Does safety need to be improved at these events? And what measures should be taken to avoid accidents in the future?

The accident in is the latest in a series of rally crashes around the world over the last two years.

Thirteen spectators needed hospital treatment and two people, including a 13-year-old girl, will undergo surgery for their injuries.

An investigation has been launched by the Motor Sports Association, the sport's governing body in Britain, and a report will be made to the world governing body, FIA.

Organisers say that safety precautions were in place, but has the time come to implement tougher regulations?

Does safety need to be improved? And what measures should be taken to avoid accidents in the future?

I have often wondered if there is some sort of 'Idiots Test' for rally spectators. These people line the rally route, showered in dust and stones, waiting for a car to crash and shouting and screaming as cars belt past sideways. Someone has got to help these people for obviously they are a few globes short of a lighthouse.
Mal Walker, Australia

Whilst I feel sorry for the spectators and driver involved in Saturday's accident, I do feel that this has been on the cards for a number of years. Spectators in the UK used to be applauded for their attitdue toward standing in safe places, but this was at a time when the the sport was still a minority event attended only by the die hard fans.

The success of British drivers in recent years has seen the sport's popularity in this country sky rocket. However, the organsisers have done little or nothing to cope with the increase in demands. They may argue that they have introduced an all ticket policy, but this was to counter the fact that they lost the opportunity to have the Spectator Sunday that was a tradition of this event.

So now more people are forced into the forests, with inadequate education on where to stand and inadequate marshalling. The blame for this unfortunate incident very definitely lies with the RACMSA and the rally organisers, who have failed to respond to the increasing popularity of this sport. It would not be unfair for the FIA to remove the event from the world championship.
WH, Harrogate, UK

I spectated at the Resolven special stage on Saturday morning, and was surprised that, although I was on a tight junction and up a banking, the marshals stood on the opposite side of the road to the crowd, and not one of them had a whistle to blow. A serious oversight given the weather conditions, and the fact that rally cars are much quieter than they used to be.

By the time the first 20 or so cars had passed, the marshals were no longer interested in marshalling, and people were free to wander where they liked. It was also interesting to observe that television crews and media in general were free to go wherever they liked.

Having said that, I was more concerned about the idiot who decided to light a display of fireworks less than 10 feet in front of me - I would prefer to have the chance of running out of the way of a skidding rally car, than having a rocket propel itself into my face.

I accept the risks attached to watching cars on the limit in forests and the potential of getting injured by an out of control car or scattered debris (stones etc), but do not consider other people's selfishness as acceptable. If I set light to a display of fireworks in the middle of my local highstreet, I would expect to be arrested.
Andrew Mitchell, England

It was a great shame to hear about the accident on Saturday, and I hope that all the spectators recover fully. I have been spectating for many years on the RAC or as it is now the Rally GB, but I have never seen such a huge and uncontrollable crowd as this year. I was on the Brechfa stage on the Friday night and I was just thinking then it was lucky no one was hurt due to the sheer volume of spectators wondering along the stage and just jumping out of the way at the last minute (Especially just after top 3 cars had gone past).

The spectator control issue I think is spread between two ingredients : 1) Bad marshalling eg: standing where spectators have been shifted from and using them as private viewing areas (such as box junctions). 2) Huge crowds especially on the Rally GB of inexperienced spectators and of those spectators ones who have no respect for the marshals, swearing at them and pushing them onto the ground when asked to move etc.

I think the marshalls need more power to move people from dangerous spots and that spectators need to understand the concept of how dangerous rally spectating is compared to BTCC or F1. So they can assess the risks of standing in certain places and know not to walk along stages while they are "live". The sort of spectator that can be found on many a national or clubman rally are sensible and understand more about safety but the WRC round attracts the curious never been to a rally spectator, so hence many close situations.
Matthew Venables, England

There is some risk in watching a rally at close quarters, but as someone who has been doing so for 20 years I want the choice to accept that risk. However the risks involved do need to be made much clearer to people so we know that everyone there has understood and accepted the risks for themselves. This is especially so now that forest stages are at weekends and near to major areas of population, encouraging casual spectators.

