AndrewRnR Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) Props to CNN/HLN for bringing you on. It seems with anything in the news these days the media are constantly trying to grab sound bites or quotes that stirs the pot. They could've went for the "roller coasters are dangerous" route like most of the stories I've seen and read but they completely by bringing you on. And to add to the regulation note posted - one executive once said (can't remember who) something along the lines of regulations or not accidents cause the industry and guests harm so everything is done to prevent them. With or without federal oversight I'm sure Six Flags is taking this equally as serious - accidents arn't good for business. Edited July 23, 2013 by AndrewRnR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Clinksalot Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Saw the earlier interview Robb, great job. Hoping the segment you did with all of the voting shows up online at some point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locostitch Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Robb you were like the Rollercoaster Safety Whisperer. If it were not for you I bet that a majority would of said they were not safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Saw the earlier interview Robb, great job. Hoping the segment you did with all of the voting shows up online at some point? You mean the "After Dark" show? Unless it gets posted to the HLN news site, I probably won't post it. It was an hour long show and I'm only in it for about 5 minutes of the whole thing. I think posting only my clips out of context may seem a bit weird. If someone sees it show up on the HLN website, please post a link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theymitbgi Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Robb, great job on tv tonight. just got done watching it with family, you were the only voice of reason on the panel. Also still not sure what being a WSI has to do with thinking thrill rides aren't safe. I was a Lifeguard Instructor, WSI, First Aid, CPR instructor and it really has no bearing on how I feel about coasters. If I felt they weren't safe I wouldn't let my two sons ride them alone as I am deathly afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmullin Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I thought you had great points and hopefully proved to the GP that roller coasters are in fact safe and this was just a freak accident. Awesome job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardwalkbullet91507 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Also still not sure what being a WSI has to do with thinking thrill rides aren't safe. I was a Lifeguard Instructor, WSI, First Aid, CPR instructor and it really has no bearing on how I feel about coasters. Glad to hear we share the same opinion here. I just felt her being a WSI felt out if place and irrelevant. To me, it's like saying "oh, you were on the elementary school safety patrol. You must know EVERYTHING about safety." Amusement Park safety and Water safety are just two completely different subjects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Clinksalot Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Saw the earlier interview Robb, great job. Hoping the segment you did with all of the voting shows up online at some point? You mean the "After Dark" show? Unless it gets posted to the HLN news site, I probably won't post it. It was an hour long show and I'm only in it for about 5 minutes of the whole thing. I think posting only my clips out of context may seem a bit weird. If someone sees it show up on the HLN website, please post a link! Yeah, that one. No worries. Just saw that it re-airs at midnight. Set the DVR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeoplemoverMatt Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Robb you were like the Rollercoaster Safety Whisperer. If it were not for you I bet that a majority would of said they were not safe. There were about 89,352 different problems with how the show was presented, but it's important to note that the "jury" was about 50/50 split in the beginning of the show on if coasters are unsafe only to wind up 9-3 in favor of coasters not being unsafe. All 3 who ultimately voted that coasters are unsafe were openly suspectful of coasters from before this accident, and "didn't like them" when asked at the beginning of the show before all the coasters are death trap presentations were made. Did anyone else openly laugh at that absurd graph showing deaths on coasters? OMG fatalities went up from 2 to 7!!! UNSAFE!!! Then, when they asked why fatalities were "on the rise" the people talked about coasters going faster. Not a single word about how there are quite a few more coasters in 2004 than 1994. Just a total "OMG EVERYBODY PANIC!" about a positive slope on their nutty graph. Robb, I must say I envy your ability to not just go completely nuts at what that show was presenting. Kudos to you, sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theymitbgi Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I'm sure it could be easily found but like previously stated how many more coasters are in operation now than in 2004. Also what is theme park attendance compared to 2004? I'm sure the increase isn't exactly proportional, but pretty close. Another thing I would like to add, is that in my previous employment as a warehouse supervisor we would always have to investigate an "employee injury". notice how it is phrased "injury" not accident. Most reports went back to the employee being at fault for some reason, not wearing PPE, not operating equipment properly, etc. Even those these were things they had done in the past safely, one time something happened out of the ordinary and an injury occurred, seems like pretty much the same thing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinTheAttendant Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) Just curious, did the fatalities on roller coasters also include health-related issues as the cause of death? Was it for all deaths, or did they separate mechanical and operator error? The trend graphs told me absolutely nothing useful, and there was never any solid explanation given as to why the fatality trends were going up. Also, what was with the (paraphrased) "ejection of rider caused by anti-rollback device failure" as a possible means of coaster fatality? Still, I'm glad that HLN at least brought Robb on. Robb's talking points made the most sense from both a general public and enthusiast stand-point. Overall, it was an interesting watch. Edited July 23, 2013 by VinTheAttendant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boardwalkbullet91507 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Were the stats they used global or North American? It should be taken into consideration the quality of rides in the US and more developed countries compared to underdeveloped and third world countries. Didn't someone in Cambodia recently die, and when a picture of the ride surfaced, it was run down and looked poorly maintained? If it wasn't already, they should have only compared North American statistics (just because NTAG is in North America). Saying all rides are unsafe kind of included the outliers (coasters