;)
tagged: For F1, Safety Comes First
Monaco has a dangerous reputation. Twice this race weekend the dangers were exposed as both Sergio Perez and Vitaly Petrov were transported to the hospital after crashing. Thankfully none of them were seriously injured. Perez sustained a concussion, but it could have been much worse. There’s no doubt that those who watch Formula One know of the horror stories of the deaths that used to occur way back when, before things are safe. But no driver has died since Ayrton Senna in 1994 (knock on wood). Only because the F1 cars are so safe.
There are a few accidents and crashes that have happened in the past few years that depict F1′s darker side, but all of those drivers thankfully lived. In some cases, the accidents are horrific enough to make spectators conjure up gruesome images of how badly injured the drivers inside. But the drivers never sustain injuries as violent as the ones they could. Not as violent as the ones they would if F1 didn’t build the safest cars.
Robert Kubica, Mark Webber, and both Perez and Petrov bring to mind some violent accidents in the recent years. Kubica’s was probably the worst. At least it looked the worst. He received a broken leg. Last year, Webber’s car became airborne when he ran into the back of Heikki Kovalianen’s Lotus. Webber had a sprained toe. Perez and Petrov? Despite being taken to the hospital, both drivers were okay enough that their respective teams said they would take part in the next Grand Prix.
Safety is usually a second-hand thought in the minds of spectators. It isn’t until someone crashes into a barrier and fails to show signs of conciousness that we worry, that we remember how safe these Formula One cars are.
So this my little thank you and shout-out to Formula One and all of its participating teams. Even though Petrov and Perez didn’t show initial signs of consciousness, I already suspected they would be alright because of the safety precautions taken by the teams.
;)
