NASCAR Starts 2017 Season with Concussion Testing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. was confident NASCAR took the right step Friday when it beefed up its concussion protocol by adding a consistent screening rule at all venues. "Good to see progress being made and implemented. Health and safety is top priority," Earnhardt tweeted . Earnhardt, long NASCAR's most popular driver, was sidelined for the second half of last season with a concussion. Earnhardt missed the final 18 races with nausea, vision and balance issues after at least the fifth concussion of his career following a June wreck. In the 16 years since his father's death at Daytona, NASCAR has introduced a series of measures designed to keep drivers safe, from helmet and restraint systems to impact-absorbing SAFER barriers along concrete walls, all designed to cushion the blows of high-impact wrecks. NASCAR made baseline concussion tests mandatory for all drivers in 2014, but expanded the protocol this year just nine days before the Daytona 500 with a consistent screening tool and additional neurological support in the hope of keeping drivers healthier. Drivers who are involved in a wreck that sends their car to the garage will now be required to report to the infield care center for an evaluation. Under the old rule, a driver went to the care center only if their car had to be towed from the track. NASCAR's standards will also require infield care center physicians to use the SCAT-3 diagnostic tool in screening for head inju...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Patient Care Source Type: news