A Hutchens device is used for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap belt for anchoring. The device was developed beginning in 2000.
From 2001 until 2004 NASCAR mandated that drivers use either a Hutchens device or the HANS device. NASCAR banned the use of the Hutchens device in January 2005, due to it failing SFI Foundation safety tests, and required all drivers to use the HANS device instead.[1]
- ^ "NASCAR bans Hutchens device". Star-News. Charlotte, North Carolina. January 4, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2018.