Doctors say Roller Coasters may be Unsafe!

For your convenience, the original article from the Annals of Emergency Medicine, the one Kimi Yoshino is commenting on, is available at this blind link for a limited time only.

--Dave Althoff, Jr

You know ravenguy, it's funny that you say we shouldnt be discussing things politically, but you have yourself provided enough statements to base an entire political campaign. I could respond you each of your points, but I wont do that here in the interest of preserving the spirit of this board (feel free to email to scrunch17@yahoo.com if *anyone* cares what I really think.

Anyway, rollercoasters and other high intensity rides like the newer flats can indeed be a health risk. If you are not in good shape than these rides are not for you. NOW, the rides are designed to be safe for the overwhelming majority of those "under the Bell Curve", but if you are an 'outlyer' then yes, there are some risks: LOW RISKS, but risks nonetheless.
lata,
jeremy
--but what I want to know is, how many ppl per year are killed by their VCRs?

maybe there were not safe during the twenties, when people would stand up during the ride when the coaster only had fixed lap bars. the last 10 years there have been less accidents on roller coasters than the entire 1929 season.
What I think gets a little annoying is that we keep bringing up this topic.  We all know the comparisons, statistics, and misinformed info from doctors and stuff.  It's nothing new so just live with it, we know that coasters are perfectly safe.
yes its true that coasters have the same amount of force as spaceships, but the forces on a spaceship last for a while, whereas on a coaster your only pulling 5g's for a second if that.
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Bobby
DOT crew 2000
Flight of Fear/Wave Swinger crew 2001-2002

2Hostyl said:
--but what I want to know is, how many ppl per year are killed by their VCRs?

VCR's, I'm not sure about, but I know there's been cases of children crushed under large-screen TVs...

There, proof that TV is bad for you! Gasp! Outlaw 'em!

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--Greg
"The questions ticket agents ask at airports are useless, but give an illusion of security to the GP. Much like seatbelts on roller coasters...
My page

I don't care what anyone says. Whether or whether not a coaster is dangerous it's up to the people to decide whether they wanna take a risk and ride the coaster or whether they wanna stay home and sit on the couch and not live at all. If somebody thinks the rides are dangerous than they don't have to ride them. As for me I chose to ride the coaster and let it beat the hell out of me!
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Millennium Force......It has its ups and downs.
I looked this crap up before and I found that more people are injured by playing golf, brushing their teeth, or using a gardening hose every year than riding on a roller coaster. 

 

WE REALLY SHOULD do something to set everything straight.

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SFGAm 2003: B&M Flyer!?!?!


2Hostyl said:
You know ravenguy, it's funny that you say we shouldnt be discussing things politically,

I didn't say that, I said this was in no way shape or form a Left vs. Right issue, and it shouldn't be a political issue period.  (Its just unfortunate that some politicians want to make it one.)    If you think it is a Left vs. Right or Democrat vs. Republican issue or whatever, you can convince me here, or at ravenguy98@yahoo.com but trust me, you're going to have a very hard time of it. 
I think the bottom line is that stations are looking for something to put on TV, people in general think coasters are interesting, so they air something like this, getting ratings, and getting sponsor $$$$$.  I mean, this is just one story out of 1000s of others that come out of the media everyday just think about what else they are getting wrong.  That's the bottom line.  The media effects public views to the effect that some people have claimed that he the mass media is the 4th branch of the federal government, and to an extent, they are completely right.  The difference is that except for PBS, NPR etc... (god bless 'em) the media has to sell something in order to make $$$$, which is immediately going to affect the quality of the information that is supplied to us.  That's just the way it is.  Final points:
The mass media does this with everything, not just coasters.  Its not a liberal issue, its not a conservative issue, its a monetary issue.  We all agree that coasters are safe, so why alienate anyone from your side of the argument by saying something negative about a certain political ideology?  It just doesn't make sense to me. 

I'm not bashing liberalism, I'm bashing the media.  Wether you are a liberal or a conservative, you really can only speculate their motivations on what stories they report.  To you, Mr. Raven, they are doing it for money, which is fine.  From what I can see there are trends that point at them pushing certain agendas.  Only those who are waaaaaaaaay on the inside know for sure what's going on.  Kinda sounds like the amusement industry, eh?
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Is it the roar of Kumba or the kumba of Roar? Discuss!
ravenguy98 wrote:

The mass media does this with everything, not just coasters. Its not a liberal issue, its not a conservative issue, its a monetary issue.

