At Fault Incident System (AFIS) and other accident insights
Feb 7, 2019 10:57:19 GMT -5
Post by Scott Bolster on Feb 7, 2019 10:57:19 GMT -5
As the inaugural season closes in on tonight's Green Flag at Homestead, I wanted to explain to the drivers exactly what the At-Fault Incident System is for as well as lay out my basic thresholds for accidents, contact, and basic racecraft.
The last thing I want to do is discipline drivers. It's not fun to tell someone that they have made a mistake or aren't measuring up to expectations for driving standards that I am trying to establish for this league. However, the reality is that in racing, contact is going to occur. It is inevitable. Yet there are, in my mind, different types of contact that carry with them different levels of concern. Below is a basic explanation of these types of contact, my thoughts about them, and what recourse I will have to take in dealing with them.
I like to put things in straight-forward ways that have as little subjectivity as possible. This is why when evaluating an incident, the absolute first criteria that needs to be met is whether or not there is obviously someone at fault. Was it a drastic enough that leaves no question as to whether or not it was a mistake and whose fault it was. I do not break down incidents frame by frame and see who made the last millisecond action that caused an incident. If it's that close, chances are both drivers were racing each other hard and it'll be classified as Incidental Contact. The best solution to this is to try to give enough room to one another.
At-Fault Incident System (AFIS): The particulars are laid out in Section 8 of the Rule Book. This system is designed to give drivers a running tally of how close they are to disciplinary action. It is then up to them to adjust their on-track conduct to comply with this league's standards and remain under the limits.
The limits that I have set are, in my belief, rather lenient. I established these limits because, as a brand new league with drivers of differing experience levels, I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and a chance to correct their on-track behavior.
More importantly, I want to show safe drivers that we are a league that does not tolerate consistently, unsafe drivers and wants to cultivate an environment of clean, hard racing.
The limits are as follows:
-Avoidable Contact: 2 points.
-Racing Incident: 1 point.
A driver will be for suspended one race after attaining 8 AFIS Points.
After they return, the count continues above 8. If the driver receives 12 AFIS Points, they will be suspended for the remainder of the season.
This league is considered "By Invitation Only" and I reserve the right to refuse to extend an invitation for the following season to a driver who has accumulated 12 AFIS Points and has been suspended for the season.
The solution to not being in this situation is to remember to drive the car like you own it and, when in doubt, give people room to race.
Avoidable Contact
The most serious type of contact is the Avoidable Contact where a driver tries to execute a maneuver that had very little of success; is a result of unreasonably poor situational awareness; or was a maneuver that was executed so poorly that the contact made was pretty egregious.
Racing Incident
A racing incident is basically what I consider contact that results from a driver being a little too overly optimistic or simply pushes a maneuver too hard and causes contact. There is no obvious, gross incompetence involved. A good example would be two cars going into a corner and the inside car carrying a little too much speed and sliding up into a car on their outside. Sort of like an acceptable move gone bad.
You may ask what the difference between an Avoidable Contact and a Racing Incident. Basically, it's the difference between contact that will make my jaw drop with a facepalm and contact that simply makes me shake my head.
Incidental Contact (Racing Deal)
While still frustrating because it usually ends your race, these instances are usually the result of two drivers making acceptable decisions that just end up with everyone running out of racing room. These things happen and, in my real world experience, are easier to stomach because we know when it's not a result of someone doing something irresponsible.
The last thing I want to do is discipline drivers. It's not fun to tell someone that they have made a mistake or aren't measuring up to expectations for driving standards that I am trying to establish for this league. However, the reality is that in racing, contact is going to occur. It is inevitable. Yet there are, in my mind, different types of contact that carry with them different levels of concern. Below is a basic explanation of these types of contact, my thoughts about them, and what recourse I will have to take in dealing with them.
I like to put things in straight-forward ways that have as little subjectivity as possible. This is why when evaluating an incident, the absolute first criteria that needs to be met is whether or not there is obviously someone at fault. Was it a drastic enough that leaves no question as to whether or not it was a mistake and whose fault it was. I do not break down incidents frame by frame and see who made the last millisecond action that caused an incident. If it's that close, chances are both drivers were racing each other hard and it'll be classified as Incidental Contact. The best solution to this is to try to give enough room to one another.
At-Fault Incident System (AFIS): The particulars are laid out in Section 8 of the Rule Book. This system is designed to give drivers a running tally of how close they are to disciplinary action. It is then up to them to adjust their on-track conduct to comply with this league's standards and remain under the limits.
The limits that I have set are, in my belief, rather lenient. I established these limits because, as a brand new league with drivers of differing experience levels, I want to give people the benefit of the doubt and a chance to correct their on-track behavior.
More importantly, I want to show safe drivers that we are a league that does not tolerate consistently, unsafe drivers and wants to cultivate an environment of clean, hard racing.
The limits are as follows:
-Avoidable Contact: 2 points.
-Racing Incident: 1 point.
A driver will be for suspended one race after attaining 8 AFIS Points.
After they return, the count continues above 8. If the driver receives 12 AFIS Points, they will be suspended for the remainder of the season.
This league is considered "By Invitation Only" and I reserve the right to refuse to extend an invitation for the following season to a driver who has accumulated 12 AFIS Points and has been suspended for the season.
The solution to not being in this situation is to remember to drive the car like you own it and, when in doubt, give people room to race.
Avoidable Contact
The most serious type of contact is the Avoidable Contact where a driver tries to execute a maneuver that had very little of success; is a result of unreasonably poor situational awareness; or was a maneuver that was executed so poorly that the contact made was pretty egregious.
Racing Incident
A racing incident is basically what I consider contact that results from a driver being a little too overly optimistic or simply pushes a maneuver too hard and causes contact. There is no obvious, gross incompetence involved. A good example would be two cars going into a corner and the inside car carrying a little too much speed and sliding up into a car on their outside. Sort of like an acceptable move gone bad.
You may ask what the difference between an Avoidable Contact and a Racing Incident. Basically, it's the difference between contact that will make my jaw drop with a facepalm and contact that simply makes me shake my head.
Incidental Contact (Racing Deal)
While still frustrating because it usually ends your race, these instances are usually the result of two drivers making acceptable decisions that just end up with everyone running out of racing room. These things happen and, in my real world experience, are easier to stomach because we know when it's not a result of someone doing something irresponsible.