A Hutchens device is used for protecting race car drivers in the event of an accident by controlling head movement, reducing head and neck injuries due to whiplash. It consists of a series of straps, attached to the helmet and connected across the chest and at the waist, depending on the lap belt for anchoring. The device was developed beginning in 2000. From 2001 until 2004 NASCAR mandated that drivers use either a Hutchens device or the HANS device. NASCAR banned the use of the Hutchens device in January 2005 and forced all drivers to use the HANS device instead. Description The Hutchens device was developed by engineer Trevor Ashline. It was named after Bobby Hutchens, who also helped develop the product. Hutchens was a driver on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and was a racing engineer and the general manager of Richard Childress Racing at the time of the device's creation. The Hutchens device consists of several straps which wrap around the driver's shoulders, chest and waist. Additional straps travel up the back and, like the HANS device, connect to anchors on the driver's helmet. Another set of straps travels down to the driver's lower body. In its original design, the Hutchens device was affixed to the racing harness (seat belt) in order to restrain the driver's head, connecting to the lap belt. A redesigned version used the driver's own body as an anchor, specifically the pelvis. Both the HANS and Hutchens devices are designed to restrict "forward whipping of the head" due to the change in velocity during an impact, which can lead to a fatal basilar skull fracture. In a crash, the straps of the Hutchens device tighten as the driver's head begins to move forward, and use the driver's pelvic area as an anchor to prevent whipping of the head and neck. When first introduced, many drivers gravitated to the Hutchens device, due to greater comfort and range of movement over the HANS device. The Hutchens device was also more affordable than the HANS device, as the Hutchens was priced at less than $500 while the price for the HANS could run as high as $2,000. Because of its price point, the device was considered more practical for amateur racers. History In 2000, Bobby Hutchens and Richard Childress along with two other individuals started Mattec Inc. That year, Trevor Ashline began developing the device. Following the