SFGAmWorld.com
Untitled Document
Park Information
Latest News
Great America
Roller Coasters
Rides
Hurricane Harbor
Water Slides
Water Attractions
Advertisement

Why Roller Coasters are Safe.

Talk about anything that has to do with the amusement park industry here.
Postby DejaVuGurl1203 on November 19th, 2008, 10:17 pm
Okay, so I have to do a persuasive speech and I've had a very hard time coming up with a topic that I feel strongly about.I randomly thought about roller coaster safety just a minute ago. I suppose I may like to persuade that roller coasters are safe (and maybe include other theme park rides too.) because it is something I am interested in, and I have "experience" riding roller coasters....

So. Give me some ideas... Tell me why theme park rides are safe.
DejaVuGurl1203

User avatar
 
Posts: 4181
Joined: December 28th, 2002, 8:35 pm
Location: Illinois

Postby sfgamguy on November 19th, 2008, 10:30 pm
well, to be scientifical and full of knowlege you can say how centripical force keeps you in your seat in rides like whizzer, orbit, demon. also say something like they are safe becouse when whizzer opened it had no seat belts and orbit keeps you pressed against your seat while in the short all vertical period(also no seatbelts or harnesses on it at all on orbit ) BUT carousels are not safe because you used to have to wear seatbelts on it but it is safe now because it doesn't have them any more! :lol: Ill think more and let you know. hope that helps :D
sfgamguy

User avatar
 
Posts: 347
Joined: June 12th, 2008, 9:28 pm

Postby 025740 on November 19th, 2008, 10:50 pm
I actually just performed a speech on roller coasters. If you know a lot about coasters or want to get technical there is a lot you can cover. Things such as the wheel systems with the road (top) wheels, guide (side) wheels and the uplift (bottom) wheels that keep the trains on the track. The wheel systems are also designed so if an axel or wheel breaks it will prevent the train from derailing. (In theory) Then you have the computer and block systems on just about every modernized coaster. On rides like Raging Bull the computer will not let the train be dispatched until all the restraints are closed past a specific spot and the block ahead is clear.
The computerized block system is set up to prevent two trains from colliding with each other on the course. In very simple terms on Bull the lift is a block the top of the lift to the block brakes is a block and the end of the block brakes to the next brake is a block and so on. The computer will stop a train if the block ahead is not clear. Occasionally they system will see “ghost trains” and stop the ride. Roller coasters are incredibly safe I read somewhere you have something like a 1 in 100,000,000 chance of getting hurt on a coaster (don’t quote me). Also look at the restraints on a ride like batman. It is near impossible to get loose from a locked restraint like that. There is even a backup system for safety. In the event the harnesses would release during a ride cycle the seatbelts are there to keep them closed and keep you in the seat.
Most flat rides are safe and have computer systems that monitor the ride. There are so many regulations at a park like Six Flags for running rides it would take a lot for someone to get hurt from an accident on a ride. All ride ops have to take a test to be certified for each specific ride. Carnivals are a different story and drag statistics down. Overall roller coasters are extremely safe and there is so much detail you can go into its hard to explain it all. If there is anything else you would like to know let me know, I would be happy to help.
025740

User avatar
 
Posts: 8
Joined: June 15th, 2008, 6:27 pm

Postby ben_the_bear on November 20th, 2008, 12:29 am
Explain that most ride accidents are because of the rider. Sometimes, it's because of crappy maintenance. It's almost never because of a ride's design.
Track Record=467
Park: 103
Steel: 363
Wood: 104
ben_the_bear

User avatar
 
Posts: 107
Joined: November 18th, 2008, 12:44 am
Location: Iowa

Postby MForce4ever on November 20th, 2008, 1:06 am
I would avoid mentioning Intamin in your paper...

