Editing Demolition derby (section)

{{Short description|Motorsport where drivers ram vehicles into one another}}
{{other uses|Demolition Derby (disambiguation)}}

[[File:West End Fair Gilbert PA Demolition Derby.JPG|right|thumb|Competition at the West End Fair Demolition Derby, Gilbert, Pennsylvania. This annual event is held on three successive nights each August, with approximately 100 automobiles entered each night. Attendance at the event ranges from 2,000-4,000 spectators.]]

'''Demolition derby''' is a type of [[motorsport]], usually presented at [[county fair]]s and national events. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehicles into one another.<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> The last driver whose vehicle is still operational is awarded the victory.<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> Demolition derbies originated in the United States and quickly spread to other Western nations. For example, Australia's first demolition derby took place in January 1963. In the UK and parts of Europe, demolition derbies (sometimes called "destruction derbies") are often held at the end of a full day of [[banger racing]].

In demolition derbies, serious injuries such as [[whiplash (medicine)|whiplash]] are rare, but they do happen.<ref name="LATimes07212001" /><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Simotas AC, Shen T |title=Neck pain in demolition derby drivers |journal=Arch Phys Med Rehabil |volume=86 |issue=4 |pages=693–6 |date=April 2005 |pmid=15827919 |doi=10.1016/j.apmr.2004.11.003 |url=}}</ref> Drivers are typically required to sign a [[waiver]] to release the promoter of an event from liability.<ref name="LATimes07212001" />  At almost all derbies, attempts are made to make the event safer; all glass is removed from the vehicles, and deliberately ramming a driver's-side door area is forbidden.<ref name="ColumbusCrescentNews08102008">{{cite news|url=http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/4218751|title=Demolition Derby: Fair time also means derby time for drivers |last=Orzolek|first=Jared|date=August 10, 2008|work=Defiance Publishing, LLC|publisher=[[Columbus Crescent-News]]|access-date=2009-02-04}}</ref> The driver's door is often required to be painted white with black numbers or [[safety orange|blaze orange]], or with contrasting colors, for visibility.<ref name="SidneyJaycees">{{cite web|url=http://www.jayceesofsidney.com/photo2.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090106193147/http://www.jayceesofsidney.com/photo2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-01-06 |title=Demolition Derby Rules |year=2008 |publisher=[[Sidney, Montana]] [[Jaycees]] Demolition Derby |access-date=2009-02-04 }}</ref><ref name="Huntsville">{{cite web |url=http://www.huntsvillespeedway.com/rules_DemoDerby.cfm |title=Rules - Demolition Derby 2008 |year=2008 |publisher=Huntsville Speedway |access-date=2009-02-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813001336/http://www.huntsvillespeedway.com/rules_DemoDerby.cfm |archive-date=2008-08-13 }}</ref> Most demolition derbies are held on [[Dirt track racing|dirt tracks]],<ref name="LATimes07212001" /> or in open fields, that are usually soaked with water. This causes the competition area to become muddy which helps to slow the vehicles.
The part of the vehicle used to ram opponents varies. Some drivers use both the front and rear of the vehicle to ram the other competitors, while others tend to use only the rear end of the vehicle to protect the engine compartment from damage.<ref name="PopularMechanicsApril1999" />