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The ASSE's letter to Mike HeltonJanuary 8, 2001 Dear Mr. Helton: Congratulations on your new position as president of NASCAR, an organization with worldwide recognition and fans. With the year 2001 upon us along with a new racing season beginning for you in February, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is urging NASCAR to improve and implement stronger safety efforts on the racecar circuit in an effort to prevent any fatalities from happening in the future. As the president of ASSE, representing 32,000 safety and engineering professionals, I am proud to say that we have been an advocate of safety for more than 89 years. We recognize that not all workplaces look the same. Like racecar drivers, to members of the law enforcement community their vehicle is often their workplace and in order to do their job properly they rely on the roads along with their vehicles to be in good and safe shape, as do emergency medical crews and fire departments. We are concerned with the safety of NASCAR drivers and crew. Especially following the deaths of Tony Roper, and Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty who died months apart from head-on crashes into the wall at New Hampshire International Speedway. There have been too many tragedies during races that may have been prevented by utilizing new safety initiatives such as soft walls and other products to better protect the drivers, the audience and the crew. With the new year ahead, and the explosive growth of the NASCAR racecar circuit across the country as well as the increased marketing of NASCAR products we are asking you to take a strong leadership role in protecting your greatest asset, the lives of the drivers. We recognize that in the past the racecar business has developed advanced safety products and systems that have been adapted into mainstream products resulting in an increase in safety and a reduction in injuries. We applaud NASCAR for pioneering the invention of safety improvement products such as the fire safe/retardant protection suit; the self-contained gas tanks; the vehicle roll cages; use of the head-and-neck restraint system; introduction of the restricter plate and your research into aerodynamic body changes aimed at slowing speed; and helmets and protective gloves. We also applaud you for mandating last August that NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams have their primary and secondary throttle shafts equipped with an independent travel stop to impede the throttle plates from opening beyond vertical and by announcing the addition of an auxiliary ignition on/off button aimed at disconnecting power to the ignition system. Although experienced drivers on the circuit have been trained on how to maneuver safely when heading toward a wreck to minimize injuries, still injuries and fatalities occur. NASCAR's increased safety efforts teamed with the drivers' expertise could greatly reduce additional fatalities and life-shortening injuries. We urge you to consider increased research and implementation of soft walls; stuck throttles and utilizing crash boxes and the data collected, which is done by CART and IRL, in order to increase safety. The capital investment you make in putting up the protective walls and implementing other such safety features will quadruple in worth over time as you reduce fatalities and injuries and increase respect and credibility for the sport, especially as you expand your markets and your marketing efforts. As an organization made up of over 32,000 occupational safety and health professionals located around the globe, and working in every industry including the hospitality and entertainment industry, ASSE stands ready to assist your safety efforts in any way possible. We would welcome the opportunity to serve on any committees you consider forming to examine safety issues.
I've enclosed a fact sheet on what and who ASSE is. You'll find the services of ASSE are extensive and its audience reaches across many boundaries. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be reached at 1-800-382-1241 or by e-mail at nscande@aol.com Sincerely, Samuel J. Gualardo, CSP President
Mike Helton's letter of responseJan. 31, 2001 Dear Mr. Gualardo: Thank you for your letter of January 8 to Mike Helton of the National Association for Stock Car Racing concerning the American Society of Safety Engineers. Your letter has been referred to me for a response. Your interest and the interest of ASSE in NASCAR and its business is greatly appreciated, as is your joint concern for driver safety. As you indicate in your letter, NASCAR has historically been proactive in the development and implementation of a wide variety of innovative safety measures. Those efforts continue to be the foremost concern and responsibility of a number of professionals both within and retained by NASCAR. To that end should the need for additional (assistance) arise we will certainly keep in mind your organization and its offer to assist. Again we appreciate your interest in NASCAR. Best regards. Sincerely, Mike Helton
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