Doctors say Roller Coasters may be Unsafe!

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This is from the view of a Roller Coaster fan so it's all opinion....

On NBC they did a report on roller coasters having more force than spaceships! The talked about a women who felt her neck snap during a ride. They mentioned roller coaster designers making roller coasters faster than the health and medical departments. Plus, coaster designers are making their rides bigger and faster because that's what the public wants. They haven't set up the link to the artical yet so I'll put up tommorow. If you find one post it. WNBC.com
They showed videos of Nitro, Kraken, X-flight, Kumba, and Duelng Dragons. Nitro looked great! On ride video of the Hammer head!

Right, the ride is unsafe to people who are not in good physical shape. That's why they post the sign that says "Do not ride if you are pregnant, have heart condition, ect. ect.

Its pretty simple, if your body is not in shape enough to do something like play basketball, then you might not be able to ride an intense roller coaster

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Hello God? Oops, that's just a moderator.

its true, most people with problems that can be affected by the rides are the ones that get hurt.

News reporters always compare rollercoasters to the space shuttle which is a slug comapred to earlier launch vehicles. They never mention that the duration of the G-forces are very different or that the forces on coasters aren't nearly as high as earlier space vehicles or any sort of fighter aircraft. They also don't mention that the G-forces on coasters are small compared to those involved in falling down or the impacts involved in playing football, basketball, etc.

As for safety, there have been a very small number of brain injuries (one or two per year) reported relative to the hundreds of millions of roller coaster rides taken each year. There are also more heart attack deaths on roller coasters, but reporters never talk about them, because people understand about bad hearts and wouldn't get as bent out of shape.

Compared to almost all other outdoor activities, roller coasters are quite safe. You are 10-20 times as likely to be killed on the drive to the park than you are to be killed on a ride.

Part of my job is safety analysis. One of the first things that you learn in safety analysis is that nothing is completely safe. Garden hoses, televisions, and beds kill far more people that rollercoasters. If you start worrying too much about everything that someone has died from you will have no time left to live life.

*** This post was edited by Jim Fisher on 2/4/2002. ***

I don't care what docters say about coasters, if they don't like them than that is their problem. Coasters have worked already for a long long long time, so how can they be harmful?
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I eat glue.

I think drunk drivers kill more people.

ZZZZZZZZZZ! Come on its just more liberal crap to scare you. PLEASE! Why do u think there are signs saying if you have this you shouldn't ride or you will ride at your own risk. Well atleast i will die having fun and not dying because of old age or something very painfull like getting shot. Look if it is and has been unsafe for like 60-80 years now i think there wouoldn't be any coasters period. And actually coasters are ALOT safer than 40+ years ago.
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I may be from IL, but i sure can't get enough of the FORCE. MF!!!

Boat69 said:
I think drunk drivers kill more people.

Someone out there dies from a drunk driver every 10 seconds or so. (Or was it minutes....either way!!!!!!!)

That is astronomical compared to ride deaths. There is no comparison.

IL_MForce_Junkie said:
ZZZZZZZZZZ! Come on its just more liberal crap to scare you.

Sorry, but this issue (really, non-issue) has nothing to do with Liberalism and Conservatism. Stop looking to get a rise out of people.
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Idle hands were orient to her.

nitro230ft said:
On NBC they did a report on roller coasters having more force than spaceships! The talked about a women who felt her neck snap during a ride.

Blaa blaa blaa!

How many people die each year on rail-way level crossings? If the government is so concerned with our safety like they say they are, why don't they spend the money and remove every rail-way level crossing in the US?!

The government only cares about perceived safety, not actual safety (especially when it will cost them money). It's so much easier for them to look good by pointing their fingers at coasters and theme parks and saying "these people are evil" .. than if they were to actually do something useful!

I could go on and on, but I won't ..

Cam.