I'd recommend looking around http://www.rideaccidents.com/
and (despite possibly getting flamed for this) http://www.amusementsafety.org/

and I'm sure paraphrasing some of this website could help http://www.saferparks.org/

oh and don't forget the ever helpful http://www.howstuffworks.com/search.php ... rs&x=0&y=0

hope that helps...
I'm irreverent and stuff...
MForce4ever

User avatar
 
Posts: 281
Joined: August 23rd, 2008, 2:18 pm
Location: On a stage being dumb

Postby onyxhotel08 on November 20th, 2008, 2:27 am
Man! You did your homework! :shock:
13 Years with SFGAm World!
onyxhotel08

User avatar
 
Posts: 2836
Joined: March 6th, 2008, 2:59 pm

Postby Ilovthevu' on November 20th, 2008, 6:14 pm
It is very hard to unlock restraints. The place they are unlocked is in the station, or if the ride op steps on a button, and than the person pushes up their restraint. There can in excess of 96 wheels on a roller coaster. If multiple wheels were to fall off, how many would it really take for the roller coaster to go off the track. It would have to take a lot of them. If roller coasters crash, you have safey precautions on some rides like Iron Wolf with bumpers so the impact isn't as bad.

For the lifthills, you have anti-rollback devices. When the train is going up the lift, (un technical way of saying this), it has metal things on the bottom of the train. Those metal things will lock onto these grooves in the lifthill system. That's why you hear click, click, click. It's locked into those so the train can only go forwards, and not backwards. They have them in water rides too so they don't go backwards like Logger's Run. They are on the sides of the boat.

Roller coasters have blocks. You have so many blocks which are either brakes, or lifthills. You always have more blocks than trains. For Demon, you have the station, lifthill, brake after the tunnel, brakes after the corkscrew, another brake before station, and the station. The ride only has 3 trains, but it has 6 blocks. The system understands that if a train hasn't made it past on portion of track, it won't proceed. If it can't find each train on the track, I guess it would just shut down completely.

In my honest opinion, mostly it's just the people that cause the accidents. Rarely, is it a roller coaster accident like the Demon had in the loop. For instance, you had the Raging Bull chewing gum person who really didn't die from chewing gum, but from some other physical injury that had nothing to do with the ride itself. You also had the Spacely's girl that died from an anuerism I believe. The Ragin Cajun accident had to do with a mechanic in the ride area. For Batman the Ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, you had a person in the ride area.

All these rides are inspected by the state. Carnivals even get inspected after they are put up. So, you think they are unsafe because they were just put up, be forwarned that they are inspected.

Back to roller coasters, if the operators see anything they think could be wrong, they have an emergency stop button that they would push that would stop all trains as soon as they hit brakes on the ride. For rides that have airtime, some parks are putting in seatbelts so guests themselves wouldn't be standing up, or trying to hard that they fall out like what happened at Holiday World. Do they really need them? No, if the people wouldn't try to stand up. So, people don't go in the rides area while it's moving, they either have fences around the roller coaster, or in the station they have airgates.

For our park at least, they won't the people that just got off the ride stay near the station. They have to exit. For the safety of the guests, when you have a ride like Superman Ultimate Flight going over the walkways, you have netting so no objects fall right into the guests waiting in line. They also have a no loose article policy at our park at least in which guests must put things in either bins, or lockers. This is so that cellphone the people have in their hand doesn't hit a guest when there are no nets over the area.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck!
"I've been staring at the world, waiting. All the trouble and all the pain we're facing. Too much light to be livin' in the dark. Why waste time? We only got one life. Together we can be the CHANGE. So go and let your heart burn bright"
Ilovthevu'

 
Posts: 4398
Images: 0
Joined: June 4th, 2004, 7:54 pm

Postby onyxhotel08 on November 20th, 2008, 8:52 pm
There were fairly big accidents on American Eagle and Demon several years back.

# 9/9/1984: Three guests were hospitalized after two trains collided in the station.
# 9/7/1997: Four guests were slightly injured after the second and third cars separated and collided on the brake run.

