Safety First on the Nordschleife

The Nürburgring Nordschleife – often called the “Green Hell” – is an awe-inspiring track open to the public during Touristenfahrten (tourist driving) sessions. Drivers from all over the world come to experience its 20.8 kilometers of challenging bends and high-speed straights. But with this thrill comes real risk. Serious accidents, even fatalities, have occurred during these public sessions. Every driver and passenger on the Nordschleife deserves the best possible protection. This petition calls for a crucial safety reform: allow the use of HANS (Head and Neck Support) devices during Touristenfahrten. We believe that no one should be prevented from using a proven life-saving device when driving on such a dangerous circuit.

The Life-Saving Benefits of HANS Devices

The HANS device is a frontal head restraint system widely used in professional motorsports to prevent catastrophic neck injuries. In a severe crash, a driver’s body is held in place by seatbelts, but without head support the head can whip forward with tremendous force – often leading to fatal basilar skull fractures or neck breakages. The HANS device addresses this by tethering the helmet to a collar resting on the shoulders, so that head and torso move together, reducing stress on the neck.

Extensive data and real-world experience prove the effectiveness of HANS: Crash tests show that a HANS device can reduce neck tension by 81%, neck shear forces by 72%, and overall neck load by 78% in a 40g frontal impact. In practical terms, that can make the difference between walking away from a crash or suffering life-altering injury. Since HANS became mandatory in Formula 1, NASCAR, WRC, and other major series, deaths from basilar skull fractures – once a leading cause of driver fatalities – have virtually been eliminated. Many professional drivers have credited the HANS device with saving their lives in big accidents. IndyCar champion Will Power recalled, “The HANS device saved my life… I would never go into a car without one.” Such testimonials underscore that HANS is not just another gadget – it is a proven lifesaver.

Importantly, the HANS is a passive safety device. It does not alter the performance of the car or the speed of the driver; it only provides protection if and when a crash occurs. Wearing a HANS is akin to wearing a seatbelt or a helmet – it’s there for safety, not for speed. In fact, one could argue that knowing you have better protection might make a responsible driver more relaxed and focused, not reckless. No one drives faster simply because they’re wearing a neck restraint, just as wearing a seatbelt doesn’t make you seek out an accident. The HANS device’s sole purpose is to prevent serious injury. In an environment as perilous as the Nordschleife, that purpose should be welcomed wholeheartedly.

Current Rule: HANS Devices Banned in Tourist Drives
Despite the clear safety benefits, Nürburgring’s current rules prohibit drivers from wearing HANS devices during Touristenfahrten. Touristenfahrten are technically classified as public road use – the track is treated like a one-way toll road open to anyone with a street-legal car and a valid license. Because of this classification, the Nürburgring management enforces certain road regulations (the German StVO) during these sessions. For example, overtaking on the right is forbidden, and vehicles must be road-legal with proper registration. The HANS device, being associated with race gear, has been swept under this policy framework as “not allowed for the driver” in tourist sessions.

Why would the Nürburgring ban a safety device? The stated reasoning revolves around visibility and head movement. Critics of HANS use in public sessions argue that a HANS device could restrict a driver's ability to turn their head for shoulder-checks and side-to-side visibility. In normal road driving, being able to look over your shoulder or quickly glance around is important for checking blind spots. Nürburgring officials have expressed concern that a HANS device, which anchors the helmet, might impede this range of motion and thus be unsafe on a track open to public drivers of varying speeds. Essentially, they treat Touristenfahrten as “normal driving” where a driver might need to look around more than in a race situation, and thus they currently forbid hard neck restraints. As one observer summarized the rule humorously on a forum: “Touristenfahrten Nordschleife: a helmet is allowed and HANS is forbidden – seriously? ... The logic given is that a helmet doesn’t hinder a shoulder glance, but with HANS it’s a different story.” In short, the ban is rooted in the belief that HANS might reduce situational awareness on the tourist drive.