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Cameron Silver

...speaking of which, there are TONS of RR crossing in this country with no lights, no bars, just a little sign that says "Look out for the cars". Now if that's enough notice, I think HW's signs re: personal responsibility for your own leisure activities is MORE than enough...
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Off-season coaster blues got you down, stop by the 'buzz and turn your frown upside-down...
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

ravenguy98 said:
"
IL_MForce_Junkie said:
ZZZZZZZZZZ! Come on its just more liberal crap to scare you.

Sorry, but this issue (really, non-issue) has nothing to do with Liberalism and Conservatism. Stop looking to get a rise out of people.
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No, I think that Junkster is right. The liberal media have a way of scaring the public to think a certain way so they can form more of a social concensus on an issue. Once they have the public believing something, such as "roller coasters are dangerous" it's much easier for people liek Ed Markey (rides) and Herb Kohl/Joe Lieberman (video games) to pass legislation against a certain industry.
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Is it the roar of Kumba or the kumba of Roar? Discuss!*** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 2/4/2002. ****** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 2/4/2002. ***
BOTH Edits: Tryin to make this post look prettier...
*** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 2/4/2002. ***

More people killed each year by drunk drivers? Sober drivers kill more than rollercoasters. I'll leave you with that thought.

Comparing cars(and drunk drivers)to coasters is just plain crazy, compare how many people drive and are on the roads everyday compared to how many people ride coasters, it is a big diffirence. Here is the article I do believe the original poster is talking about.
http://www.latimes.com/news/yahoo/la-000008820feb04.story?coll=la%2Dnewsaol%2Dheadlines
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Army Rangers lead the way

I will not deny there is risk involved in riding roller coasters, but...
The driving statistics are based on a per capita basis. And statistically speaking, according to the discovery channel, you are more likely to be injured using a garden hose than riding a roller coaster.

Statistics can be used to prove ANYTHING. 27% of all people know that - Homer Simpson

The "liberal" media is a myth. This is in no way an issue of Left vs. Right, just get over it. Its an issue of some people taking on a cause that just doesn't need to be taken on. Does the public care? Obviously not, so should we care? I don't think so. I'm a liberal, does that mean that I think coasters are dangerous? No. Does that mean that a majority of liberal's think that coasters are dangerous? No, because its just not a political issue, plain and simple.
*** This post was edited by ravenguy98 on 2/4/2002. ***

Okay, so if it's not a political issue why are politicians (on state and federal levels) pushing for more regulation in the amusement industry? And furthermore, why is it when they try and push for regulation they cite ACCIDENTS as proof that we need regulations? Ed Markey spewing his venom on the house floor is the exact same thing as NBC telling you that coasters aren't safe. It's called socialization.
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Is it the roar of Kumba or the kumba of Roar? Discuss!

Because a very small number of people are making it a political issue, when it shouldn't be. NBC sees a story they want to report, and they report it. If you don't like it, don't watch it, and don't support NBC's sponsors. And I don't see what any of this has to do with Socialism. Like it or not, sometimes the federal government should regulate some things. Are you upset about government issued safety standards for, say, cars? Children's toys? Food? If you're a libertarian, ok, that's your choice, but otherwise you should be able to understand that the government should have a hand in some things. Its just that roller coasters aren't one of them. We agree on that point, so why bother making it a Left vs. Right thing, when its clearly not?
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Idle hands were orient to her.

First of all, what I meant by socialization is that by airing that news story, they are scaring the public to think that roller coasters are unsafe. Secondly, c'mon, that "news story" wasn't even news. They're re-reporting something that already happend with a new twist...a doctor! I am for regulating things that are an obvious threat to our safety (toys, assault rifles, pollution, John Madden) but seriously, roller coasters? I just highly doubt they would've aired that segment if they didn't hold the opinion it was trying to convey to the audience. I whole heartedly respect your philosophy of traditional liberalism, but it just bothers me when a NEWS agency is apparently trying to shape the public rather than reporting news is what bothers me. Perhaps it's not a liberal bias per se, but that it is a bias in and of itself is ethically wrong. Cheers, mate.
Nick
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Is it the roar of Kumba or the kumba of Roar? Discuss!