I agree completely. I was talking about this over the weekend with some ultra-conservative friends who were talking about how sick they were of the "liberal media" trying to "dig up a story on Enron". I replied "You mean the same liberal media that dug up a story on sex in the White House during the LAST presidency?"

They had no answer to that ;)


Media looks for hype. Roller coasters continue to be an unfortunate target. It sucks, but that's how it works.


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--Greg
"The questions ticket agents ask at airports are useless, but give an illusion of security to the GP. Much like seatbelts on roller coasters...
My page

No, that was Matt Drudge ;)
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Is it the roar of Kumba or the kumba of Roar? Discuss!
Ok I'm gonna contradict my statement and mention what I'm reading in the Ann Arbor News front page right now.

First, title of report is Report: Roller Coaster riders risk brain injury.  Lol in the first paragraph it says "...recently published article in a medical journal that warns emergency room physicians to be on the lookout for injured patients who might have recently visted an amusement park."  It says injury rates increased 95% from 1996-1999.  Boy that's just great info right there.

Here's the worst part IMO, and you can say if I'm right.  It says one of the cases was a 77-year-old man who suffered nausea, vomiting, and headaches after a ride, and died 13 days later.  That definatly fits into the catagory of knowing if your body age and conditions can handle rides.

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"Well I heard that guys with long signatures are just trying to make up for a shortage in their pants..."

Raven: Sorry. I thought you were implying that we shouldnt be discussing politcal things *here* on coasterbuzz. That's what my quoted comment was attempting to address.

Now, it is a liberal or conservative issue? That's up for debate. But historically, conservatives tend to advocate private sector solutions whereas liberals go for govenmental influence. Where does this issue (or non-issue as it were) fall?

Two: PBS is just as influenced by money as private stations. I doubt very seriously the "Carnegie Corporation of New York" would consistantly fund programming that was unacceptable to them.

Oh and Greg, the sex stuff wasnt an issue worthy of TV until the "big bad Conservative attack dog" Ken Starr brought it up :)
jeremy
--I can do this all night ;)


GregLeg said:
"You mean the same liberal media that dug up a story on sex in the White House during the LAST presidency?"

I can guarantee you that if there was a conservative in the White House that they would have been pulling for him to be impeached. Many of them still claimed that Clinton should stay in office because of all the good he had done. If you are that far under the microscope of the media, you think he wouldn't have been that moronic to make a mockery of the Presidencial status by his actions.

There were very few people in the media that wanted him to be impeached, one of which was David Brinkley. He didn't conform to his liberal colleagues.

With that aside, I think that it's pathetic how the facts in these reports are skewed. I've also thought of the many times how my local paper gets the facts completely wrong over coaster stories, and then I think to myself all the other stuff they mis-report.


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Sept. 11th 2001, Slayer released God Hates Us All. The song "Disciple" uncannily describes the events of that day, as well as the antrax letters that followed.
--Slayer: Thrash band, or the next Nostradamus?

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

Let us be at least a *little* practical here and live in reality. President *should* have stayed in Office because he *was* doing good things for the country. And if he wanted to get a little "lewinsky" that's between him and big Hil'.

But I do not believe that that act alone made a "mockery" of the office. And I'd be willing to be that over half of the voting aged Americans agree.
jeremy
--who just needs to shut the hell up now (que?)

when designing new coasters, architects concentrate on safety first and foremost... records and stuff ALWAYS come second ...

...this crap is just that ... crapola!


supermandl said:
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.

Yes it is a big difference.  About 40,000 people were killed last year in automotive accidents.  One was killed in a roller coaster accident.  While I don't really think that it's a fair comparison for the coaster side, coasters actually have a lower fatality rate per passenger mile than automobiles.

Yeah but if you put those same cars on a track run them the same way as a coaster(per passenger mile) and I believe both will have the same death rates, its the human error that you have to put into effect with cars. I dont think its fair comparing per passenger mile with the two, one is a controlled situation(roller coasters) and the other has so many diffrent factors that can happen in that mile like deer or other animals or even cars coming at you or holes in the road or tires from another car and so on. Put a car on a test track and run the same miles at the same control factors as the coaster(mechanics checking the car and the track the car will run on every day) and the car will be just as safe.
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Army Rangers lead the way

*** This post was edited by supermandl on 2/5/2002. ***

Hey people wake up!!!!! Crossing the street is a risk. Playing Volleyball and spraining an ankle is possible but you just wear a brace, or tape it... BTW, jeff you know how to tape and ankle?
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It's conflict that shows who a person really is!

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