You wouldn’t get a passing tech inspection from me without padding. It’s on the NASA supplied checklist to tech inspectors.
[color=#000088]28.1.13 Should vs. Shall
The word “should” is used throughout this rulebook; and in order to fully grasp its meaning, the following explanations have been created. When the word “should” is used, it can be taken to mean that something should be done in accordance with this book, or the driver can expect the stewards to disallow track time, if they catch the issue. The reason that it’s stated as “should,” is to add emphasis that it’s really, and ultimately, the driver’s responsibility. Because Inspectors, Instructors, Flaggers, and Officials in general, tend to be human, it is an assumed risk of this activity that a mistake can be made. Therefore, the driver is ultimately held responsible for his or her own safety.
Furthermore, the word “should” also makes an implication of fallibility and/or corrects false expectations. For example, “the flagger should display a yellow flag,” the yellow flag in question may not show because of 1) it relies on the flagger’s judgment, and that can be subjective, and 2) the flagger is human and can make a mistake. Therefore, if one is not willing to risk their safety because they expect other people to be perfect, then they cannot participate in NASA.
To sum it up, the word “should” can be construed in the context of these examples:
a) “The driver should have roll cage padding (if they expect to be let on track).”
b) “The official should check for roll cage padding (implying that, even though they do their best, the Inspectors can miss something).[/color]