THE family of the two-times Scottish champion rally driver Jimmy Girvan are upset at a decision not to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry into his death.
The twist to the tragedy which stunned the motor sport comes just two days before his Inverness-based "home" Snowman Rally takes place.
In a statement released earlier today Mr Girvan’s wife, Fiona has also called for improved safety measures to be put in place, including compulsory training for co-drivers, to prevent the same type of accident which killed her husband happening again.
In September 2010, the North Kessock driver was killed when his Subaru Impreza was involved in a crash as Mr Girvan (56) competed in the Colin McRae Forest Stages rally in Perthshire.
The sport, especially in the North but also throughout the country, was rocked by the death of the man no-one could match in 2008 when he won the Scottish title.
As a tribute, a united effort saw the five-year-old Impreza in which he won the Scottish title become the course car for the weekend at last year’s Snowman.
Now, following investigations by Tayside Police and the Procurator Fiscal’s office in Perth, Mr Girvan’s family have now been informed that a decision has been taken between the two agencies not to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into his death.
Mrs Girvan described the past year as "extremely difficult" and "distressing" and says the situation has been exacerbated by widespread "speculation and rumour" in the world of motor sport regarding the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Of the decision not to hold a FAI, she said: "The family is extremely disappointed."
The family were given access to in-car camera footage which was reviewed by the Procurator Fiscal's office together with police officers from both Tayside and Strathclyde Police.
According to the statement released today, it’s understood that Michael Ramsay, the navigator of the vehicle in which Mr Girvan was killed, has also viewed the DVD in question, but has not yet commented on the accuracy of his delivery of the route note instructions immediately prior to the crash occurring.
Mrs Girvan said: "The family feel strongly that measures require to be taken to minimise the chances of this type of accident occurring in the future and thereby help prevent any other family having to go through the trauma and grief that they have had to endure."
She added: "The family consider that the sports’ governing body, the Motor Sports Association (MSA), should oversee the introduction of compulsory training for co-drivers/navigators alongside a subsequent competency test to be carried out before they enter into any rally competition within the United Kingdom.
"Furthermore, the family would like the MSA to introduce a regulation which requires the wearing of a Hans Device (a head and neck support) to be made compulsory for drivers and navigators participating on all special stage rallies, in line with the current requirements for international rallies where it is mandatory for such devices to be worn."
