video. In France, we need to put an helmet on at any trackday we participate. However, lately, they published new restrictions regarding full cages. The driver, in that case, need to have an helmet and a full equipment (HANS, gloves and race suit).

Good video! It al depends on the car your driving and the situation you are in be it TF or trackday with the hans system or just modern car vs track built/oriented. Love that you are explaining it clear and simple.

Interesting video Misha. Thanks

I had no idea. Thank you!

I rolled a mk1 golf as a teen the windscreen was popped out and the top of the windshield opening was on the dash and the roof was crushed to the head rest. Harness with stock seats and I'd have been dead for sure.

I love these safety sessions. Always learn something new

If required to wear a helmet, spend the extra money for the lightest one you can afford. Even saving ounces of weight makes a big difference when huge g-force crashes are involved.

Thanks you very much for this info.

Great video! 🙌🏻

Excellent advice!

I think there might be a reason for a lighter padded soft ”helm” in a normal car just to soften any contacts with the car frame windows etc. Especially in older cars without airbag.

Such a great explanation 👌🏻👌🏻

Awesome Misha!

8:40 StVO (§23 (4), right at the end) also not allowing you to wear at least a "full face helmet" during TF and even an open face helmet, if this is masking too much of your face. I even saw people driving around Nürburgring (outside the track), with their full face helmets on. It's "only" 60€.

That’s why in Australia, a full roll cage typically makes a car completely unable to be registered.

Some crazy good content lately Misha, btw this and going to the euro parliament to talk about EVs

I have been running track days for 10 years now, biggest problem is in between/hybrid setup, it’s potentially dangerous on the track and on public roads. If you have a road car, built after 2008, multiple airbags, 3 point belts, during a non competitive event fine. Though a helmet is always recommended on track. If you have racing seats and a six point harness and a steel cage Helmet AND Hans device should be mandatory no matter what. I would even say, if you’re going to fasten a harness with fixed seats, ALWAYS wear a Hans with the helmet.

Basically for a dual purpose car from my understanding would be to have a half cage roll bar (behind the front seats) then either stay stock or run racing seats. Hard to hit your head behind you on the street and more protection if you flip over allowing the factory airbags to work as well (wearing seat belt). On the track with same setup Hans can be used with harness and helmet to avoid whiplash since you're strapped on the racing seat. Also, there is padding that can be use around the roll bar areas to avoid hard impact. Anyone any thoughts on this? Thank you for the video and knowledge about safety 🙏

Great video Misha. 👍 Hopefully people coming to TF and trackdays aren't stupid enough to run non-fixed seats (like the Recaro Sportster CS) with harnesses. 9:58 Glasses disappear. 😂 😉

best video you did , moral of the story, know the rules, understand what the safety means for you and the passenger. just realy commen sence ... 10/10 :D

Never knew about the head rest on the sports seats, now it explains, why it's so far away on my subaru sti (and yeah, they are terrible in every way)

I feel like this topic can be discussed endless. For example; rollcage, bucketseats and 4pt harnass, can be safe without helmet in my opinion. there are proper 2stage foams for roll-cages. So at that point, what is the difference in an older small cabin car, where you could bang your head to hard plastic and eventually metal? There is no denying that safety is very complex and you shouldn’t remove oem safety system/items. But an older car like mine, without a rollcage is definitely unsafe as i’ve seen last year with my friend. If we were allowed with HANS on touristdrives i’d do it.

Padding your cage isn't a bad idea either.

another great topic!

Wow, I didn't even realise there was so much nuance in this topic. So basically, racing safety works on a different principle than civil driving safety, so you can't just freely mix-and-match equipment between those two... Racing safety: your body is very limited on how it can move. Civil safety: your body is allowed to have bigger range of movement but everything that you can still hit in the car is made in a way to reduce possible injury.

If it is a street car. No roll bar or cage. Those damn rollbars hurt like hell without a helmet on.

It should also be said that you shouldnt wear a harness without a hans device. The oem safety systems are designed to work in tandem to slow the body down in an accident, where as a harness keeps you tight to the seat. If you get in an accident while wearing a harness your body will stay stationary and your head will get thrown forward with all the g forces of the accident, and you can get a basal skull fracture which will more than likely kill you. Its what killed dale earnhardt.

