AndyGiles Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 How does a ride manufacturer or a theme park set the rider height limits? Would people really fall out if they were a bit shorter? I can't see how even a short person could fall through some of the restraints on the ride... Some of the height limits just seem so random to me, with some bigger rides having lower limits than smaller ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenshinmac Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 It has to be based on the ride manufacturers specs. They design restraints to hold a certain sized person comfortably and safely. It isn't always that someone smaller could come out of the restraints so much as they wouldn't be held securely by the restraints and could be injured because of it. I guess I look at it kinda similarly to AirBags in cars. There is just no way to make something affordable that can accommodate everyone. So they pick a range to aim for and they design around that. I have definitely seen plenty of rides where the height rules didn't seem to make sense. I think it typically comes down to some flat rides where the restraint is designed to hold riders in but won't stop them from escaping (I've seen this on many flat rides) and so riders need to be mature enough to stay still. On the contrary many of the larger rides have restraints that are designed to prevent escape so they don't have the same issue. Of course this is all kinda a guess so I'm happy for someone to present a contrary opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogmom Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 A story: when I was little, I remember being at Kennywood and trying to see if I was tall enough for the "big rides". According to the wooden characters- Snoopy or whoever- I was tall enough for the Jack Rabbit, an "adult" coaster, but not the Little Dipper, a kiddie coaster (?) So my mom went to the manager's office and asked how this was possible. They said that the insurance companies made these decisions and they had no control over it. Of course, this was 30 years ago- maybe things have changed since then. Anyway, I find the Jack Rabbit to be much more "adult", with the double dip making you fly out of your seat, than the now-defunct Little Dipper, which was pretty lame. Strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorpe park maniac Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 wouldn't it also a bit be based on how intense the ride is, because you wouldn't put an extreme thrill ride at 1.2 metres because the ride would be aimed at that age as kenshinmac said, its like airbags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceDragon Posted May 30, 2007 Share Posted May 30, 2007 Have to agree with kenshinmac, It's to do with averages. The designer decides what age range the ride will be produced for. the decision is based on age and average height for that age range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza>poop Posted May 31, 2007 Share Posted May 31, 2007 It has everything to do with safety and nothing to do with age. If you're a few inches short then man up and stuff toilet paper in the heels of your high tops before getting in line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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