Safety in Karting
Helmets
A helmet is the must crucial safety gear in karting. Make sure that if you about to start karting, you buy a full face helmet as shown in the picture. Open-face, modular and motorcross type helmets are not allowed and not safe for karting.
For those that are into karting for a long time and are looking to upgrade, best thing to do would be to search for a homologated helmet. These helmets will have CMR2016 or SA-2020 written at the back of the helmet. CMR2016 homologation is for kids and juniors, while SA-2020 is for Seniors
Suits, Boots and Gloves
Suits for karting are quite easy to find and range from cheap ones to expensive ones according to many factors such as brand name, designs etc. A suit always comes in one piece, protecting the driver from head to toe. Suits are compulsory and no other type of wear is allowed on track.
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Karting boots are also a compulsory karting wear on track. First of all, these make it easier for the driver to have a good feel of the pedals. Some of them are even waterproof which could be an advantage when racing in wet conditions.
Gloves are sometimes considered as the least important aspect, however this is far from true. Gloves are very important, because apart from offering protection to your hands and wrist, they offer these advantages:
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Better grip
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Prvent hands from getting uncorfortable due to debris shot by the kart in front of you
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Decreases Hand Exhaustion
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Provide Comfort in an Extreme Weather
Other protective gear
Other protective gear used in karting are:
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Neck Brace
These are normally used by kids as they can prevent cervical spine and neck overstretching. Neck protectors exist in different models also to be used by adults. -
Rib protector
After the helmet, the rib protector is the must-have accessory for every driver. Its task is to protect the body from the strong stresses transmitted during the driving of a kart, especially when it comes to high performance racing karts, as a rib injury can cause several weeks of no driving.
