Safety first.
Although the cost of safety equipment may seem somewhat high (seats, harnesses, helmets, HANS, rollbars, driving suits)... in the big picture it's about being able to walk away from a worst-case scenerio with minimum injury.
-"Top quality helmets are expensive".... what's the value of your gray-matter? Brains aren't like trains; you can't go out and buy a new set.
-"HANS devices are cumbersome and a hassle to put on and off"... what's the value of being able to walk, talk, chew your food, or even be alive? Spinal damage is no party.
-"Seats, roll bars, and harnesses are expensive and alter the nice aspects of my car's interior"... ever kiss a stearing wheel at 80-MPH, get tucked under a dashboard, play "pingpond ball-in-a-hurricane" inside your car, or compete in a pole-vaulting competition ... without the pole? (3-point seatbelts really don't do much for you in a roll-over.) You should be one-with-your-car-chassis in worse-case scenarios.
-"Well, I'm a safe driver and won't ever get into a bad situation"... yeah? What about the guy/girl in the car passing you in the braking zone? How safe are they?
I've always advocated for as much safety gear requirements in a car as possible. I've never been a fan of having any car on a track with other cars around (or even driving solo) where speeds are high (triple-digits) and the car has nothing more than stock seat belts and a strong knowledge of prayers. I've always advocated that ALL track cars should be equipped with 5-point harness systems as a
minimum safety requirement, but I've sadly been over-ruled for the sake higher participation interests by both Zone and National governing boards.
In my opinion safety gear is, in the long-run, a lot cheaper than hospital costs and extended rehab.