Attn: Racers... the benefits of a roll cage

[viperchick12]

We had a close call with one of our friends this past weekend and I think its pretty safe to say that his roll cage and 5-point harness saved him from serious injury.

It definitely woke me up and I'm thinking about putting a cage in my Viper just for street use...

I know Vipers are not as likely to get up on two wheels and drive completely over the guardrail, but....

YouTube - NHRDA drag race crash FL

[viperchick12]

Sorry guys... the video got pulled last night due to the drivers request

[mjorgensen]

I cage for use on the street is NOT a wise move. The bars will harm you more than help in a situation without proper restraints and a helmet. Be careful with this and by the way harnesses are also dangerous for the street as they don't allow your body to move like the factory belts. This puts all the force on your neck which will not hold up in a crash.

[Schulmann]

5 point harness and a good helmet do a great job. The cockpit is very strong in the Viper. As long as you stay inside and you are not thrown out you can survive a crash upto 130mph. There is always the bad luck factor .... I understand why the guy removed the video ...

The bolt in rollcages that you can buy on the web is not the best protection that you can get.

[viperchick12]

The link was reposted..... I know these trucks are a lot heavier than our cars, but its just an eye opener to what can happen and why safety equipment is important, especially while on the track.

This happened to one of my husbands good friends during qualifing and my husband was next in line to make his qualifing pass... 30 minutes prior to the wreck his wife and I were putting sponsor decals on his truck...

Just a reminder of how quick things can "go wrong"
Click here to see the video: Vid

[Ray W]

From the pictures and the video it appears to have been caused by one of the least known problems in drag racing. Radial tires in front and bias ply tires (slicks) on the rear. Glad to see he's ok .

[Camfab]

I'm seriously considering a cage in my car as well. After almost being taken out at the drag strip a few weeks ago by another driver it made me rethink the potential of outside forces. I've been in a wreck with five points on the street, no way are factory seat belts as supportive. Yes I can see your point that all the energy is transfered to the neck, but not wearing a helmet on the street means that there is far less mass accelerating forward upon impact. The factory belts allow you to close your doors and play with your radio etc., but also allow your shoulders to twist upon impact. Of course a full cage or an improperly designed cage without the proper use of five or sixpoints allows for many potential points of impact if your not properly restrained. The fact also remains that five (six) points are not DOT as well. I've held out for a couple of reasons, mostly because I like the OEM appearance and I don't want to devalue the car. On the other hand, what does that matter if your not around due to a lack of safety gear.