Effectiveness of the Intamin "Slack" rule?!?

I don't have a source on hand but I remember it very clearly from around the time of the accident. It was from one of the news videos that a local crew had done with the mother.

It was in all the news reports and the investigation. The guy rode the ride many times before, he had a season pass.

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rollergator said:
What I find *most disturbing*:

1) Test seats should serve as "a true test of rideability" and should be stationed outside ANY ride where you're likely to be rejected for being unable to ride. Save people from waiting an hour or two, or even more, only to have them walk away without riding. That has GOT to leave a sour taste, and WILL eventually lose a considerable amount of business...

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A buddy of mine said she could fit on Wicked Twister's test seat with no problems but could NOT fit on the ride itself. She could fit on Dragster LAST year but not this year (even though she has lost a considerable amount of weight this year). She cannot fit on MF but can fit on Xcelerator with NO problems.

Another friend of mine said he could NOT fit on SFOS (New England) test seat but COULD on the ride (he obviously chanced it).

Interesting.

I think anyone who has a concern about whether they will fit on ANY coaster should use the test seat, but it's obvious some of these seats are not equal to the actual seats. That's something the parks/manufactures should look into.

-Tina

*** Edited 6/17/2005 4:13:17 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I think that the belts are certainly overkill, particularly since I don't think there has been a single injury due to restraint failure.

The idea is to keep obese people off the ride so ride ops don't have the chance to make the same mistake they did at S:RoS. Is it excessive? You bet.

But I do have to say, I have never once seen someone of a healthy weight - who could ride before the change - forced to sit out MF or Dragster due to unfortunate proportions. I've only seen obese people taken off. Excessive but justifiable; their rides, their reputation, and they'd rather upset some individuals than be ruined by a series of lawsuits due to their rides. *** Edited 6/17/2005 5:20:08 PM UTC by _ian***

Could the slack rule possibly be to ensure the belt is fastened correctly? Say the person fastening the belt is able to fasten and then pull slack, they have just tested the seat belt with the slack pull. If you don't have slack to pull, you cannot ensure that it is buckled correctly.

Just a guess at the rule.

I have a guess on the slack rule. Maybe if you can maintain a bit of slack once fastened, you won't put all the pressure on the belts that stretch them over time. If you pull out all the slack and keep pulling, over time the belts get longer and allow larger and larger people to ride.

I think that is probably it RavenTTD... but it doesn't completely answer my original query.

Let me clarify, my post was asking how simple "slack" is making the ride any safer. We know the "size gauge" argument is faulty because of different body sizes, so Intamin probably wouldn't be using that as a reasoning (although they don't seem to exhibit much common sense in the restraint department).

My experience with the Intamin seatbelts, is that even while they are locked, the belt can be pulled with very little force to a longer length. Point being, if a large person were to suck in to get the 1" slack, then relax outside of the station, the belt (which has now stretched back to its fully tightened length, no more 1") is doing the same thing that it would be doing WITHOUT the slack. How is this adding to safety?

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RollrCoastrCrazy said:
My experience with the Intamin seatbelts, is that even while they are locked, the belt can be pulled with very little force to a longer length. Point being, if a large person were to suck in to get the 1" slack, then relax outside of the station, the belt (which has now stretched back to its fully tightened length, no more 1") is doing the same thing that it would be doing WITHOUT the slack. How is this adding to safety?

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If there weren't any slack rule, then the exact same thing would happen with precisely 1" less seatbelt. Rather than sucking in to get 1" of slack, then they'd be sucking in just to snap the belt in. If you can suck in enough to get 1" of slack, I guarantee you can get the belt snapped in without all that much effort, while sucking in to get the belt on means the belt will get stretched.

That said, I can't imagine "sucking in" really does that much good for most people, since the thighs tend to make more of a difference than the gut.

You are making it sound lik the seat belts can be pulled out on the ride once clicked. Look at the Morgan trains. Once locked, the seat belt can not be extended anymore. This makes it so the seat belt can only retract but not extend. The rule is absurd. I will be making a trip up there next year. I feel that my family and I do not need to worry about the slack rule because we are all fit and healthy. I am 15 and swim 5 hours a day. For those of you that can't ride due to the slack rule, I feel sorry for you but is eating McDonalds everyday really that great. Its not hard to get off this site constantly and EXERCISE. My dad sits at a desk all day but he comes home and runs every day. He is 56. Some of the people on this site are a lot younger and they should not be overweigt. I mean getting turned away on a roller coaster because you are too fat for it has to be so embarressing. Isn't that enough motivation for you all to get up and exercise and no exercise does not count as going to a Six flags park once a week.

Yes. Everyone who can't ride the rides are fat, lazy slobs who eat at McDonalds every day.

He's obviously exagerrating, but I understand his vitriol, considering how often we have to deal with people complaining when their lifestyle directly contributes to their own problems. It takes a lot of effort for me to not snap back at people who blame everything but themselves for their weight, particularly since I've been there and changed myself for the better. Some of the posts here are ridiculous. *** Edited 6/17/2005 11:53:44 PM UTC by _ian***

Ok, I am 6 feet, 220 pounds, 37 inch waist, and yesterday I could pull 2 inches of slack on both TTD, and Millie. I rode multiple trains in multiple seats on both. I think we are making a big deal out of nothing. I saw nobody turned away because of size all day yesterday.

Actually cofan101, even though the belts are technically designed to not move much once clicked, they do. It is extremely easy actually, test it next time you are on one of the rides. *** Edited 6/18/2005 5:36:04 AM UTC by RollrCoastrCrazy***

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cofan101 said:
For those of you that can't ride due to the slack rule, I feel sorry for you but is eating McDonalds everyday really that great

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I have issues every now and then on coasters, but I'm not overweight by any stretch. If you ask anyone I know they'll tell you I'm not fat....I'm just a big guy, 6"2', 260 pounds, and nothing on my body is out of proportion

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_ian said:
He's obviously exagerrating, but I understand his vitriol, considering how often we have to deal with people complaining when their lifestyle directly contributes to their own problems. It takes a lot of effort for me to not snap back at people who blame everything but themselves for their weight, particularly since I've been there and changed myself for the better.

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Ok so my medical side effects have me eating at McDonald's everyday? I can't help mine. I am running around everyday after my 4 year old. And actually cofan, getting out to a park once a week is a great thing. You are WALKING. That is called cardio. As a swimmer you should know that.

I go out and make sure I am walking at least a mile every other day. Sorry but don't blame all bigger people and ASSUME they eat at Mcdonald's everyday. That assumption is just wrong. I hate the place, I refuse to eat there.

Katie *** Edited 6/20/2005 11:22:32 AM UTC by CoastinKatie***

Gotta love that steak/egg/cheese bagel though. The rest of their food is pretty nasty. :-P

-Tina

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CoastinKatie said:
Sorry but don't blame all bigger people and ASSUME they eat at Mcdonald's everyday. That assumption is just wrong. I hate the place, I refuse to eat there.

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I didn't say that, and I didn't call you out because I didn't think it was necessary. I don't know what your medical condition is, aside from asthma, and you seem to be uncomfortable elaborating, so I won't ask. That said, medical conditions that directly contribute to obesity are quite rare (fractions of a percent of the population) so you're in the minority.