[Steve_Seattle]

I'm surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more often - when cars hit the wall, dozens of pieces of carbon fiber, tires, wings, etc., go flying, and - with the cars in close proximity - you'd think drivers would be hit by debris more often than they are.

I think eventually that open-wheel cars will go to some sort of enclosed cockpit, whether totally enclosed or some sort of cage.

[arbitrary.squid]

The thing about carbon fiber is that it doesn’t weigh a lot, really, and when it does break, it shatters into so many pieces that a large amount of the impact against the wall is dissipated, reducing the shock to the driver, and the shrapnel isn’t something that will normally puncture a helmet or even a driver’s suit. But things like springs or metal parts remain a danger. So do the supports that keep the cars from killing fans in the stands, like happened with Dan Weldon.