the top part of the seat sticks out around the driver's helmet on both sides. His head can indeed hit this padded bar but it will keep it from going any further over. It is far enough away to allow the drivers to turn their heads a little bit. Their helmets are also tethered to their necks by a HANS (Head and Neck Support) device to keep them from going too far forward. Even when the car is flipping over the drivers are so strapped and surrounded by safety equipment that their torsos hardly move.