Secret Dangers of Amusement Parks?

[crazywolf88]

^The TPR word filter at work

[Angry_Gumball]

I ended up laughing when I saw the filters (restraints, lockers) be applied to the article, seemed almost as though they typed it, and was just part of normal language

 

About the article: The only real one I saw was belligerent guests and line jumping. The rest can be completely avoided if you use common sense, know your limits and follow park rules. Common sense would tell you not to run on the stairs (says the guy who ran out the front door of his house, lost his footing and face planted right into his newly built fence when he was younger..had a broken nose...).

 

So how often do coasters decide to squirt us with hot hydraulic fluid anyway?

[nitro4ever]

^One of the many reasons TPR is my favorite Theme Park Website or whatever it's called. L/o/c/k/e/r/s was replaced with fluffy fluffy bunnies filled with medicine goo too.

[coastercrazy 9]

Am I the only person who found it ridiculous that they said that you should not ride a log flume with your child, and than go on to tell you never to let your child ride alone?

The stairs I get, that is just people being stupid.

[Angry_Gumball]

Honestly, I love the Restraints filter...after all, your shoulder restraint does look like a u-shaped noodle Plus, who doesn't want to say "Pull down on your restraints and fasten your belt?"

[coastercrazy 9]

Honestly, I love the noodles filter...after all, your shoulder restraint does look like a u-shaped noodle Plus, who doesn't want to say "Pull down on your noodles and fasten your belt?"

That would make me want to go to Disney Paris to ride Ratatouille! It was the first food themed ride I could think of, haha.

[154bmag]

Honestly, I love the noodles filter...after all, your shoulder restraint does look like a u-shaped noodle Plus, who doesn't want to say "Pull down on your noodles and fasten your belt?"

Thank you filter, now I can spell OTSN and someone will get the joke (Don't ask me why I would want to spell that)

[ajfelice]

The sad thing about this article is how true it is. We in the coaster community look at parks is a completely different way than the general public. We study the rides so closely that what seems to be general safety is obvious. Most people do not care to think that a cell phone, keys, or glasses that are ripped from the hands, fly out of a bra, or jump out of a shallow pocket are dangerous projectiles. Same with bags/purses that they try to string around their shoulder/neck; imagine that ripping away or pulling on you during a turbulent coaster ride. As for those pesky steps, ledges, and fences, most guests think its fine to take any quick shortcut they can find until the moment they get hurt and the park is the one ultimately responsible (hence why we park staff members are so picky about sitting on the railings or jumping fences). In conclusion, guests do not like to believe or follow any safety guideline that is inconvenient to him or her.

[Philrad71]

We were about four feet from getting hit with someone's smart phone last week near TTD (by the guessing game). Smashed into about twenty pieces next to us. That would have probably hurt had it hit someone in the head.

[Angry_Gumball]

I've been pelted by the bill of a baseball cap on a family coaster which wasn't pleasant even at 20mph, and also pelted by a bee on CGA's Flight Deck which stung pretty good. I can only imagine getting smacked by a more solid object, being quite painful.

[spinning man]

One thing Yahoo forgot to mention are how most of these accidents could be avoided. Common sense. I really do find it silly how some members of the general public lack it.

[Jew]

True story: Jason Herrera (the "watchdog" they quote) is crazy. Like constantly harass 16 year old kids by making fake AIM screen name crazy.

[larrygator]

One thing Yahoo forgot to mention are how most of these accidents could be avoided. Common sense.

 

Within the second paragraph.

 

(For the record, the most recent safety report from IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) shows only 4.4 reported injuries per million riders. And Gary Slade, editor of industry trade publication Amusement Today told Yahoo! Shine "People should not be concerned about safety, other than doing something stupid. You're safer at the amusement park than you are driving your car.")

[Double0Kevin]

Thats it! Yahoo convinced me, theme parks are death traps and I need to find a new hobby. I guess I will have to deactivate my account now.

 

THANKS YAHOO!

[sixflagsguy5]

Jason Herrera is a self proclaimed safety expert who's daytime job is hotel management... There was a radio interview a few years ago where they just rip him apart.

[DBru]

Oh my Jesus Christ. Larry, I think we must have read a completely different article than everyone else here, because I can't for the life of me understand why everyone is getting their panties in a wad...

 

Contrary to what most of you all are thinking (for some reason), the article is NOT saying that amusement parks are unsafe. In fact, it's trying to tell readers the OPPOSITE! The 4.4 out of a million figure isn't given to scare people into thinking they will get hurt on a ride...it's trying to convey how SMALL of a chance they have of getting injured.

 

If anything, the enthusiast community should be thanking Yahoo for posting this piece. Most material we see on the internet tries desperately to convince people that roller coasters are dangerous by focusing on rare, major freak accidents that have happened throughout history. Yahoo finally did some digging and is trying to counter that bogusness by presenting actual facts collected by individuals within the amusement industry.

