Bill Simpson, former IndyCar driver turned safety pioneer, has died at the age of 79 following a stroke. Simpson began his interest in safety after breaking both of his arms following a heavy crash during a drag race in 1958. During his induction in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003, he said: “Until then, I was like most drivers, the only time I thought about safety was after I’d been hurt. This time, I was hurt bad enough to do a lot of thinking.” It was after his crash that he began his venture into safety research, designing a ‘chute’ for drag racing cars and eventually went on to found Simpson Drag Chutes. One of the first people to take an...
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