Addressing the Concerns: Mobility and Situational Awareness
It’s important to acknowledge these concerns – safety rules should never be changed without careful thought. Yes, wearing a HANS device means your helmet is attached to your shoulders by tethers. However, modern HANS devices have evolved significantly, and the perceived loss of mobility is largely a myth with today’s technology. Early HANS models in the 1990s had fixed tethers that indeed limited side-to-side head rotation. But manufacturers responded by introducing articulating (sliding) tethers, which allow the helmet to turn with much greater freedom. As a result, a modern HANS device permits a driver to look left and right almost as easily as without it. In fact, one motorsport tester quipped that the sliding tethers “allow anyone but a road racing owl or the girl from The Exorcist to turn their head as much as they would without the device.” In plain terms, unless you plan on spinning your head 180° around, a HANS will not significantly impede your ability to check mirrors or glance to the side.

Drivers can and do maintain situational awareness while using HANS devices. Even in professional racing, drivers must constantly be aware of their surroundings – perhaps even more so than on public roads. They rely on mirrors, situational awareness, and assistance from flag signals or spotters. On the Nordschleife during the 24-hour race, for example, drivers of slower classes (often amateur “gentleman” drivers) share the track with blazing-fast GT3 cars, just as in Touristenfahrten a 90 hp hatchback might share the track with a 700 hp supercar. Every one of those race drivers wears a HANS device, by mandatory regulation, and yet they manage overtakes and traffic without issue. They are trained to use their mirrors and anticipation; a HANS doesn’t prevent that. If anything, knowing they have proper safety gear gives them the confidence to focus on driving instead of worrying about injury.

Furthermore, a HANS does not eliminate a driver’s ability to check blind spots – it just means turning your head might involve your upper body a bit more (a natural motion if you’ve ever worn a neck brace or stiff backpack). On the Nordschleife, drivers should primarily be using mirrors and watching the road ahead; aggressive over-the-shoulder checks are not commonly needed on a one-way track with all traffic moving in the same direction. And unlike normal street driving, the Nordschleife has no intersections or cross-traffic – threats come from ahead or behind, not from side junctions. In practice, using mirrors diligently and paying attention to flag stations are far more relevant for situational awareness on track than physically craning one’s neck around. Many Touristenfahrten participants already drive with limited head rotation when wearing a full-face helmet or using racing seats with side head bolsters, yet they compensate by relying on mirrors. A HANS device would be no different in this regard.

Lastly, consider that helmets are allowed (and widely used) during tourist laps, even though a full-face helmet slightly restricts your field of view and hearing. Drivers accept that trade-off for the safety benefit. The HANS device is analogous – a minor, manageable restriction in exchange for a major safety improvement. We trust drivers to adjust to the small limitations of a helmet; we can certainly trust them to adjust to a HANS. As many experienced track drivers will attest: if you’re wearing a helmet and a multi-point harness, you should also be wearing a HANS. The combination of a rigid harness and a heavy helmet without a HANS is actually more dangerous for your neck – your torso is strapped in and stops abruptly in a crash, but your head (made heavier by the helmet) keeps moving, dramatically increasing neck strain. This is precisely the scenario that caused the death of Dale Earnhardt and others before HANS devices were adopted. In other words, banning HANS can make drivers less safe if they choose to wear harnesses and helmets (which are legal in TF). We should not force drivers into that unsafe situation. Instead, we should encourage the complete safety package – harness, helmet, and HANS – for those who have the proper equipment in their cars.

Touristenfahrten Is a Special Case – Let’s Treat Safety the Same Way

It’s true that Touristenfahrten are technically “public driving” sessions, but let’s be honest: driving on the Nordschleife is not like driving on a normal public road. The Nürburgring itself recognizes this through many special rules and exceptions in place for tourist drives. For example, certain types of vehicles are outright banned during Touristenfahrten for safety reasons. Until recently, motorcycles were allowed to lap alongside cars, but starting in 2025 the track banned all motorcycles from tourist sessions, citing unacceptable safety risks when bikes and cars mix. The management concluded that two-wheelers and four-wheelers on the same track led to too many dangerous “misunderstandings,” and thus made an exception to normal road access rules to improve safety. Likewise, extremely slow or heavy vehicles (like buses, trucks, or any vehicle that cannot exceed ~130 km/h) have been banned on the Nordschleife during public days. You can’t take a 3.5-ton delivery truck or a farm tractor for a lap, even if it’s road-legal, because the track officials know it would be hazardous. These are reasonable deviations from normal road regulations, made in the name of keeping everyone safe.

