Quote:
28.1.13 Should vs. Shall
The word “should” is used throughout this rulebook; and in order to fully grasp its
meaning, the following explanations have been created. When the word “should”
is used, it can be taken to mean that something should be done in accordance
with this book, or the driver can expect the stewards to disallow track time, if they
catch the issue. The reason that it’s stated as “should,” is to add emphasis that
it’s really, and ultimately, the driver’s responsibility. Because Inspectors,
Instructors, Flaggers, and Officials in general, tend to be human, it is an assumed
risk of this activity that a mistake can be made. Therefore, the driver is ultimately
held responsible for his or her own safety.
Furthermore, the word “should” also makes an implication of fallibility and/or
corrects false expectations. For example, “the flagger should display a yellow
flag,” the yellow flag in question may not show because of 1) it relies on the
flagger’s judgment, and that can be subjective, and 2) the flagger is human and
can make a mistake. Therefore, if one is not willing to risk their safety because
they expect other people to be perfect, then they cannot participate in NASA.
To sum it up, the word “should” can be construed in the context of these
examples:
a) “The driver should have roll cage padding (if they expect to be let on
track).”
b) “The official should check for roll cage padding (implying that, even though
they do their best, the Inspectors can miss something).
So should equals shall and shall is the same as should in the context of the CCR.