IRL Driver Safety

Driver safety has always been a major point of concern, with a number of drivers injured, primarily in the early years of the series; a number of these injuries were serious or even fatal.

Unlike road racing venues, the lack of run-offs on oval tracks, coupled with far higher speeds due to the long straightaways and banked turns, meant there was simply far less margin for error. Car design was attributed as a leading cause of early injures.

The series made significant and continuous improvements to chassis safety. The IRL made additional changes to reduce speed and increase safety by a reduction in engine displacement

The IRL was also the first race series to adopt the new SAFER soft wall safety system, which debuted at the Indianapolis 500 and now has been installed at most oval circuits. The system's full name, Steel And Foam Energy Reduction, accurately explains the method used to attenuate high-G impacts