Great video!

Misha , is there something to discuss about belt attachment, for example many people believe the upper belt form a 6 point harness should be maximum 10 degrees corner attatch to an harness bar, instead of the ground. But is this true

In my country you need to wear a helmet on the track but without a HANS device a helmet in a modern car isn't the best option. I have a modern car and an older car with a cage and always wear my HANS device because of a broken neck I sustained years ago as an extra precaution. Each to their own especially in modern cars.

Does the same points apply to the passenger? Just curious given the lack of a wheel airbag.

I remember Robert's video about this a while ago.

Class. Makes sense. ✌

Safety goes first, respect!

Too bad that Rob is not doing tech talks video anymore, but I appreciate this one! Maybe you'd like to introduce tech talk videos to educate track day drivers?

Off topic, but could you please make a video on tire pressures? I haven’t been able to find any info in your videos.

i use the helmet in my car with the hans collar and 6 point harness. NOT in any other car. that car is a 107 with 68HP ;) and it will have a full cage when done.. for now i have ben driving borrowed car's.

what do you suggest for a setup like the apex m4? (bucket seats, no full cage just rollbar, airbags still working)

What about stock porsches with half rollcages and harness ? Helmet+hans or just regular business ?

What about neck collars / supports? Not HANS but those "soft" ones that limit you necks movement?

not even a helmet can stop Takata airbags launching solid parts projectiles at drivers.

One needs to look at euro speck helmet restrictions and compare them to DOT or snell i think its called for a better explanation.

who owns the red datsun in the background? love it

This makes me think of child safety seats. My toddler sits in a seat that looks like a 4 point/6 point harness - but wondering after this if that would exacerbate whiplash from a frontal impact bc he is obviously not wearing a HANS and helmet

I have a 996.2 GT3 Clubsport that actually has a full roll cage (not half) that came from Porsche. Should I be wearing a helmet and strapping in the 4 point harness even driving this car on the street?

What's crazy, is that you've had to explain this all before but I'm always happy to go over it again

Very interesting video. What would you do in a Porsche with the "club sport'" package ? As those cars have a rear rollcage, a 3 points belt and a 6 points harness. On trackdays, helmet and HANS is my way to go, but I'm not sure on the Nurburging... Normal seatbelt without helmet or harness + helmet (without hans as it's not legal) ?

i just had this question few days ago, thinking about it, my answer was ahh Misha is too good he thinks he don't need it hahahahah :D

I don’t really know how heavy is a helmet but at 100km/h on an impact, a 1.5kg item like your brain will experience a force equivalent to 59kg. I studied those when i was a school to become a driving instructor… a 150 phone weighs 5.9 kg

This is like the FIA/F1 telling F1 drivers to drive slower for safety. Making the Hans illegal on certain days is equally as stupid

Hold up, only just realised where your garage is, is that where the guy who used to run the Alfa Romeo 75 ring rentals/taxis used to be?

Very informative and interesting video, thanks!

Interesting bro ty. :)

11:25 that was very specific man, is everything ok? 😂😂😂

What about the padded neck support donut? Does that help?

How about all the porsches like GT3 with half roll cage and 5 point harness….wear helmet or not? In other words, does the half roll cage protect u enough from a collapsing roof?

I remember Rob's video from years back. It was misinformation and horrible advice. Check out my comment on that video. IF you are running 4/5 point you NEED 1) HANS 2) FULL ROLL CAGE. Why? (you forgot the most important thing): What happens in a crash if you are using a 4/5 point? Your body is stationary and your head is free moving. Bye bye neck (even at slow speeds!!!). This is how Dale Earnhardt died (not because of a crumbling roof). Do NOT run 4/5 point seatbelt without a HANS - period. The second reason is as mentioned in this video, but that is far far less likely than a neck injury due to your body being strapped down (not due to the added weight of the helmet as mentioned in this video).

@Misha Charoudin, many of your points are salient, but the application with three point belts has been solved with the Simpson Hybrid S head and neck restraint, so it doesn't require a 5/6 point harness to work properly. Many driving instructors wear them. EDIT: Further in the video you addressed this exact issue. This is a very thoughtful consideration of the issue. Thanks for explaining it so well.