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States that ban T-bars


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Seriously? This is a thread?

 

There are plenty of attractions across both states that use T-bars, such as Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure and Pandemonium to name a couple popular ones. I really don't see any states "banning" that kind of lap restraint as there are plenty of new rides offered by manufacturers that use T-bars by design (like Great Coasters coasters, for example).

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Seriously? This is a thread?

 

There are plenty of attractions across both states that use T-bars, such as Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure and Pandemonium to name a couple popular ones. I really don't see any states "banning" that kind of lap restraint as there are plenty of new rides offered by manufacturers that use T-bars by design (like Great Coasters coasters, for example).

 

This, and Nitros restraints are darn comfy too.

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Seriously? This is a thread?

 

There are plenty of attractions across both states that use T-bars, such as Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure and Pandemonium to name a couple popular ones. I really don't see any states "banning" that kind of lap restraint as there are plenty of new rides offered by manufacturers that use T-bars by design (like Great Coasters coasters, for example).

 

It's actually banned in Mass if you want to look it up. It was as a result of the SROS incident. While I'm not 100% sure I think that in MASS they are only banned on hypers. That is why Pandy is ok.

 

I'm not quite sure about Jersey but I assume the existing rides with T-Bars would have to be grandfathered in if that's the case.

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That makes more sense then, it would also explain why Bizarro switched to U-shape bars.

 

While I do think that it's a bonkers reactive move to straight-up ban that design, there are plenty of other designs that are just as comfortable and also just as safe to use (like the aforementioned Bizarro). If you think that this sort of thing is leading to "the death of the lap bar" or whatever I think you're mistaken.

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It's pretty pointless to ban T-bars simply because of a single accident. Millennium Force has been running for 14 years with T-bars AND its original trains with no ejections, Top Thrill Dragster has been running since 2003, same thing: no ejections and original trains. I'm pretty sure Cedar Fair's Intamin rides with T-bars have had zero fatalities on them. If I remember correctly, the SROS incident was majority to blame due to operator error: not making sure the bar was down on the rider's lap, not their gut. Instead of banning T-bars, maybe MA should have demanded SFNE improve their training. On the training note, NTAG has the supposedly 'safer' U-bars, and it still ejected someone. Most likely MA banned the T-bars to calm the public down and show that they were 'keeping people safe'. In reality, Six Flags should have been forced to modify how it trains employees so that and ejection would not happen again. Any restraint can have an ejection, it's up to the operators to ensure every guest is checked and locked in properly. Restraint sensors and new trains can only do so much.

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Can anyone provide a link to a law or a regulation to back up that this type of restraint is banned in any state? I have a hard time believing it to be true.

Same.

All I can find with some quick searching was this snippet from an article on RideAccidents.com, talking about Superman the Escape and Xcelerator - http://www.rideaccidents.com/2004.html#jun1b

 

Intamin's T-shaped safety restraint bar -- used on both California rides -- was recently banned by the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety after an investigation into a fatality involving Intamin's Superman Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England theme park in Agawam, Massachusetts.

 

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Intamin's Superman Ride of Steel roller coasters at Six Flags New England, Six Flags America in Largo, Maryland, and Six Flags Darien Lake in New York reopened last weekend after the parks modified those rides' safety restraint systems in accordance with the findings of the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety. Those modifications took about one month to complete.

 

I always wondered why this happened, and now I know - photo of Darien Lake's Ride of Steel...

 

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Also interested to find a reference to the law that bans this design in MA and/or NJ. I just read through MA 520 CMR 5.0x and some of NJAC 5:14A, and I'm starting to wonder if some sort of misunderstanding has created a rumor. The MA law does include some specific design requirements in section 5.07 but treads pretty lightly, mainly offloading the burden via the inclusion of ASTM standards into the law. I started reading these and even they seem quite vague.

 

Perhaps we should maintain a healthy skepticism until there is a conclusive document

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