Otherwise the response to this incident needs to concentrate on educating people to think for themselves, rather than on further restrictions. Over the years there have been progressively more and more marshals and restrictions and as a result many spectators have come to rely on not being allowed to stand somewhere unsafe rather than using their own judgement. They seem to think that if nothing or no-one is telling them that a given place is dangerous then it must be safe, which will never be the case.
Jon, UK

Like Matt B, I was also injured in the Rally on Saturday. I was with my kid at the time and I've never been more frightened in my life! My view on the matter is that the barriers are too close to the rally track. When we arrived there I thought the same thing, but my nipper wanted to stand there because of the view. When we saw the car spin out of action and heading towards us I didn't know what to do. We just started to run but to no avail. The car knocked into my leg and cut it. It wasn't too bad but it was scary! My kid is fine.
Simon L, UK

I don't know the full facts of the accident on SS11 on Saturday but from my own observations, it seems that the spectators are getting more and more disrespectful to both their own safety and to the marshals who volunteer to assist in the smooth running of this excellent event.

A more thoughtful approach is needed from the many rally fans who blatantly put themselves and the rally competitors in danger to ensure that this event continues to take place. Please, please consider the rest of us genuine rally fans and listen to the officials on the stages. They are trying to do a difficult job and they need our cooperation.
Ger L, Ireland

What rallying needs is not a knee jerk reaction but fair and balanced coverage in the media. I for one am fed up with accidents making the news when entire events are overlooked. After all we now have a world champion who most people wouldn't recognise.

The accident involving Sainz was at best unfortunate. The people involved were all present at their own risk. I doubt if anyone made them stand there. Unfortunately the way international rallying is going, we get more and more part time rally fans and not enough hardcore fans having access to the stages. Marshalls have very little authority and even less power. To stand in Rheola on Sunday in the cold and rain for several hours to run a multi million pound event, the marshalls received what reward? Very little if any!
Kevin Murphy, England

What happened on Saturday was very unfortunate for Carlos; the stupidity of the spectators not only seriously put themselves and their children (very stupid) in danger but cost Carlos a chance of winning and also affected Collin and Ford. People who want to attend rallies should pay more attention to the danger signs and marshals and not try and put the blame on the drivers, teams or organisers. Simple message "THINK".
Mark Taylor, Lancashire

Having seen the filming on TV, it looked to me as though either marshalls and/or spectators were far too close to the track at times. When are they going to learn that you don't stand on the outside of bends in an unprotected position. Escape roads must never contain cars or people either.
Tom Riordan, England

I agree with most of the other comments on here. Having been involved in some form or other in the RAC Rallies, I was always informed never to stand on corners, I think if people used a bit more common sense then accidents like this would be a very rare thing. I don't agree that the cars are too fast and powerful. I'd like to send Carlos Sainz my best wishes as a lot of people forget how upset he was on Saturday after it happened.
D Newton, Derbyshire, England

I agree we need to avoid knee-jerk reactions, but there are some fairly obvious safety improvements that need to be made immediately. For example, why are spectators on the parts of a curve where, if the driver loses control, the car will hit them? Common sense dictates you should be on the inside of curves and not the possible run off areas. Plus, why are all the fans a matter of feet and inches away from the road? Surely they wouldn't miss much by being at least a little further from the edge of the road? standing at least another foot or so further off the road wouldn't reduce enjoyment.
Graham, Scotland

Being able to get so close to the cars in rallying is what makes it so special and a great sport, but I think the police should support marshals so they can bring in a lot more enforcement and improve safety. The marshals are volunteers, and so they are treated like normal people and ignored some of the time. If the police were present then I don't think you would see people disregard the designated safe areas.
D Blackburn, Wales, UK

I was one of the spectators injured in Saturday's accident at the rally. Firstly, I would like to say that marshals were also injured in the accident. This is one fact that some people seem to have overlooked.

