Do carnival rides make you nervous?
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Kara
403 Laps
I, too, am "Proud to be Arrow Dynamic"
"Have you ridden God today?"
*** This post was edited by ST chick on 5/19/2002. ***
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Roller Coasters or sports? I guess there are questions nobody can answer!
Is that why shows like Dateline and 20/20 can dig up hundreds of Carnival accidents every year and prove that they pass no inspections and have had multiple accidents before.
LONNOL said:
"Other people have said some great things, so I only have a little to add. Carnivals, like amusement parks, vary in quality from show to show. Some shows are notorious for having well-kept pieces. I would argue that Spectacular Midways has a flat ride collection that are as well-kept as some of the best amusement parks in the country. I distinctly remember their Chance Pharoh's Fury at the Florida State Fair. The paint job was perfect and all the lights (both white and neon) were blazing.The best way to decide if a carnival is well-run is to simply look around before you ride anything. After being on a good midway or two (Windy City, Spectacular Midways, Gillette Shows for mid-size shows and Ray Cammack, Cumberland Valley, Conklin, Funtastic Shows for the big boys) you can tell when a mediocore-to-bad one comes to town.
And Millennium Force 2K2, most states do require that carnivals pass inspections, which is the reason that good carnivals keep thier rides in good working order. Rides that do not work correctly do not pass inspection and therefore do not bring in money. Simple economics says that it is in a show's best interest to keep thier rides running well and safely.
Adam
http://history.amusement-parks.com"
Millenium Force 2K2, excuse me for saying so, but that was uncalled for.
Anyway, I certainly think twice before going on a large carnival ride. Even if they are safe, and pass inspections, I think its just their sometimes poor reputation causes me to worry.
But it is fair to say that I have never turned down a carnival ride because I thought it was unsafe...
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I really love the looks of the carnival rides, but the fact that they're carnival rides makes me really nervous. My husband, also a coaster enthusiast and daredevil, has said, quote, there's no money that could get him on a carnival ride. Last summer my sister in law and I tried our hands at going on a rollo-plane at a local carnival, and we were so bruised coming out of it! Besides that, the compartment sounded like it was going to pop off any second. And man oh man, I would so love to ride a zipper!!!!
When I was a kid, pre-teen, maybe fifteen years ago, I rode this flat at a carnival and it went upside down, and there were no forces keeping the riders into the seats, only the restraints, and can you believe that the only restraint keeping the riders in their seats was the equivalent of a car seatbelt?? Unbelievable.
Truly, any regulations or monitoring should be towards CARNIVALS and the such, NOT amusement parks. I mean, does anyone here know approximately how many carnival and fair rides accidents happen per one amusement park ride accident, any involving injury? Im not talking rollbacks, stuck on lifts, ferris wheel stopped etc, I'm talking things coming unhitched, restraints undoing, etc such that people get injured if not killed.
I think that if this statistic was mailed to Markey, maybe he might redirect his zeal toward something more sensible and logical. It's a thought.
Carnivals are subject to different regulations in different states. In Ohio, for instance, carnivals and amusement parks are subject to the same inspection program. In Florida, each carnival gets a state inspection AT EVERY SET-UP, while the amusement parks employing more than 1,000 people are not inspected by the state AT ALL. On the other hand, if you go down to Mississippi, neither the carnival nor the amusement park gets inspected.
Another data point...that national regulatory authority Markey is advocating, to give the CPSC jurisdiction over fixed amusement rides? Guess what: The CPSC already has authority over portable amusement rides. Now do you see why someone who is an advocate for good State inspection programs (me) is opposed to CPSC authority over amusement park rides?
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Vortexguy said:
I wouldn't trust most carnies with a toaster, let alone putting my life in their hands...
Ya, me nether.....The fair that comes through my town must have a prerequisite of smoking....They all seem to think it's necessary to smoke while operating anthing there.
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One other thing to keep in mind. Every year when I go to the Bloomsburg fair they have signs by the rides that say they need help dismantaling the rides, which means they're pulling people off the streets to load and unload these rides. I don't know to what extent these people help out but I would rather put my trust into full time mechanics at an amusement park.
"Is that why shows like Dateline and 20/20 can dig up hundreds of Carnival accidents every year and prove that they pass no inspections and have had multiple accidents before."
Ahh, Dateline and 20/20. Aren't these the very same shows that enthusiasts continually blast because they paint inaccurate pictures of the amusement park industry? I find it hard to believe that most everything they say about parks is false while they manage to report everything correctly about carnivals. If you want to know more about these supposedly non-existant inspections pick up a copy of Amusement Business. Almost every week there is a story about different challenges and costs caused by state inspections.
Generally there seems to be a hypocrisy when it comes to carnivals by enthusiasts. Many talk about how unsafe these rides look or seem, often when they know very little about the industry. Yet, if someone that knows little about the amusement park side of things and says bad things about coasters they are ridiculed. Of course all carnivals are not well-run, but to use blanket statements about them does a disservice to some great shows that strive for well-kept midways, well-maintained rides and a great atmosphere of family fun.
Adam
Millenium Force2K2-
If you believe everything you see on Dateline, then you are seriously warped. This is the same show that faked the explosion of trucks, and put a firecracker inside a pumpkin to show what would happen to a human head if it were shot by an AK-47.
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Proud CB club member
LONNOL said:
The best way to decide if a carnival is well-run is to simply look around before you ride anything. After being on a good midway or two (Windy City, Spectacular Midways, Gillette Shows for mid-size shows and Ray Cammack, Cumberland Valley, Conklin, Funtastic Shows for the big boys) you can tell when a mediocore-to-bad one comes to town.
Are you implying that I should advocate for my own safety? Next you'll tell me to check my OWN restraints when getting on a ride....;). Honestly, you can tell the difference between well-run carnivals and those that are not quite as well-run.
bill, saying if you're unwilling to be an active participant in your own health and well-being, perhaps you're better off watching instead of riding...
While I was riding the motor blew a gasket or something. The thing started spraying motor oil on all the riders, myself included.
Wouldn't the Scrambler have an electric motor rather than a gas engine? Maybe it was hydraulic fluid, gear oil or grease?
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