What’s more, the driving “etiquette” on the Nordschleife is unique. Participants drive on the racing line, not strictly on the right side as on a highway, and slower cars are expected to yield or indicate to the side to let faster cars overtake. This is completely contrary to usual road rules (where you’d never weave across lanes or expect street cars to coordinate overtakes at 200+ km/h!), yet it is accepted practice on tourist days. In effect, Nürburgring Touristenfahrten occupy a hybrid space between public road and track day. The authorities enforce some road laws (no unsafe vehicles, no passing on right, etc.), but also tolerate behaviors that would be illegal elsewhere (no strict right-side driving, no speed limit on most of the lap, helmet use even though German road law might consider a full-face helmet a “masking” violation, etc.). This flexibility exists because the context is different. Safety, not bureaucratic rigidity, is the priority – and rightly so. In that spirit, allowing the HANS device would simply be another sensible exception to standard road rules, wholly consistent with the Nürburgring’s existing approach to Touristenfahrten.

Let’s also remember that many Touristenfahrten drivers treat the day like a semi-trackday. People come with track-prepped cars: bucket seats, 4- or 6-point racing harnesses, roll cages, and sticky performance tires are common (as long as they are street-legal). It’s not unusual to see a driver in full racing gear – suit, gloves, racing boots, and of course a helmet – at a public session. Nürburgring even sells its own branded gear and encourages safe driving practices. So why arbitrarily stop short at the HANS device? If someone has gone to the length of installing a proper harness and wearing a helmet for safety, we want that person to also wear a head-and-neck restraint. Preventing them from doing so is counterproductive to the safety culture that the Nürburgring claims to uphold. By allowing HANS, the track would be acknowledging the reality that Touristenfahrten is a unique high-speed environment and that we should use every reasonable safety measure available to protect lives.

HANS Devices Won’t Make You Faster – Just Safer
Some might worry that allowing HANS devices could encourage a “race mentality” or overconfidence, as if it’s an invitation to drive faster or more aggressively. Let’s dispel that notion. A HANS device is not a performance modification – it’s protective equipment. It won’t make a car turn quicker laps; it adds no horsepower, no extra grip, no aerodynamic advantage. In fact, it’s slightly inconvenient – it adds a bit of weight and restricts some movement – so no one is going to wear a HANS for fun or style. They will wear it for one reason: because they are safety-conscious. Allowing HANS use sends the message that safety is encouraged, not that “racing” is encouraged.

Consider what is already allowed (even commonplace) in Touristenfahrten: drivers can lap in extremely fast, tuned sports cars. It’s not against the rules to bring a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a modified BMW M3, or a 700 hp Nissan GT-R, as long as it’s street-legal. People put on semi-slick high-performance tires, upgrade their brake pads, and increase horsepower – all in pursuit of faster and more thrilling laps, and all perfectly permitted under the “road legal” requirement. In contrast, a HANS device does nothing to help you set a quicker lap time. If anything, strapping into one is a humbling reminder that you’re doing something inherently risky. It reinforces a mindset of caution: you take the time to secure your helmet to the tethers, double-check your harness, and you’re acutely aware that you’re preparing for the worst-case scenario (which hopefully never comes). This mindset is the opposite of reckless bravado – it’s about respect for the dangers of the track.

