Helmet History ...........
FYI
Arcata 1956
(near the California/Oregon border)
Race 6
Car#203 William "Pete" Snell was at the wheel of his Triumph TR3 roadster
when it
rolled over,............
An Unheralded Auto Safety Pioneer
by Bob Hagin
January 29, 2001
Look deep inside a NASCAR driver's helmet (or any helmet,
including
the one you use when you're riding your mountain bike) and
the
chances are better than good that you'll find a sticker that
states that it
was approved by the Snell Memorial Foundation. The chances
are also
good that very few riders, skiers, skateboarders, drivers,
racing's safety
inspectors or members of the general public know what the
Snell
Memorial Foundation is or how it came into being.
It's origins go back to the mid-'50s and the death of a San
Francisco
area amateur Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) race driver.
William
"Pete" Snell was at the wheel of his Triumph TR2 roadster
when it
rolled over at a race in Arcata near the California/Oregon
border. It was
in the days before rollover bars were mandatory on race cars
and Snell
died of a blow to the head even though he was wearing an
"approved"
driver's helmet made in England.
Our San Francisco SCCA region was (and is) a close-knit
organization
and the death of one of our own hit us very hard. We felt
obliged to do
something to ease the pain. The following is taken verbatim
from the
program of the Third Annual Sacramento (Calif.) Suburban
Sports Car
Race held on October 5 and 6, 1957:
"When Pete Snell died following a racing accident last year,
a group of
his friends and fellow competitors desired to do something to
perpetuate
his memory. Contributions were received from various sources
and a
moderate fund was soon available. It became a question of how
best to
use the money in a manner that would honor Pete's memory and
at the
same time benefit sports car racing drivers in general.
"The answer obviously lay in a project begun shortly after
Pete's death
by Dr. George Snively, a Sacramento physician and sports car
racing
driver. Dr. Snively had spent countless hours testing the
various crash
helmets available to drivers and was next planning to engage
the
services of a leading independent testing lab to further
substantiate the
results of his tests. It was at this point that Dr. Snively
and the Snell
Memorial Foundation joined forces and the necessary money for
the
latter tests was made available.
"The results of all tests performed were overwhelmingly
conclusive. Of
the sixteen or more helmets tested, two proved vastly
superior to all
others and certain of the models proved to be virtually
worthless with
respect to head protection in a violent accident. Certain
government
agencies were represented at the tests in addition to other
racing groups
and many publications devoted to motor sport. Dr. Snively
received
inquiries from all over the country concerning his studies.
All types of
racing associations have requested the test results as have
nearly all
other sports where head protection is necessary.
"It is indeed gratifying to know that this foundation,
strictly through the
efforts of Dr. Snively, has been able in the space of less
than one year to
make such an important contribution to safety in motoring.
The work of
the Snell Memorial Foundation has had a successful beginning
and it is
the intention of the trustees to continue to foster
worthwhile projects
which will further driver safety and protection.
"There is no finer tribute to be paid to the memory of Pete
Snell than to
attempt to prevent through qualified research, occurrences
similar to that
which caused his death. The Snell Memorial Foundation is
grateful to
the San Francisco Region, SPORTS CAR CLUB OF AMERICA for
having it designated it as a beneficiary of part of the
proceeds of this
race. Your attendance here today, because of the funds raised
thereby,
will certainly in the future contribute to safer motoring
both on and off
the race course."
That tribute to our local SCCA region and to the enthusiasts
who
attended amateur races so long ago bore no byline but at the
top were
listed the names of two trustees, Marge Snell, Pete's widow
and John P.
Luce, a long-time SCCA member and racer.
The Snell Memorial Foundation is still in operation today in
North
Highlands near Sacramento. It's still the leading authority
on the safety
of activities that may lead to head injuries. And true to the
tenets laid
down over 40 years ago, it accepts no donations from
industries
associated with the manufacture of helmets so as to remain
objective in
its research. No one can calculate the number of lives
world-wide that
have been saved because of the pioneering and ongoing work of
the
Snell Memorial Foundation, but it must be huge. If you'd like
more
information on the Snell Memorial Foundation, you can log on
at
www.smf.org.
Dr. George Snively died of heart failure at a relatively
young age in the
mid-'80s. And while William "Pete" Snell and the foundation
that bears
his name are well know in the safety apparel industry, that
of George
Snively is remembered only by some of us old-times who have
long
memories.
www.csrgracing.org/news/CSRG_V6N12.pdf
"spitfiresuz@141.com" wrote:
> Hi everyone!
>
> CVAR is changing to SA2005 helmets this year and it is time for me to get a
> new one. What is everyone using out there and why do you like them?
>
> Are all new helmets coming with HANS clips/connections now, or is that
> still a buyer choice?
>
> Thanks so much!
>
> Keep Triumphing,
> Susan :)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> mail2web - Check your email from the web at
> http://link.mail2web.com/mail2web
> _______________________________________________
> Fot mailing list
> Fot@autox.team.net
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/fot
_______________________________________________
Fot mailing list
Fot@autox.team.net
http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/fot
|