Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
I didn't know they were more liberal with the budget for safety-related gadgets.
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I gathered some interested kids in high school to build and compete in the local utility sponsored electric vehicle races. They pulled out sponsorship and the program died a few years after I graduated. I'm sure the reason was liability.
We built our car with the most meager margins of safety. The front end was tubular aluminum with no padding, and an aluminum hinge welded to it for the canopy. That hinge was like a 1/4" thick blunt knife sticking out in front. The cantilever brake was fitted to the tiny 20" rear wheel only, since that was the simplest to engineer (and last thing to be engineered because stopping is boring).
The rules specified a 4-point harness, a roll cage 1" above the drivers head, and foam padding on the frame members around the drivers torso. The car also had to stop within a maximum distance. I got the car to qualify on the 3rd attempt after deflating the tire to minimum, not quite meeting minimum speed, and scrubbing some speed with side to side steering. Stopping the 3-wheeled vehicle on a tiny bicycle tire was like watching a shuttle landing.
During testing on the 1/4 mile running track, we got the car up to 45 MPH where it was at its cornering limit. The steering was very twitchy with the steering arm moving left and right rather than turning like a normal steering wheel. A kid wandered over from the junior high and didn't look as he crossed the track. The driver had about 3 seconds to apply the garbage brake before flipping the kid over the car. His injuries were superficial, but only because he was 13.
I can see why LeMons would allow an unlimited safety budget in addition to their stringent requirements. Small budgets and disinterest in safety can be a recipe for disaster.