In the eyes of the organisers and the marshals this was an okay place to stand. (At least that was the impression we were given). When we arrived at the corner for the first time and were deciding whether to stay or not, the safety car came round and made sure that we stood with the marshals in a small roped off area away from the most risky section of the bend. If this spot was known to be high risk, there was no mention made of it.

Maybe certain bends that are high risk should be made off limits, or the positions of people made more dynamic given changing weather conditions. Even though people have said that they accept that motorsports are dangerous, does this mean that the organisers don't have the responsibility of at least telling people they are standing in a dangerous place? If people then ignore them it's their fault. I think all of the people at the particular spot of this accident were sensible enough that they would have moved on if that advice had been given.

The only way that rallying could be brought close to the safety standards of F1 would be to build spectator areas and tyre walls. The cost would be prohibitive due to the length of the racing route, and it would kill the spectator value of the sport. Therefore it can't be done. But closing off the outside of each bend and placing one strategic marshal at each could increase safety. A copy of the press coverage from this accident should be sufficient to convince the spectators to move away.
Keith, UK

There is nothing like watching powerful cars being driven to the limit, however when a driver pushes a bit too far then the resulting accident is violent in the extreme. Everything that can be done to make motorsport safe for the driver and the spectator is already being done; any more legislation will just help to make it impossible to run such events without charging huge prices. Motorsport is dangerous, it's printed on the back of every ticket. Perhaps reading this and other safety instructions and then obeying them is a far better way to go.
Ian Thomas, England

Having watched, competed and worked on rally and other off road events over a number of years, it was a great shame to see the events that unfolded on Saturday. The question of blame in this type of case is almost impossible to place. Drivers are only doing their job, as are the marshals, and safety in the UK is better than much of the rest of the world.

Motorsport is dangerous, so why do people stand on the outside of bends like they do? Spectators and officials should be kept further back from potential danger spots. Logistics are sometimes a problem, but cars inevitably go off on bends, so the run-off areas should be further back. Another 20 or feet and Carlos Sainz would have stopped, backed up and continued the rally, more importantly, no one would have been injured.
Mark Hatton, GB

We have to be careful not to listen to the inevitable knee-jerk reactions that will follow this accident, but it has to be remembered that it was an accident - no more, no less. Car accidents can happen on a busy motorway, a quiet country lane or watching a motorsport event. It was just unfortunate that there happened to be spectators at the exact spot where Carlos left the track. Any moves to move back spectators would further damage what is now a very poor rally compared to what it was.
William Patton, UK

In light of the crash in Wales I must mention the FIA's approach to safety on rallies in the UK. I have attended the Network and RAC rallies on a regular basis, every year it is the same: if the crowd is to large or unmanageable then the rally is stopped and the stage scrubbed. If, as a spectator, you stand on a corner of a bend, with the obvious outcome that a car should slide directly towards you then I think it is a bit much to put your safety in the hands of the drivers.

So I think it is not so much the current safety arrangements of the FIA but the stupidity of the people who put themselves in harm's way. At all events the safety of the crowd is paramount, yet the Great British public continue to compromise their best efforts.
Peter Strudwick, UK

Marshals have the responsibility of controlling the crowds, yet many have complained this year that spectators refuse to listen to them. On TV you can see many spectators standing in very dangerous places, such as the outside of corners. Much clearer guidelines for spectators need to be published, and dangerous areas need to be more consistently roped off, and patrolled to keep spectators out.
Martin Wilcox, Hull, England

Would you see fans that close to cars in F1 or touring cars? No. There's your answer. Rally cars are so fast and powerful it was only a matter of time before something like this would happen, and it will happen again if fans are so close to the cars.
Leighton Davies, UK