There are lots of different types of cars that are seen daily.
If you sat and thought about how many different vehicles you saw in one day, it would probably be a much larger number than you think, especially if you live in a city or work in the car industry!
Cars come in all different shapes and sizes, ensuring that there’s something out there for everyone and any sort of purpose.
Racing cars are very common and are designed for the specific purpose of racing. They have lots of specific and unique features such as racing seats.
A frequent question that people often wonder is whether you need a harness when sitting in a racing seat. We all know the importance of seatbelts and how many lives they save every year, but are they enough?
They might not offer enough protection when traveling at much higher speeds and performing sharp turns, so should harnesses be considered?
What Is A Racing Seat?
Well, you probably know what a racing car is. But, in case you don’t, we’ll quickly explain.
As we previously touched on, a racing car is a vehicle that has been created and designed specifically for the use and purpose of racing.
These cars can come in all different shapes and sizes, making them perfect for racing and reaching high speeds.
These can come in lots of different forms and variations, like Formula 1 cars and event ally cars.
Anyone that watches these sports will tell you that these cars look very different and are suited to separate styles of racing, with Formula 1 cars reaching high speeds on flat surfaces and rally cars being suited to off-road and bumpy conditions.
What is a racing seat then? Is it just a seat in a racing car? Well, not exactly.
Also referred to as bucket seats, these features are important for any racer and will ensure their safety and comfort whilst driving at potentially high speeds and extreme conditions.
They’re different from normal seats because they’re generally safer and suited for the purpose of preventing the driver from obtaining injuries.
They’re more lightweight than standard car seats because the car needs to be relatively light to try and hit high speeds whilst keeping the driver safe.
On top of this, they hold the driver in place more than usual seats because if there’s a crash, the driver doesn’t want to be moving around because it can cause more potential injuries.
So, surely with a different seat, you’ll need a different seatbelt compared to your standard variation.
What’s A Racing Harness?
Well, in simple terms, a racing harness is a device that keeps the driver in place as much as possible and ensures their safety.
When accompanied by a bucket seat, these harnesses allow the person driving to stay as fixed in place as possible and minimize the risk of injuries and accidents.
When traveling at high speeds, many drivers will definitely feel the effects of the driving and the different forces in play. So, the last thing they need is to be flying about the place and being put off from their driving.
This can cause them to lose concentration, causing potential risks and crashes to the car and the driver alike.
Because of how secure these seatbelts need to be, they often come with 4, 5, or even 6 belt sections that clip into place and keep the driver secure.
If you think that standard seatbelts only have one clip and they keep people very safe, having 5 or 6 of these features can be the difference between severe injuries or death, and walking away relatively unscathed.
Is A Harness Required For A Racing Seat?
It all depends on where you’re looking to use your car. For example, certain states in the US might have different guidelines and laws revolving around the use and implementation of harnesses in racing seats.
The UK and Europe, also have different rules and laws to abide by, so that the driver remains safe whilst driving their car.
Although, there is some breathing room when it comes to the use of harnesses with racing seats, the general rule of thumb is that you will need a harness because of the shape of the seat.
Because of the mold of the seat around the driver, a normal seatbelt will often not have the desired effect on a driver’s safety.
Harnesses will fit a lot closer and will ensure the safety of the driver is kept at the top of the priority list.
For international events and races, the harness will need to be double-checked and triple-checked to make sure that it reaches all of the requirements that are needed for it to qualify as a legal piece of equipment for races.
Different harnesses are likely to have different requirements depending on the number of buckles/clasps they have.
Because of this, each harness needs to be assessed before races to ensure that the right set of rules and regulations are being implemented for the right harness.
Can You Drive In A Racing Seat Without A Harness?
Our best advice is, if you’re not sure then don’t do it. It doesn’t hurt to be safe, rather than sorry.
Make sure that you take the time to do your research and find out the right rules and laws, however, they should be relatively easy to find considering the local law enforcement will want you to know the rules.
Final Thoughts
That’s the end of our guide!
It’s not as complicated as you might’ve first thought and we hope that now you know a bit more about harnesses and racing seats, you’ll be able to follow the law and allow yourself to stay safe at the same time.
Of course, if you were just curious about the facts, then it’s always worth doing a bit of research to ensure that you find the right rules for different sports.
They’re all bound to have different rules, so have a search about for the specifics!
