How safe are auto races? - health risks and injuries to spectators, drivers, crews studied - Your Life - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), May, 1997

Those who have watched auto racing know that much of the thrill comes from its apparent danger. In a sport where high speeds and sharp curves leave crowds on the edge of their seats, few realize that spectators ultimately require more medical attention than the drivers. Harlen Hunter, director of the Harlen Motor Sports Medical Center Chesterfield, Mo., points out that, "When large spectator audiences are in attendance, the medical team can expect to treat more observers than participants, and more illness than injuries." An associate professor at the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, Mo., Hunter was part of the medical team that covered 36 races in three years.

Though advances in driver training, safety precautions, and physical education have made auto racing less dangerous than commonly thought, the sport still can pose some risks. According to a study of injuries on small, oval tracks, a driver requires medical attention in approximately every fifth racing meet. In all, there are between two and four auto racing deaths per 100 000 participants each year. "Auto racing's mortality rate ranks similar to that of alpine skiing and scuba diving, but Significantly lower than that for mountain hiking," Hunter notes.

For drivers and mechanics, thermal burns were the most common injury. Mechanics' burns usually were caused by touching heated car parts, while drivers' injuries were largely due to the construction of their cars. Poor ventilation and the close proximity of the engine and exhaust pipes resulted in thermal burns on the feet, hands, and buttocks. Other common driver injuries included sprains, confusions, abrasions, and heat exhaustion.

Track design also impacted the number of driver injuries. Though average speeds on natural road courses were much higher than on temporary street circuits, their large, winding tracks and open ground enabled drivers to recover from bumps or spins. Street circuits, however, were tighter, shorter, and enclosed by concrete barriers, offering drivers little room for error.

Race officials were treated for injuries that included back sprains, insect bites, and heat exhaustion. Spectators suffered gastroenteritis, heat exhaustion, and upper respiratory infections.

Physicians covering auto racing and other sporting events can expect to handle medical problems that run the gamut from critical emergencies to non-traumatic injuries. "During our three-year experience on the motor sports circuit, we found that 28% of the patients we family practitioner's office," Hunter notes. "However, physicians staffing spectator events must be prepared to treat patients for fight-related injuries as well as seizures, sexual assaults, and even injuries from lightning strikes."