UK Spectator Safety Questions

Gingertom

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I am writing a feature about spectator safety at UK motorsport events for my journalism degree, inspired by this recent incident:

I'd be really grateful if some of you could take a couple of minutes to answer a few brief questions:

1. When attending any motorsport event (track, rally, etc) do you feel adequately protected as a spectator?

2. What more measures do you think could be taken to further protect spectators from on-track incidents?

3. Would further safety measures spoil your enjoyment of watching the racing?

4. Is it a good thing that motorsport has a reputation for danger, even for spectators? Is that part of the attraction?

5. Have you ever been injured yourself, or witnessed someone else being injured, at a motorsport event? If so, what happened and how did you feel?

If you happen to have any pictures that you have taken of any incidents like this and you wouldn't mind me using them (I will credit you as the owner of them) that would also be a great help.

Thanks.
 
To be honest I wouldn't consider that as a 'massive' accident'. The area of fencing it slotted through was one of the main access points to the circuit and while the car landed somewhere near a grandstand, it couldn't have reached the stand from the track. Track defences are a trade off between ultimate safety and the ability to access the track.

1. When attending any motorsport event (track, rally, etc) do you feel adequately protected as a spectator?

That's very event dependent. Most tracks pay a lot of attention to protecting fixed spectator locations, but something like a rally relies on the common sense of the spectator. Most venues have some sort of 'racing is dangerous, don't be a prat' type warning because of this.

2. What more measures do you think could be taken to further protect spectators from on-track incidents?

Ban spectators?

3. Would further safety measures spoil your enjoyment of watching the racing?

Impossible to say without further knowledge of what the measures were.

4. Is it a good thing that motorsport has a reputation for danger, even for spectators? Is that part of the attraction?

Does it have a reputation for danger any more? I'm not sure it does. An interesting article would be how the attraction of the sport differs by nation. The UK fan base is very much interested in skill and ingenuity whereas some nations focus on personality and risk.

5. Have you ever been injured yourself, or witnessed someone else being injured, at a motorsport event? If so, what happened and how did you feel?

Nope
 
Pah, at least that a permanent track with fences and stuff. Try the WRC...

https://pic.armedcats.net/d/da/danrom/2009/05/03/14.jpg
https://pic.armedcats.net/d/da/danrom/2009/05/03/15.jpg
https://pic.armedcats.net/d/da/danrom/2009/05/03/16.jpg

Yes, we changed location to the inner side of that corner for the second run of the stage...
 
I normally am an official with less saftey in place for me than spectators, but i feel safe because i know my mates have my back.
It might be worth looking at the footage/storys from Queensland raceway, Australia last year when a mini rolled, cleared the barrier and ended up a very crowded spectator area.


1. When attending any motorsport event (track, rally, etc) do you feel adequately protected as a spectator?
Only event i have attended as a spectator is the Clipsal 500 Street circuit, and the 4m high fences made me feel very safe

2. What more measures do you think could be taken to further protect spectators from on-track incidents?
Best way to be to evevate the spectors higher up, using grandstands and such, and not allow spectators on ground level within x amount of the track

3. Would further safety measures spoil your enjoyment of watching the racing?
If the idea above was implemented, yeah i think it would detract from the enjoyment of a club event

4. Is it a good thing that motorsport has a reputation for danger, even for spectators? Is that part of the attraction?
I don't think the average punters believe motorsports is dangerous anymore, they just look at the saftey gear involved in top level racing and think nothing can happen anymore.

5. Have you ever been injured yourself, or witnessed someone else being injured, at a motorsport event? If so, what happened and how did you feel?
Witness Ashley Cooper's death in 2006, it was a sad moment, but life goes on. Have seen some minor injurys as an official (twisted ankle, broken nose etc), but they felt nothing more than minor accidents that you could have in any sport
 
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