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What: “Raceweek Special Assignment: Racing Safety”

Where: Speedvision, today, 4

This half-hour special examines safety in open-wheel, stock car and Formula One racing with regard to drivers, cars and tracks. It shows how far motor sports safety has come and how much further it must go to achieve the ultimate goal--crashes with no serious injuries.

This show is a special edition of the weekly “Speedvision News Raceweek” that normally airs Sundays at 4:30 on the 24-hour network devoted to all forms of motor sports--automotive, marine and aviation. The network, which last week renewed its deal to carry Formula One racing, reaches nearly 40 million U.S. homes.

One of the topics on today’s special is the head and neck support device known as HANS. It is called the most important safety innovation in racing since requiring helmets to have specific performance regulations. A criticism of the HANS device is that wearing one may make it difficult to get out of a car, but veteran open-wheel and stock car driver Scott Pruett demonstrates the quick-release feature.

Another segment deals with how cars are built with safety in mind. In the past, cars would escape crashes unscathed and the drivers would not. These days, the cars are built to disintegrate yet protect the driver. There also is a segment on what tracks are doing to improve safety, such as installing soft walls.

This well-produced show deals with an important topic, but if you’re the type who just wants to see spectacular crashes, there are plenty of those too.