highway safety school

[aml]

this is going to be my first event and i'm excited couple question comes to mind:

1.where can i find some helmet locally? can i rent one?
2. i lived in gaithersburg where do you recomend i take my car for inspection

[AlfaEric]

OG Racing rents/sells helmets (Sterling, VA).

http://www.ogracing.com/

There is a list of tech inspection locations under documentation:
http://www.nccbmwcca.org/index.php?id=17,175,0,0,1,0

---Eric

[1996 328ti]

2. i lived in gaithersburg where do you recomend i take my car for inspection

Quality in Rockville or Dan Martin (301-926-8977) in Gaithersburg near the airpark.

[NoSoup4U]

I just want to confirm that the registration open date is "postmarked" by March 4th for the highway school, or can it be "received" by March 4th? This way, I can mail it out on march 3rd, or do I wait until march 4th to submit?

Thank you

[1996 328ti]

Postmarked March 4. Anything earlier goes to the bottom of the pile.
All registrations received on the same day will be given a random number and sorted that way. Typically our schools do not fill the first day.

[aml]

Once your car get inspected thus it have an expiration date on it? What advice you guys recomend about the classes i take after this Highway School, I have decided to do it this way.
1. highway school
2.driver school
3. mybe autocross in the future

And how long this class last, is it all day? I planning on buying my own helmet any recomendation, thank you.

Andrew

[aml]

What kind should i get Open or closed type, and i'm planning to take classes in the future.

[AG]

What kind should i get Open or closed type, and i'm planning to take classes in the future.

You should get a closed face SA rated helmet. I don't know if the SA2005 helmets are out yet, however those will be good for another 10 years. The certification on the currrent crop of helmets expires in 5 years.

As far a brands go, you must try before you buy. Not all helmets are shaped the same and some will fit much better than others.

[David Hicks]

You should get a closed face SA rated helmet.

It's debatable whether closed or open helmets are better for closed-car driver school situations. Closed helmets inhibit communication between student and instructor, and the SCCA has released a notice saying that using a closed helmet in a car with an airbag is potentially unsafe.

November 16, 2004 - Notification from SCCA National Staff
It has been brought to the attention of SCCA Technical Services that the use of full-face or closed face helmets while driving vehicles with active airbag restraint systems may result in injuries in the event of a crash that deploys the airbag. Because of the location of the steering wheel relative to the driver's position, the airbag axis is on a level with the driver's chin. In a crash with airbag deployment, contact with the chin area of a full-face helmet can be so powerful "that fractures to the jaw cannot be ruled out". (Hubert Gramling, FIA Institute, FT3/AF, 18.5 1999)

aml, go to the newstand and pick up the latest issue of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine. There is a great article on buying helmets.

[1996 328ti]

Once your car get inspected thus it have an expiration date on it? What advice you guys recomend about the classes i take after this Highway School, I have decided to do it this way.
1. highway school
2.driver school
3. mybe autocross in the future

And how long this class last, is it all day? I planning on buying my own helmet any recomendation, thank you.

Andrew

I think the HSS is good to do before a HP Driving School.
Use good judgement with your tech inspection form. It is your final responsibility that the car in sound working order. For instance, if your car is teched and something happens between the time the car was inspected and the event, take that into consideration.

Autocross is always good. It is a different skill set than HPDEs.
And get a full face helmet.

[1996 328ti]

It's debatable whether closed or open helmets are better for closed-car driver school situations. Closed helmets inhibit communication between student and instructor, and the SCCA has released a notice saying that using a closed helmet in a car with an airbag is potentially unsafe.
.

Every school I have every been to there has been two-way intercom communication.

[David Hicks]

I guess I should also mention that I bought a full face helmet and I've been happy with it. I also have a car without an airbag. My next car will likely have an airbag and I will buy an open face helmet.

FWIW, many FIA Rally drivers where open helmets.

http://rallye-info.com/images/photos...0/Ekstrom3.jpg

[ChosenGSR]

Does it make sense to sign up for both days? Highway school on satruday followed by drivers school on sunday? I am also a complete noob to this

[1996 328ti]

Does it make sense to sign up for both days? Highway school on satruday followed by drivers school on sunday? I am also a complete noob to this

I think so.

FWIW, many FIA Rally drivers where open helmets.

What's your point? They are also wearing harnesses, full cage and racing buckets.

[David Hicks]

My point is that a full face helmet is not always the best choice. Many pro's choose not to use them when they can. The SCCA might possibly restrict their use in cars with airbags as early as this season or next. If the person asking for advice were to buy a full face helmet and tries to do SCCA autox or driver's schools next season, and the full helmets are disallowed, he'd have to buy another helmet.