in underdeveloped countries that lack some sort of regulation whether it be federal or not.) This could have influenced the statistics in favor of rides being unsafe when in reality, North American casualties happen once in a blue moon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerCoastTV Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Where were you all when you heard the news of this?? I will always remember where I was. I was drinkin' a cold one down at the T.G.I. Friday's. And I don't think I'll ever be able to drink a cold one the same way again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire2box Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I have a question for those that are more educated than I am about ride regulations. The lawyer speaking out against theme parks and the hosts of the show keep pointing to the fact that carnival rides are regulated by the federal government and rides at permanent parks aren't. My understanding is that amusement rides are regulated by state governments or organizations within each state while carnivals travel between states which is likely why they need to be federally regulated. Am I correct in this? If so, it seems like they're using some strategic language here. They act outraged because carnivals are regulated by the "feds" and theme parks aren't but carefully leave out the fact that theme parks are regulated by state organizations. By leaving that out they imply that theme parks aren't regulated at all or are internally regulated but obviously this isn't the case. Thanks in advance for clarifying this. Oh, and great job Robb! To answer your question, not all states regulate amusement parks. Texas obviously being one of those. The question is, do you really think government oversight, even at the state level, would make amusement rides any safer? I think not. With the TSA NTSB and whatever dozens of organizations the government has to maintain safety in transportation, government sticking noses into rollercoaster designs will more then likely make coasters worse and no more safer then they are now. Even on HLN they said carnivals and Fair rides are subject to federal inspections or whatever and those seem to injury more then SF, Disney or Cedar Fair rides do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnastyGnoric7 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Very Good interview Robb, this incident does NOT scare me at all, as I said once, you have a better chance of winning Powerball than getting hurt on a coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerCoastTV Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Very Good interview Robb, this incident does NOT scare me at all, as I said once, you have a better chance of winning Powerball than getting hurt on a coaster. WRONG. I've been hurt on many coasters. Most notably the Gatekeeper. But I've never received a serious injury for one. I think that is what you mean to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnastyGnoric7 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 ^You are correct, what I should have put was seriously injured, Doh I missed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linders Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I have a question for those that are more educated than I am about ride regulations. The lawyer speaking out against theme parks and the hosts of the show keep pointing to the fact that carnival rides are regulated by the federal government and rides at permanent parks aren't. My understanding is that amusement rides are regulated by state governments or organizations within each state while carnivals travel between states which is likely why they need to be federally regulated. Am I correct in this? If so, it seems like they're using some strategic language here. They act outraged because carnivals are regulated by the "feds" and theme parks aren't but carefully leave out the fact that theme parks are regulated by state organizations. By leaving that out they imply that theme parks aren't regulated at all or are internally regulated but obviously this isn't the case. Thanks in advance for clarifying this. Oh, and great job Robb! To answer your question, not all states regulate amusement parks. Texas obviously being one of those. The question is, do you really think government oversight, even at the state level, would make amusement rides any safer? I think not. All bringing Uncle Sam in on things will do is make things more complicated, expensive, and take longer to process needless paperwork that in the end will fix nothing. The cool thing about letting the marketplace do its thing, is this. Six Flags is in the amusement park industry. The company's bread and butter depends on millions of people coming to their parks, riding the rides, buying their expensive trinkets, shirts, food, etc etc. If word gets around that the rides are not safe, and they are flippant about rider safety, guess what? People will not come and ride their rides, buy their expensive trinkets, t-shirts, and food. Six Flags can no longer turn a profit and they have to close the doors making no money. In the end, it's about making money for them, and having fun for us. We can't have fun if we think we'll die, and so we won't show up. They can't make money if we don't show up. As long as they have insurance to cover the freak accidents like this recent one, and the one back in '99, then all's good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 State regulation actually works well in California IMO. They stay out of the way aside from the two inspections each year (where they basically just make sure all paperwork is up to date and all operating guidelines are being met) or there is an accident that requires further investigation/proof it is fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
australianalex Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Great interview Robb, i also get the feeling you must've had more to say but you managed to get the point across perfectly in the time you had. I also respect your ability to stay calm, especially after the inaccurate facts presented by the newswoman before your interview (steepest drop?). Hopefully many members of the GP were watching and listened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GO MUFC!!! Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I may be on HLN in the next 20 min talking about NTAG... It was cool watching it, they had the Royal crap, then the 3 female murders, then Michael Jackson, and finally Robb Alvey! BEST COMMENT EVER!!! P.S. Fantastic interview Robb.Six Flags should pay you for your reassurance on the safety of there roller coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Here is my interview on Headline News from earlier today: Excellent job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglefan9727 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Excellent job on the interview and you are right. Its safer to ride a roller coaster than driving your car to work everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megametal Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Great interview. I hope a lot of people out there saw it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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