A major incident on the roller coaster occurred on Saturday, April 18, 1998. Twenty-three riders were left stranded upside-down after the train in which they were riding came to an unexpected halt in the middle of a vertical loop. Firefighters used a cherry picker to bring the passengers to safety. Some riders were stuck for nearly three hours. Four passengers were taken to local hospitals out of precaution but released that afternoon.

Investigators concluded that the incident was caused by mechanical failure. A guide wheel that runs along the inside of the track separated from the axle of the last car. A mechanical safety system built into the wheel assembly engaged, preventing the train from derailing.

The roller coaster reopened shortly after the conclusion of the investigation.
13 Years with SFGAm World!
onyxhotel08

User avatar
 
Posts: 2836
Joined: March 6th, 2008, 2:59 pm

Postby BP317 on November 20th, 2008, 9:32 pm
BECAUSE STONE COLD SAID SO
BP317
Webmaster/Site Admin

User avatar
 
Posts: 2135
Joined: September 2nd, 2006, 12:09 am

Postby bigb7965 on November 20th, 2008, 11:26 pm
^haha nice :lol:
"Prepare for launch. Goodbye"

My Coaster Counter
bigb7965

User avatar
 
Posts: 589
Joined: January 5th, 2008, 8:48 pm
Location: Bolingbrook, IL

Postby ben_the_bear on November 21st, 2008, 12:41 am
MForce4ever wrote:I would avoid mentioning Intamin in your paper...


None of the recent accidents on their rides were proven to be from their designs. Even the accident at SFKK wasn't proven to be from faulty design. As far as we know it's from crappy maintenance because billy bob forgot to check the cables.
Track Record=467
Park: 103
Steel: 363
Wood: 104
ben_the_bear

User avatar
 
Posts: 107
Joined: November 18th, 2008, 12:44 am
Location: Iowa

Postby Ilovthevu' on November 21st, 2008, 7:45 pm
onyxhotel08 wrote:There were fairly big accidents on American Eagle and Demon several years back.

# 9/9/1984: Three guests were hospitalized after two trains collided in the station.
# 9/7/1997: Four guests were slightly injured after the second and third cars separated and collided on the brake run.

A major incident on the roller coaster occurred on Saturday, April 18, 1998. Twenty-three riders were left stranded upside-down after the train in which they were riding came to an unexpected halt in the middle of a vertical loop. Firefighters used a cherry picker to bring the passengers to safety. Some riders were stuck for nearly three hours. Four passengers were taken to local hospitals out of precaution but released that afternoon.

Investigators concluded that the incident was caused by mechanical failure. A guide wheel that runs along the inside of the track separated from the axle of the last car. A mechanical safety system built into the wheel assembly engaged, preventing the train from derailing.

The roller coaster reopened shortly after the conclusion of the investigation.


Things happen. They are machines. I doubt that people were really really hurt when the roller coasters collided. The Demon thing stuck in the loop was the one time at our park when you can say that a roller coaster really was messed up. At SFGAdv, they had a derailment on Batman and Robin: The Chiller. However, the train didn't come completely off. It derailed a little bit, but not like Final Destination 3 which I never seen.

The news might came an accident as when a ride gets stuck on the lifthill. For the Deja Vu accident which was bad, but it wasn't life threating, people could easily say look at that, and see it's not safe. No, it just got stuck underneath the loop, and there was no platform at the time to get them out.

The Superman accident at Six Flags New England probably happened because the guy was too big for the ride, and the ride operators might have let him ride even though the restraint wasn't down enough.

Aside from the coasters, you had a kid that had a mental condition on a Rainbow at a Six Flags park fall out of the ride. It might have been a Falling Star, but I'm not positive. Anyway, most likely what happened is that this kid was scared of being up in the air so high that he squeezed his way out of the ride, and eventually fell to the ground. Those rides only have the lap bars coming down like our Trailblazer.

A kid at Six Flags America was on a Octopus ride, was standing up I believe, and fell out of that ride. One accident I heard about at carnival in the Chicago area is that a person on the Ferris Wheel (the smaller kind) was rocking the car so much that he just fell out of it. I think he was leaning forward to. They e-stopped a ride somewhere, and that made the news! This was a Wave Swinger ride.

