Are seatbelts THAT bad?

"You ride it and tell me they aren't. With a single position lap bar, you can easily slip through without a belt. "

Perhaps thoughts like this pose a bigger question, namely, have today's riders changed? For a long time people rode Miller's, Schmeck's, Church's and other coaster designers' rides with roughly the same fatality rate as today. In addition, most of the designers featured airtime that was as severe as today's notorious rides. Most of those had fixed lapbars and/or later single-position lapbars. Have wooden coasters really changed that much, or are we as riders less comfortable trusting the ride?

Adam

http://history.amusement-parks.com

Or are we, as insurers and litigators, less comfortable trusting anything?

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"He's blazin' away like the stars in the universe.." A. Vega + M. Rev "Ghostrider"

Someday there will be something here.

*** This post was edited by chris on 5/14/2002. ***

No, I think that we as riders are *more stupid*. People, for whatever reason, showing off, etc., want to "push the limits" and get that extra thrill. Then when someone goes too far and hurts themself, it's everybody's fault but their own. We are living in times where "personal responsibility" has taken a backseat. Especially in America, America has become a nation wussy-sissified victims. People thing that everything that was gone wrong is because "someone else did it to me". Well, with that in mind, as a business owner you basically have to CYA!
lata,
jeremy
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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01

I think that both jeremy and chris have "put it out there" so to speak, so I should probably at least try to take it one step too far..... Go to England and get hurt on a ride (well, don't DO it, but consider it). If the rider shares in the blame, they get squat. Meanwhile, here in the states, if the rider is 99% at fault, then the lawsuits are filed and settled quietly....lawyers are so expensive, and litigation SO costly, it's cheaper for the parks to pay the "at-fault" rider something rather than pay to fight....

Insurance companies didn't build the biggest buildings in all our large cities by being foolish with their money, so they will always go overboard protecting their money....sure, it may come from the insured's premiums, but just TRY and collecting from the insurance companies.....

bill, STILL so happy about the SacKings I just don't know what to do....if C-Webb didn't show leadership and team-first mentality in those post-game interviews, then Barkley isn't overweight.....congrats to the whole TNT crew on their Emmy, they EARNED it...

*** This post was edited by rollergator on 5/14/2002. ***

LOL, Tucked under the seat? Funny when the seat bottom fell out of ST last year on one ride I came down in a toilet bowl. AKA, The tub the seats cover.

Theres nothing under then but running gear and track!

Chuck, who did have his seat belt on.

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Charles Nungester
Americana (Now called The great americana amusement park at Lesourdsville Lake) is opening in 2002. Indivdual visits are very improtant to the parks survival.

Charles - I've experienced that on both Cornball and Timbers. It really freaked me out the first time it happened on Timbers. I thought I had broken it, but the op just pushed the seat cushion back in place as if it was "business as usual."

Gotta love the back seat on those CCIs!

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"He's blazin' away like the stars in the universe.." A. Vega + M. Rev "Ghostrider"

Someday there will be something here.

*** This post was edited by chris on 5/14/2002. ***

The buzzbars on the Swamp Fox, although you may feel like you're about to be tossed, there's less of an OPEN area for you to slip out of, IMHO, if you're sitting down & not TRYING to stand up. I prefer the single bar, I guess like some of these safety feature thick autos some people feel safer pinned in by those orange things(>YUK!<).......

It's hard to make your feet & everything else come out of a seatbelt, too, which seatbelts generally feel dissappeared once they're on & you're off.

One day, a great restraint will be created, something like a force field.

seatbelts are the awesomist (most awesome) thing ever on a coaster. You feel a heck of a lot safer on those puppies. After all, there isnt much technology involved in them. If the lap bars or other restraints go, then the seat belt will protect you.

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On the seventh day, God created coasters!