Choosing a head and neck restraint.

An FIA safety bulletin describes a frontal head restraint as holding the head in place relative to the torso in frontal and angled-frontal impacts, to reduce the loads on the neck. It sits on the shoulders under the harness and tethers to the helmet. Buying one means choosing the right label and then making the whole system fit. Everything below is as of October 2026.

Step 1: check whether your events require one

• FIA international competitions. Appendix L 2026 (Chapter III, Article 3) makes FIA-approved head and neck restraints mandatory for drivers and co-drivers in all international competitions, with listed exceptions such as some historic categories.
• SCCA road racing. SCCA says head and neck restraints are required in road racing. SCCA Race Experience accepts devices certified to SFI 38.1, FIA 8858-2002 or FIA 8858-2010, with the label on the device.
• SCCA Time Trials. The national safety rules page calls a device "highly recommended" at Safety Levels 2 and 3 where the seat and belts allow, and permits 2-inch shoulder belts only with one.
• NASA and IMSA. We could not read the current rule text for either. Check your event's rules.

Step 2: understand how each label treats age

The two standards handle validity very differently, and this matters when you buy:

• SFI 38.1. The SFI Foundation lists a five-year recertification period, effective 1 January 2012. HANS (Simpson) says a device that passes recertification gets a new dated sticker good for another five years; Zamp says its devices are due five years from the date on the SFI label (manufacturer policies).
• FIA 8858-2010 and 8858-2002. The FIA sets no use-by date. The end date on Technical List 29 is the last date a system may be manufactured, not a date it stops being valid.
• Both labels on one device. Some devices carry both. Which rule applies depends on whose rules the event uses, so at US events in particular, check your event's rules.

Whatever you buy, look at the date on any SFI label before you pay, and plan for recertification through the maker. HANS says most devices sent for recertification need new rubber shoulder pads (manufacturer claim).

Step 3: collar angle and fit

Devices come in different collar angles. UK retailer GSM Performance, giving HANS sizing guidance, says to measure your chest angle from vertical in your normal driving position: under 25 degrees calls for a 20-degree device, and 25 degrees or more for a 30-degree device. It says 20-degree devices suit most saloon, GT, touring, rally and oval cars, and 30-degree devices suit single-seaters and prototypes. At FIA events, Appendix L 2026 sets a minimum HANS collar angle of 60 degrees from horizontal and limits padding between the driver and the yoke to 15 mm thick and 8 mm wider than the yoke on each side.

Seating positions differ from car to car, so have the device fitted in your own seat and car.

Step 4: make the system match

• Tethers. Under Appendix L 2026 (Article 3.3), an FIA 8858-2010 device takes only 8858-2010 tethers; an 8858-2002 HANS may use 8858-2010 tethers and helmet anchorages. Technical List 29 says one maker's tether may attach to another maker's anchorage only if they are mechanically compatible.
• Helmet anchors. Speedway Motors says Snell SA2015 and SA2020 require M6 threaded anchors, and the FIA 8859-2024 standard itself requires two rear M6 terminals. An FIA bulletin says that in FIA Calendar competitions the device, tether, helmet and the helmet's M6 terminals must all be FIA approved. Demon Tweeks, a UK retailer, advises fitting posts only to an in-date helmet with pre-threaded inserts and not drilling older helmets.
• Harness. The straps have to suit the device. Motorsport UK recommends shoulder straps no more than 20 degrees below horizontal with a device such as a HANS, never angled upward. Motorsport Australia says the shoulder-strap adjuster must sit within 70 mm of the lower edge of the yoke, with straps at about 20 to 25 degrees. Harness labels carry their own dates; see seats and harnesses.

Our picks by situation

Before every event

There is no single expiry rule for these devices: an SFI 38.1 label carries a five-year recertification period, and an FIA 8858 label carries none. Before every event, check the current rules of the event you are entering, the labels on your device and tethers, and the date on any SFI label. Our gear expiry checker shows the published rule for each label.