I think a lot of accidents can occur because people are frightened of the ride (especially kids), and thus they have an urgency to try and get out. At carnivals especially, kids don't go on with their parents for the most part, and thus they have no one there to say you must endure this ride until it's over even if don't like this ride. Parents probably don't like the more action rides, and they don't want to pay the money. Next, you have people that have something wrong with them already, or like at the Magic Kingdom someone was quite older already, and died after a ride on Space Mountain. It was probably old age.

Than you have the daredevil people who are willing to try to get the extra thrill, and they might get hurt because of it. Another reason for an accident is rider error. A person could start Fiddler's Fling with people getting on the ride. There is nothing for the ride to not go during that time. I think it would great for at least a ride like that for it to sense if anyone is on the platform walking.

Than, sometimes these machines do break, and you have nothing to blame but the rides themselves.
"I've been staring at the world, waiting. All the trouble and all the pain we're facing. Too much light to be livin' in the dark. Why waste time? We only got one life. Together we can be the CHANGE. So go and let your heart burn bright"
Ilovthevu'

 
Posts: 4398
Images: 0
Joined: June 4th, 2004, 7:54 pm

Postby onyxhotel08 on December 2nd, 2008, 9:24 pm
Seriously, the tiny & minuscule chance of getting hurt on a ride will not stop me from going back year after year. Nothing gives me such a thrill like a roller coaster/high thrill flat ride. If I lived in South California I would go to Magic Mountain every week. I'm willing to take the chances. You can get hurt going down the stairs or taking a shower. Not gonna stop me from having fun on V2 or Superman. Bless those bad boys.
13 Years with SFGAm World!
onyxhotel08

User avatar
 
Posts: 2836
Joined: March 6th, 2008, 2:59 pm

Postby Luxornv on December 3rd, 2008, 12:33 pm
I've done this topic for a few essay assignments and one speech (persuasive essays and speeches too) . I got a lot of mileage out of it, and probably some of the best papers I've ever written. I've since retired this particular topic from my writing, but it's good one to do. Good luck to you.
Image
Luxornv

User avatar
 
Posts: 481
Joined: May 3rd, 2008, 1:35 am
Location: Chicago

Postby ben_the_bear on December 4th, 2008, 1:43 pm
You should probably explain that even if there is a ride error (such as valleying or stopping on the lifthill or a rollback), the ride is designed to keep passengers safe. Maybe mention antirollback devices, understop wheels, and things like that.

Most accidents are because of operator or rider error, not faulty design. Even with the accident at SFKK, for all we know that was caused by the park not properly maintaining the cables over the winter.
Track Record=467
Park: 103
Steel: 363
Wood: 104
ben_the_bear

User avatar
 
Posts: 107
Joined: November 18th, 2008, 12:44 am
Location: Iowa

Postby FParker185 on December 4th, 2008, 7:25 pm
actually it turned out SFKK didnt properly maintain the cables at all. Them not performing the required inspections is what caused the cable to break, and poor employee training is what resulted in the injuries.

In other news, this year was a very active year for ride malfunctions that relate to the ride design, where bad design was at fault rather than rider or operator Error. I know a ferris wheel tub dropped off a brand new ferris wheel in Korea earlier this year or late last year, got caught up in the structure but I think a few people dropped to their deaths. Also Cobra at Tivoli Freheiden (sp?) their new (italian) RideTek invert, at the bottom of the first drop the front car simply broke off the track and the rest of the train and it with 2 riders crashed to the ground, though I think both riders survived. Havent head the final verdict in that, but the park announced it was either a manufacturing or design defect.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder
Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping
Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
FParker185

