BJARNE Pedersen is calling for mandatory air fences at all speedway venues in the world after miraculously surviving serious injury in a track spill in Sweden.
Pirates' captain has made his plea after ex-Ipswich rider Kim Jansson was paralysed from the waist down in a separate crash at Eskilstuna.
Pedersen is also launching his campaign for universal safer tracks after Lakeside's Jonas Davidsson was ruled out for the rest of the season in a nasty first bend tumble involving the Dane at the same circuit.
Davidsson, the brother of Poole Castle Cover's Daniel Davidsson, sustained a punctured lung, broken ribs and internal injuries after hitting a wooden fence at full pelt while riding for Smederna against Pedersen's Vastervik.
Jonas is still in hospital more than a week after the crash, which occurred only three days after Jansson was disabled with two crushed vertebrae at the same spot.
Pedersen felt he was "lucky" to escape without any broken bones, putting his survival down to "wearing some of the world's best knee and back protectors as well as my Arai helmet."
He added: "Sweden is a very good speedway country.
"They are up to date with everything. They have very good tracks, and fantastic equipment to do tracks, but I just think they are missing out on air fences.
"It will surprise me if they haven't got them in 2009 because they have been really hurt by a few big crashes there in the last couple of years.
"I feel very lucky I got away with nothing worse than heavy bruising and a battering because I felt quite bad around my neck and back the day after the crash.
"It's pretty good now but it will still take one or two more meetings until I'm back to my best.
"I got away with it. It was just bad luck for Jonas because we hit the fence at exactly the same place."
Pedersen, forced to pull out of the Elite League Riders' Championship because of his injuries, added: "We don't want to see any more injuries.
"I was not even happy with the track at Poole on Monday. It was wet and it was nearly heat 12 before it was good.
"I would like to be here next year and they should always try to make it as safe as possible. I just want people to have a fair track and a safe track.
"The air fences in England have cut down the number of injuries suffered by riders.
"You have them here and they are mandatory in Poland, but I want it to be standard rules all over the world.
"Sweden should make them mandatory and I hope Denmark will follow shortly to help minimise injuries because a speedway rider's career is a short one and we all want to come out of it safely.
"At the end of the day you want safe tracks and if you have them everywhere you will also get some great racing."
Pedersen was a team-mate of Jansson's at Swedish outfit Kaparna in 2001.
The Dane said: "I know Kim and always talk to him when we meet up. He's a friend.
"It's horrible what has happened to him. That's why Swedish speedway has to do whatever it can do for riders' safety."
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