SHOULD YOU WEAR ONE?

In short, yes. While the complete system — HANS device and compatible helmet — will run you roughly $1K, and prices increase significantly depending on your requirements, it’s really pocket change compared with what your personal well-being and, potentially, life, is worth. In the same way that you (hopefully) all wear helmets any time you hit the track, the HANS device needs to be considered an essential safety device — those who have had unintended encounters with the wall will already know the stresses put on their neck by the impact. And if you’re not yet convinced, just search ‘Tony Longhurst Wellington crash’ to see just how violent it can be without a HANS device. Stay safe, everybody.

“As the car was going over and hitting each corner, I could feel the HANS [device] working and the straps pulling tight. That was my only conscious thought as it was flipping: ‘Thank f**k I’m wearing a HANS’” — Andrew Sinclair on his 2009 Pukekohe crash