Safety - Six Flags vs. Cedar Fair
I think this deserves its own thread.
I have seen a few comments after the Magic Mountain Ninja incident that Cedar Fair parks are safer.
Safety goes farther than the rides.......All the Six Flags parks that I have been to this year have metal detetors and bag checks. (Great America, Great Adventure & America)
King's Island and Cedar Point have absolutely NO security at the gate (KD does). Ohio is a concealed weapon state. You are definitely safer walking around on the midways at the parks with security. The odds of a nut with a gun are higher than any coaster derailing i would think!
Wondering how CF justifies the lack of metal detectors in a concealed weapon state.
Please chime in on the other Six Flags parks and CF parks as far as security goes. I have been to three of each chain this year and all SF had security and only one CF park had it.
super7* said:
King's Island and Cedar Point have absolutely NO security at the gate (KD does). Ohio is a concealed weapon state. You are definitely safer walking around on the midways at the parks with security. The odds of a nut with a gun are higher than any coaster derailing i would think!
Wondering how CF justifies the lack of metal detectors in a concealed weapon state.
People who legally carry don't typically break laws. And people who illegally carry (your "nut with a gun" scenario) typically shoot people where guns aren't permitted, concealed or otherwise.
Besides, how many gun crimes have occurred in those Ohio Cedar Fair parks that don't have metal detectors?
Yeah, I don't buy any of that logic.
I don't feel people who carry guns are inherently dangerous and I don't believe metal detectors and bag checks do a single thing to protect you from someone wishing to do harm.
The thing most likely to kill you at any park? The food.
The same way people in amusement parks are more likely to have amusement park accidents.
Doesn't make them dangerous.
A few seasons back someone (me) noticed the metal detectors missing from Kings Island's front gate. I wondered, out loud, if anyone here knew why that would be.
After days of discussion we had finally determined that:
1) they weren't a real deterrent to crime
2) they were a real deterrent to crime
3) they really didn't function and hadn't for years
4) other parks have never used them and others have had them since opening day
5) the real danger was lurking in the parking lot
6) it was now easier and quicker to get into the park, and
7) the place looked a lot better without 'em.
Then our eyes glazed over, our fingers ached, we needed naps, and the discussion faded away.
Rickrollercoaster said:
...my movie theater has a metal detector now...
In rural southern Indiana?
FWIW, we were at KI 3 weeks ago and there were metal detectors in the morning and random bag checks in the afternoon. (The metal detectors were gone by then) They were definitely profiling, however, as the teenager in baggy jeans and the cap that said "I love haters" was searched extensively and my son and I got waved through.
But as to the original post, I fail to see what metal detectors and guns have to do with coasters derailing, riders being ejected, etc.
About Ninja derailing, something like that could happen anywhere. Kings Island's suspended coaster hit a freekin parked maintenance vehicle a few years back, which caused massive damage to the trains. There were, however, no one riding the ride at the time.
What I am saying is that derailing coasters are not a Cedar Fair issue or a Six Flags issue. It is a roller coaster issue. I'm sure they both inspect theri rides on a daily basis just as well as the other park chain.
As for safety, the metal detectors and bag checks at Six Flags, Kings Island, and even Kennywood are just a deterrence; or what I like to call 'theatrics.' People see that the park checks for stuff like that, and they decide not to bring in things that the parks are checking for.
It's stupid, and time consuming, and I totally hate waiting for them to check everyone, but it's going to make families feel safer and also make the bad guys think twice about bringing a weapon.
At least I don't have to deal with thug gang members like I did a few decades ago when I visited Six Flags America.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
RCMAC said:
A few seasons back someone (me) noticed the metal detectors missing from Kings Island's front gate. I wondered, out loud, if anyone here knew why that would be.
Kings Island's metal detectors were added in 2003 - I was just a kid but I can remember I thought of it as a "because of 9/11" thing and didn't mind the "security." Of course, when I was older I realized it was just a show and most of what they caught was people trying to bring food. The 'need to feel safe' hysteria has worn off, and the metal detectors are gone.
OP is probably right that other guests are the biggest dangers in some parks, I just choose not to live in fear of that type of rare incident.
As far as ride safety, I think at this point the major chains are on par. In the past, I visited Kentucky Kingdom not long before their Superman incident and I can remember actually kicking overgrown weeds from the inverted coaster. That type of experience was reported at several SF parks. Neglect that pervasive makes me think that of course maintenance suffered as well.
I seem to remember metal detectors recently at Kings Island. Maybe it was last year? My mind is hazy on the issue.
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
You must be logged in to post