User avatar
 
Posts: 4508
Joined: February 5th, 2004, 12:04 am
Location: Joliet, IL

Postby ben_the_bear on December 11th, 2008, 10:55 am
^ That's what I thought. It just doesn't make sense why a cable would snap on something that was supposedly taken care of properly. I'm sure SFKK doesn't have their maintenance people using the GD buggy as much as SFGAM does. Big mistake for SFKK.
Track Record=467
Park: 103
Steel: 363
Wood: 104
ben_the_bear

User avatar
 
Posts: 107
Joined: November 18th, 2008, 12:44 am
Location: Iowa

Postby tp41190 on December 11th, 2008, 12:30 pm
It just doesn't make sense why a cable would snap on something that was supposedly taken care of properly


Because there rides are inspected by the Dept of Agriculture.

"hey that cable luk funnay ta ya?"

"Naaa jist put somathat corn startch on it"
[read]
tp41190

User avatar
 
Posts: 1523
Joined: April 29th, 2007, 11:57 am
Location: Denver, CO

Postby bigb7965 on December 11th, 2008, 3:34 pm
corn startch? seriously?
"Prepare for launch. Goodbye"

My Coaster Counter
bigb7965

User avatar
 
Posts: 589
Joined: January 5th, 2008, 8:48 pm
Location: Bolingbrook, IL

Postby tp41190 on December 11th, 2008, 4:21 pm
^Yep, they stopped lubricating the cables because whenever they got wet they would slip. So they just fixed it the farmer way and just put some corn starch on them for traction. What they didn't realize though is that cables need to be lubricated in order to stay rust free and then NOT BREAK.

...silly hicks
Last edited by tp41190 on December 11th, 2008, 4:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
[read]
tp41190

User avatar
 
Posts: 1523
Joined: April 29th, 2007, 11:57 am
Location: Denver, CO

Postby gl2007 on December 12th, 2008, 1:30 am
I really love your stereotype of people. Your what makes America so great :D
gl2007

User avatar
 
Posts: 2
Joined: December 12th, 2008, 1:24 am

Postby tp41190 on December 12th, 2008, 4:54 pm
I'm not making fun of "hicks"...its just more of me being mad how Six Flags handled there rides...
[read]
tp41190

User avatar
 
Posts: 1523
Joined: April 29th, 2007, 11:57 am
Location: Denver, CO

Postby gl2007 on December 12th, 2008, 7:38 pm
Oh, well i can understand you being mad. The way Six Flags treats some of their parks is completely horred.
gl2007

User avatar
 
Posts: 2
Joined: December 12th, 2008, 1:24 am

Postby Demon_07 on March 18th, 2009, 5:06 pm
I recorded a very short segment on Demon's accident. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXOi9eWUuTI
Maybe A Great Day Is Just What You Need This Year
'09 Demon rides-50
'09 SFGAm Visits-21
Demon_07

User avatar
 
Posts: 1795
Joined: August 20th, 2007, 9:23 pm

Postby bigb7965 on March 18th, 2009, 5:24 pm
^ i didn't even know that could happen :shock:
"Prepare for launch. Goodbye"

My Coaster Counter
bigb7965

User avatar
 
Posts: 589
Joined: January 5th, 2008, 8:48 pm
Location: Bolingbrook, IL

Next

Return to General Coaster Talk

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests

Privacy Policy About Us Copyright Disclaimer E-Mail SFGAmWorld
COPYRIGHT - SFGAmWorld.com
All content and images on this site are Copyright 2001 - SFGAmWorld.com and may not be used without permission.
This is NOT the official site of Six Flags Great America, SFGAmWorld.com is not affilated or endorsed by Six Flags Great America.
SFGAmWorld.com does not make any guarantee on the accuracy of the information on this website and cannot be held responsible by the use of this information.
SIX FLAGS and all related indicia are trademarks of Six Flags Theme Parks Inc. ®, TM and © . The official Six Flags site can be found at SixFlags.com
BATMAN, SUPERMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of © DC Comics.
LOONEY TUNES and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.©
The Wiggles Pty Ltd. SCOOBY-DOO and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Hanna-Barbera.

cron