It is illogical to permit all sorts of go-fast modifications while forbidding a pure safety device. Banning HANS to “prevent faster driving” would be like banning fire extinguishers in homes to prevent people from playing with matches. The truth is, drivers inclined to push beyond their limits will do so with or without a HANS. There is no evidence that being allowed to wear a neck restraint will suddenly turn prudent drivers into daredevils. If anything, those who invest in HANS devices are typically the more experienced and responsible enthusiasts. They are the ones fully aware of the risks and looking to mitigate them. These are exactly the drivers we want to encourage and empower, because they set a positive example for others. We should applaud participants who take extra safety measures, not tie their hands.

Support Personal Responsibility and a Culture of Safety
By allowing HANS devices during Touristenfahrten, Nürburgring management would be affirming a simple principle: safety is a personal responsibility, and drivers may go above and beyond minimum requirements to protect themselves and their passengers. Right now, the rules ironically prevent this in the case of HANS. Lifting the ban would cost the track nothing, yet it could save lives or prevent debilitating injuries. Families, friends, and motorsport communities would no longer have to ask “what if?” after a tragic accident – what if they had been allowed to wear a HANS? We would know that everything possible was done to keep the driver safe.

Imagine a father taking his child for an unforgettable lap around the ‘Ring in their sports car. They buckle in, put on helmets, and double-check everything. That father should have every right to clip a HANS device onto his child’s helmet and his own, knowing that he’s doing the utmost to ensure they come back in one piece if the unthinkable happens. No rule should stand in the way of that peace of mind. Similarly, an amateur driver who has invested in safety gear – roll cage, harness, helmet, HANS – is demonstrating the height of responsibility. The Nürburgring should welcome such behavior. We want every driver to take safety as seriously as the track deserves.

Real-life incidents underscore what’s at stake. There have been accidents on tourist days where drivers or passengers suffered severe head and neck injuries, or worse, lost their lives. We cannot know for sure how many of those outcomes might have been different with a HANS device, but given the device’s track record in professional racing, it’s very possible that some injuries could have been lessened or lives saved. On the flip side, we have countless examples of horrific crashes in racing that drivers survived relatively intact – credit to the HANS. The cost of these devices is no longer prohibitive (many models are a few hundred Euros, which serious track enthusiasts are willing to spend), and there even exist versions designed to work with stock three-point seatbelts for those without race harnesses. There is simply no good reason to deny tourist drivers this added margin of safety.

A Call to Action: Let’s Make the ‘Ring Safer for All

We, the undersigned, urge the Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG and all relevant authorities to update the Touristenfahrten safety regulations to explicitly allow the use of HANS devices and similar head-and-neck restraints for drivers and passengers. This change would align the Nordschleife’s public sessions with modern safety practices, acknowledge the track’s unique challenges, and respect the desire of responsible participants to protect themselves.

By adopting this policy change, the Nürburgring will demonstrate that it remains at the forefront of safety innovation, just as it is for performance and engineering. It will show that the management listens to the community’s concerns and is willing to adapt rules when there is clear evidence in favor of safety. No one should be seriously injured or killed at the Nürburgring simply for wearing (or not wearing) a piece of safety equipment that the rest of the motorsport world considers standard. Allowing HANS devices during Touristenfahrten is a common-sense step that will make the “Green Hell” a safer place without detracting from the experience or spirit of the driving itself.

We ask for the support of the general public, motorsport enthusiasts, and Nürburgring visitors in signing this petition. Let the Nürburgring know that we value safety and personal responsibility as much as we value the joy of driving. With enough voices, we can encourage the management to do the right thing. The Nordschleife will always be challenging and risky – that’s part of its allure – but we owe it to ourselves, our families, and our fellow drivers to reduce unnecessary risks. Allowing the HANS device is a straightforward way to do that.

Together, let’s make this legendary track safer for all who cherish it. Please sign and share this petition to support the allowance of HANS devices in Touristenfahrten. With your help, we can foster a culture where every Nürburgring lap is as safe as it can be, and ensure that everyone who comes to experience the thrill gets to go home safely at the end of the day.

Thank you for supporting safety at the Nürburgring,

Misha Charoudin