Underwear: Don’t skimp on this just because it’s out of sight – it has a key role to play.

It is next to your skin so in a fire it is your last line of defence – and it increases your
protection against serious burns by up to 50%. Any fabrics other than those developed to
provide fire protection (e.g. Nomex) should be avoided because they will transmit the
heat to your skin or melt and stick to it.

Socks & gloves: these items must be flame resistant too. Gloves in a bright colour,
contrasting with the car, will be better noticed by the starter and marshals in case you
have to signal problems on the grid or while driving.

Drivers' suits: get the best FIA-approved flame-resistant overalls you can afford; it’s
your life they are protecting. Keep overalls clean and take care to ensure that washing
instructions are followed so that any protective treatments are not washed out.

Overalls should not fit you tightly anywhere – a looser fit gives better fire protection and
comfort – and always wear your own overalls. Do not rely on borrowed equipment.

Footwear: make sure your footwear is fire resistant, the right size and that laces are tied
so that they won’t get tangled around the pedals. Keep your footwear clean and dry –
overshoes are useful in wet service areas and paddocks.
Special personal clothing: for some events – rallies for instance – it is wise to have a
rally jacket and a hat to keep you warm in service areas and in case you stop in a special
stage - 30% of all heat lost from the body is lost through your head. Hypothermia won’t
help your championship chances. It may be a good idea to have a thermal blanket in the
car to protect you against the cold.
If you have waterproofs (foul weather gear) to protect against rain, keep in mind that
some are more inflammable than others.
On other events you may need to guard against sunburn, or heat build-up in the car:
adequate ventilation (including through your helmet) and maintaining personal hydration
are the principal ways to combat this. If the body's heat rises above 38°C, performance
will start to diminish rapidly

Helmets
Take time to try on new helmets, get professional advice and buy the best you can afford.
Full face helmets give better protection against fire and facial injury than open ones. For
closed cars, open face helmets are tolerated. This is because it may be necessary to
remove the helmet inside the car to enable access to an injured driver's airway and helmet
removal could be difficult.

Size is important: a helmet that does not fit snugly can easily rotate over the front of the
head in an accident and come off, reducing the protection it provides to zero. Never wear
a helmet that is not your size or that needs any extra padding to make it fit.
To check the size, wearing an FIA approved balaclava, position the helmet so that it sits
low on your forehead; you should be able to see the edge of the brim at the extreme upper
range of your vision.

Adjust the retention system so that it will hold the helmet firmly in place then try to
remove the helmet without undoing it.

If the helmet can shift over your eyes, it is too big; it should be very difficult to move it
about in any direction and not possible without movement of your skin.
Ask someone to assist you – bend your neck to lower your chin to your chest. With the
assistant standing in front of you and the helmet in place with the chin strap properly
fitted, the assistant should grasp the bottom edge of the back of the helmet and pull
Forward.

The helmet should not be easily removed with moderate pulling effort.
Basically, choose the smallest helmet you can bear, but without any particular pressure
points (or voids between head and helmet). Do not borrow someone else’s helmet!
Wear the chinstrap as tight as you can without discomfort. With a double D-ring
attachment, it’s a good idea to have a tab on the second ring so that it will undo quickly
by just pulling.
Whenever neck or head injury is suspected, a helmet must only be removed by a properly
trained team under medical supervision. Simple proprietary systems exist which
are designed to aid in gentle helmet removal in such cases and may be mandated in some
championships or series. Currently accepted ones are the pneumatic "Eject" and the Arai
and Stand 21 modified balaclavas. Your helmet should bear an indication if you have one
of these.

Choose a helmet with a good ventilation system and one that will accommodate the
appropriate hardware for the approved frontal head retention system you use.
Colour selection is also important as darker colours will absorb more heat than lighter
colour helmets which can increase your body temperature and affect your performance.
The visor is an integral part of the protection against impacts and fire: it should have a
positive locking mechanism to prevent opening during an accident.
8/25

Don’t forget to peel the protective plastic wrap off a new visor (it happens, even in
Formula 1!).

The visor – and helmet – should be kept in place during slow-down laps, until you are
back in the paddock.

Don’t modify or drill holes in your helmet and, if having it decorated, remember that
special paints must be used to avoid damaging the structure.
Do not remove the lining unless specific instructions are provided for removal by the
Manufacturer.

Avoid stick-on accessories: if really necessary only use those of the helmet’s
manufacturer, fixed so that they can be knocked off easily. If you wish to fit a drinking
tube, seek instruction from the helmet maker and keep to one, small diameter hole.

Don’t mount any communications equipment in or on the helmet or disturb the lining in
any way. If a drink tube or earplug radio cable needs routing out of the bottom of the
helmet, they may be lightly attached with Velcro to the bottom surface of the comfort
padding, but any such lines must come apart immediately when exiting the car or
removing the helmet

lways protect your helmet when not in use. Pad your roll cage in areas of likely contact
so the helmet does not suffer any impact damage, no matter how slight.

On rallies, keep helmets well supported and protected in the rally car between stages,
preferably in a lined bag. The helmet is probably the piece of equipment most likely to
save your life – take care of it and it will take care of you. Don’t drop or knock your
helmet and if it suffers any impact, or gets scratched, consider replacing it.
At the very least have it inspected by an expert after any impact, even if only against the
garage floor. It is a good idea to renew your helmet from time to time, even though it is
undamaged. Make sure that the helmet you select is properly labelled and approved for
the type of activity in which you will participate and that it is date current.

Frontal Head Restraint (FHR)

One of the most significant advances in driver safety in recent years has been the
introduction of the FIA-approved HANS® (Head And Neck Support) and alternative FIA
homologated Frontal Head Restraint devices. These are devices worn on the shoulders,
outside the overalls and to which the helmet is tethered. They are usually held in place
underneath the shoulder belts. An approved device very effectively prevents the neck
being stretched and twisted excessively in an impact, dramatically reducing neck loads
and the likelihood of spinal injury or of head impacts on the rollbar or cockpit.

An FHR greatly reduces the risk of injury to face or neck in a frontal accident and has no
disadvantages as long as it is properly installed – some cars may need adjustment to the
seat, headrest or shoulder belt anchorages. You are strongly advised to use it for all
9/25 events - it is mandatory, with rare exceptions, in all events on the FIA International
Calendar.

It is however essential to have a helmet approved for FHR use (see FIA Technical list no.
29) and to have the FHR tether anchorages on the helmet installed by your helmet makers
or an expert approved by them.

If you compete in closed cars, know how to quickly detach the FHR in case it catches on
anything in an accident.

Note that the use of any device attached to a helmet is prohibited unless FIA approved.
There is little evidence that wearing one of the proprietary types of neck brace or cervical
collar will help in an accident; some may exacerbate injuries.

Ear protection
Noise is an unseen and sometimes overlooked danger in motor sport. Prolonged exposure
to high decibel levels can lead to loss of hearing, or tinnitus (ringing in the ears) which in
acute form can have disastrous effects on your health. Unlike a broken limb, damaged
hearing does not recover so always wear good ear defenders (hearing protection). Use
moulded ear plugs if open exhausts are being used. For best results, it is advisable to
consult with an audiologist before choosing a device.

Apart from engine noise (or the sound of a shouting co-driver), wind noise can also be
damaging – another good reason for wearing a properly fitting helmet