I have to agree with all the post that Rocket posted. All his statements are right on the money in my opinion. Someone should talk to the doctors that did all the neck brace studies for NASCAR.......before Georgie or Barrington chime in about that being a car, and we are riding motorcycles, I know that.
The increase in injuries is simple......faster more powerful bikes that give a C class rider the ability to twist the throttle and get over doubles that are larger than their ability should have them jumping.......jumping higher, and higher rates of speed...... It almost seems to me, that it is usually not the C class, slower riders have the life altering injuries......
That really only disproves the theory you tried to support. First we're talking about giving C riders (inexperienced riders?) the ability to ride over their head/ or ride faster... Well, Ok..but you then said yourself:
we seem to see it out of the faster amatuers and professionals that are going faster, jumping higher, etc...that supports my theroy that the body can only take so much impact.
So i'm not following you here...
As for the chiming in part about nascar. Nascar drivers are strapped into a car and roll with the car in an accident.(if you didn't know that) They're prone to whiplash and there brains moving in their head. They aren't getting thrown out of the car like a ragdoll and landing head first on the pavement. They're also going 150-200mph. They're not dieing of spinal injury, they're dieing like Earnhardt, and Petty...instantly from internal brain trauma. (Heart Attack--yeah right, not buying that.)
None of their million dollar research ever pertains to any type of motocross fitted brace, Ever. So you can not say you are more with it (your way of saying wear it) than not based on that nascar research premise. What we need is the million dollar testing for our sport of motocross. Then we can say if it's worth it to wear it, or if its not worth it to wear it. And with joe gibbs involved now, there's no reason the AMA can't find the money to do fund it. Joe Gibbs isn't involved with anything he can't make money off of. I pay my AMA membership every year, as do millions of others. They can pull their cash flow and support a study!!!!
I know I sound adamantly against the brace, but i'm nuetral. So I can't say "you're better off with it, than without it." (like you did) Because I know that's not 100% proven! I can't see how Barrington and I are made out to look like villains because we don't say a neck brace is better than no neck brace. That's like saying a plane with a hole in the fuselage is better than no plane. Or a sleeping Air traffic controller is better than No air traffic controller! (it's NOT)
@Barrington: I bet Mark Martin wouldn't of survived those Stewart brother crashes....with his Nascar neck brace on.