 

This article points out that most injuries involving amusement rides result from parents letting their small children ride alone, visitors acting ignorantly (running up/down stairs, riding rides they know they aren't able to handle physically, riding hung over), and people disobeying park rules (jumping line, not securing loose articles), not from "people getting struck by roller coasters or stuck upside down for hours on a broken ride"...and this is TRUE! No where does it say that:

you'll die if you ride a flying roller coaster

you should not ride a log flume with your child

theme parks are death traps

 

Come on guys, we can do better than this. The content of this article may not seem necessary to us, but in actuality, all it's doing is opening the eyes of the general public and defending the hobby we love so much.

 

My grandma thought it was a good article.

[simaticable]

I'm surprised that the article didn't mention Intamin cables. They're the real problem.

[Angry_Gumball]

There's still some bad stuff in there...I mean, when was the last time a coaster 'jumped the tracks' and severed a hydraulic line, spraying riders with fluid anyway? Since when is Ghost Rider from the era of Cyclone? Research, research before writing an article... Anyone remember riding Ghost Rider way way back when? I didn't think so. Honestly, they could have left that whole 'hydraulic fluid' thing out of it, and presented this more of a theme park do's and don'ts, or a 'theme park survival guide.'

 

Another one they could have left out (seems like they were running out of ideas):

Is coming back the next day to retrieve a lost article really a danger? Not really, to me it would be a blessing to be able to get something back, not that I would set myself up in a situation where I'd have an object go flying off of the ride.

[larrygator]

^Reading comprehension anyone? No where does it say GhostRider and Cyclone are from the same era. Old Wooden Roller Coasters is merely a designation of a "danger" area. GhostRider and the Cyclone are exampled paraphrased cited by the interviewed person. The writer is writing an article for parents and the majority of the children are going to be younger than GhostRider. Old is a relative term and to many parents something 14 years old is OLD. Even in the enthusiast community people bitch if their park does gets something for 2-3 years, so wouldn't something built 15 years ago be old.

 

Old wooden roller coasters

The Cyclone in Coney Island and the Knott's Berry Farm GhostRider are two of the top rides the ASO gets complaints about. "We see neck injuries, back injuries, bruised ribs, bitten lips, lost retainers and migraine headaches," Herrera says.

 

A lot of people are reading to deeply into this. I suggest everyone read THIS THREAD instead and comment on the fun.

[Angry_Gumball]

^True, I guess the term 'old' can be a very loose term. I guess I tended to take the term 'old' to the extreme as opposed to what's been in the area for a while now.

 

And while we're at it, I think I'm about to check out some of the comments...found some good stuff like "falling out during a 'flip'" and so on..will save these for the GP thread

[chickenbowl]

Contrary to what most of you all are thinking (for some reason), the article is NOT saying that amusement parks are unsafe. In fact, it's trying to tell readers the OPPOSITE! The 4.4 out of a million figure isn't given to scare people into thinking they will get hurt on a ride...it's trying to convey how SMALL of a chance they have of getting injured.

 

Then what is the point of them publishing this article at all? The article focuses on them pointing out ridiculous "dangers." Tell me how that is anything anyone should be concerned about?

 

I'm not reading too deeply into this, by the way. I just posted this topic to show the ridiculousness that is somehow "news" for Yahoo. I think the whole thing is funny.

[CoasterRollin]

Traditionally, these cars are wide open, with no safety noodles, hand rails, or dividers between passengers.

 

Being hit by a cellphone or flying change

Despite fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo, ride-operator spiels and the best attempts of the amusement park industry to prevent it, stuff goes flying out of people's pockets and bags on rides. "We hear about more near-misses than people being struck," Herrera says.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed that.

 

This article points out that most injuries involving amusement rides result from parents letting their small children ride alone, visitors acting ignorantly (running up/down stairs, riding rides they know they aren't able to handle physically, riding hung over), and people disobeying park rules (jumping line, not securing loose articles), not from "people getting struck by roller coasters or stuck upside down for hours on a broken ride"...and this is TRUE! No where does it say that:

 

I agree with what larrygator and DBru have been saying here. Assuming that people have the ability to think CRITICALLY, readers should realize that most of the dangers you could face at amusement parks are due to what DBru mentioned. I think this article points out that the "secret dangers of amusement parks" and "things to watch out for" are easily prevented or avoided. That in part makes the article sound silly, because sitting behind your computer, these "dangers" seem obvious or not even dangerous. But suddenly when you're at the park, you may or may not be thinking about these things (generally speaking). Though for coaster enthusiasts, I guess these things are obvious all the time.

[Bryce]

That is the dumbest thing ever. Getting hurt on stairs? Your kids could do that at Grandma's house. Seriously.

 

The only danger is having too much fun.

[Tmcdllr]

I'm surprised that the article didn't mention Intamin cables. They're the real problem.

 

It is for that very reason this article is complete nonsense

[Spideyfreak]

Why is this thread 5 pages long?!