I'm just looking over your site now- always good to see our hobbies get positive exposure. However, I take issue with the following phrase from your homepage-
"Finally, all go karts should have seatbelts regardless of the speed or type of go kart. This is essential."
This statement is not at all true. A go kart should have a safety belt or harness ONLY if it equipped with a roll hoop or cage. In the event of a rollover, you do NOT want the occupant of an open, unprotected kart secured to the kart. The chances of a serious injury are reduced with the possibility of being thrown clear. If there is no hoop or cage, being belted in guarantees that if the kart goes belly up, the driver is driven head-first into the pavement with the kart on top. Conversely, if the kart does have a stout hoop or cage, the best chance of escaping injury is brought about by being secured in place and protected by the cage. NOT being belted in increases the risk of being partially thrown clear and likely being caught up in the bars, breaking limbs.
Simply put, cage=belt, no cage=no belt. For comparison, please note that enclosed vehicles, (cars, trucks, vans, etc) are all built with restraint devices, yet open vehicles (motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATV's etc) are not equipped with restraints. This is no coincidence.
Secondarily,
"the risk of a go kart flipping and causing injury to the driver is eliminated with the application of roll cages on a go kart. ? These prevent the driver from being injured in the event of the go cart rolling over".
This too, is a flawed statement. NOTHING guarantees an injury-free collision or roll. The greatest cause of injury in a rollover with a cage (and harness) is the operators' instinct to reach out with his arms to attempt to prevent the rollover. This is reactionary and illogical. With the inertia, your arm is not going to prevent the roll. It is, however, going to break your arm. The solution is training. Operators of such a vehicle must have it firmly imprinted in their minds that the absolute safest thing they can do in the event of a rollover (again with a cage and harness) is to keep both hands clamped to the steering wheel. Naturally, in a kart with no cage and belt, the opposite is true. In such an event, one must allow oneself to be thrown clear of the kart.
I certainly hope you seriously consider editing your site to reflect the above, and help maximize the enjoyment of our sport. Nothing kills a buzz faster than a trip to the ER.
Cheers! Chris.
