Because Road Rally is held on roads, and not considered “a race” it’s important to remember that the rally takes place primarily on rural roads usually there are no unpaved roads on the rally except for driveways and parking areas at designated stops. Because of the use of public roads, Road Rally officials communicate with the appropriate police departments for each jurisdiction that the rally route passes through advising them of the event. Competitors may expect police surveillance and should act accordingly. Because of this Drivers shall be required to certify that they hold a valid automobile operator’s license for the state in which they reside as of the date of the event.
Often times the rally route will at times travel through or near several local, county, or state parks and recreational areas. Expect and allow for numerous pedestrians, parkers, hikers, bikers, bird watchers, and flower smellers – most of which will not be watching for you nor will enjoy the smell of your burning brakes. The entire route has been timed at or below the posted speed limits – obey those limits. Teams should be considerate of all other traffic, the control crews, and residents along these public roads. Conduct yourselves as if driving you’re driving in your own neighborhood.
Because rally times are calculated at or below the speed limits for the route being followed they generally include allowances for areas requiring extra time for safety. Remember that a road rally is not a race! If you get behind or off-course use a time allowance to avoid the temptation of reckless speeding. Any team issued a moving traffic violation during the course of the rally will be disqualified.
The data and recommendations presented by this safety plan provide a foundation from which the event organizers and safety stewards will implement a functional program of incident avoidance. This plan is not all inclusive and additional safety supporting procedures may be developed and implemented during the event. Where safety is concerned, there is no excuse for knowing something to be wrong, or risk generating, and ignoring the situation because it is not spelled out in writing somewhere. Safety is not a game of semantics or rule bending. It must be a living program balancing the needs of a highly competitive Motorsport, with the realities of safety and risk reduction.