GOVERNMENT RULES ON RALLY SAFETY
FATAL ACCIDENT INQUIRY RESULTS ARE IN,
The rallying community has responded positively to the findings of Sheriff Maciver and his Fatal Accident Inquiry into the deaths on the 2013 Snowman Rally and the Jim Clark Rally in 2014.
The results of the inquiry are contained in a document of more than 100 pages, which has resulted in the rallies in question and those affected requesting time to digest the content before commenting at length.
Most of the Sheriff’s findings and proposals have, or are, in the process of being addressed by the governing body, the Motor Sports Association, after it agreed to implement the 28 recommendations of the Scottish Government’s Motorsport Event Safety Review in 2015.
The Sheriff’s calls from the FAI include educating and preparing spectators better preevent to understand the dangers of spectating on rallies, the need for prohibited area set-up plans, better recording of incidents on rallies and that spectator and event safety officers should receive training from the MSA, among others (see above right).
Robert Reid, who co-drove Richard Burns to the 2001 World Rally Championship, was on the MESR panel and attended the FAI hearings as a member of the public, taking a keen interest into its findings.
“Something that I think people forgot during the FAI is that it wasn’t there to apportion blame, it’s there to understand what happened and help to put things in place so it doesn’t happen again,” said Reid. “From a rallying point of view, it has been picked to bits by lots of experts and I think it’s come out of it well. The MSA has done pretty well with the work they’ve been doing on Rally Future [a safety campaign], and that’s been well received. Generally I think it’s very positive. The interesting thing now is to see how the sport deals with it and moves on.”
The MSA has yet to issue a full response to the FAI but is expected to do so soon.
“We acknowledge the Sheriff’s analysis of the circumstances leading up to each accident, in both cases arising in the context of events that were organised by what were stated to be experienced volunteers demonstrating the highest levels of dedication and responsibility,” said an MSA spokesperson.
“At this stage, we require more time to fully consider the Sheriff’s recommendations and we will offer our response as soon as we are able to do so. In the meantime, we wish to reiterate our sincere sympathies to the victims’ families.”
With all investigations into the fatalities now complete, rallying has a chance to reset. With a number of inquiries into rally deaths in recent years, the sport has been reactionary in its need to change its rules to become safer. Now it has a chance to become precautionary as it aims to improve safety standards and work to avoid similar incidents occurring in the future.
“We should always aspire to be that one step ahead,” said Neil Cross, the respected and pragmatic clerk of the course from the Nicky Grist Stages. “It’s very encouraging. It’s good it picked up on the fact that we already have started to get our house in order. We’ve now moved forward.”
A major question arising from the inquiry concerns the future of the Jim Clark and the Mull rallies.
While Mull wasn’t investigated, it has been affected by the FAI, which took place during the same period that legislation in England was approved to transfer the power to grant a closed-road event a permit from the government to the MSA and local council. That has yet to happen in Scotland but, if it does, then the Mull and Jim Clark rallies should be able to run again providing they meet the MSA’S criteria, and have the approval of local authorities.
Two acts of parliament already exist in Scotland for the Jim Clark Rally and Mull Rally to run on closed public roads. However, that wasn’t sufficient for Mull to take place this year as the event was unable to obtain the requisite level of insurance cover.
The Jim Clark Rally organisers haven’t given up hope of running an event on closed roads in 2018.
“We’re looking forward,” said Jim Clark Rally clerk of the course Russel Blood. “We’re going to try and find a way to resolve the [current] insurance issue. The reason for wanting to run an event next year is because it’s 50 years since Jim’s death, so we’d like to do something.
“There’s not time for the new act to be put through, we will be discussing it with the MSA and the Scottish Government. It’s all up in the air.”
All up in the air it may be, but this is a positive time for rallying.
While it’s important to reflect on the loss of life on the Snowman Rally, where one spectator was killed, and on the Jim Clark, where three died, and learn from what happened, it’s also a chance to encourage events to avoid similar problems in the future.
Hopes for the return of closed-road events in Scotland next year should be cautioned as the amount of work behind the scenes will be vast. But despite the constant adversity thrown at the Jim Clark team, its enthusiasm is unwavering and the fact that it will try to run a closed-road event next year is testament to that.
The Mull Rally team is also equally enthused as it works to restore the event to the rallying calendar for 2019.
There’s still a lot to absorb and consider in light of the FAI report, but one thing is for certain: this is a chance for a new lease of life for rallying, at a time when it desperately needs the return of closed-road events and a reason for new blood to enter the organising and volunteer ranks of the discipline.
The findings of the FAI can be found here: scotcourts.gov.uk/docs/default-source/cos-general-docs/pdf-docs-for-opinions/2017fai026.pdf?sfvrsn=0