Weekend racing gave Bruce Mather the idea for a new auto-safety innovation. But so far at least, the industry hasn't been terribly receptive.
Q: What motivated your invention?
A: I can tell you the light-bulb moment down to the GPS coordinate. I was in my BMW 540i, taking turn 1 at Summit Point . It's a very hard, double-apex right-hand turn at the end of the front straight, requiring trail braking going in and a downshift during the turn. I kept losing speed and losing control in the turn because I was holding onto the steering wheel and sliding in my seat. My driving instructor told me, "You've reached that level where you've got to put harnesses in your car." But this was my daily driver, and I didn't want harnesses. So, I started to tinker with a few ideas and then tried them on the track. It took two years to find the solution.
Photo Gallery: Bruce Mather, The Inventor - Automobile Magazine