Ride Ops Checking Restraints

I have noticed two different ways ride ops check restraints: either trying to pull it up, or pushing it down.

To the best of my memory, the ride ops at Kennywood always pulled up on the lap bars and restraints. That way they are sure the restraints will not open. But at SFA, the ops seem to only push on them. I have seen them make riders uncomfortable because they pushed too hard and made it too tight.

In my opinion the ride ops should not be pushing on the restraints. Obviously, if the restraint is way too loose, then they should tighten it. But the ops at SFA seem to push down as hard as they can on them, just to make it one notch tighter. It is one thing to be secure in your seat, but another to be uncomfortable during the ride.

Is it really necessary to push down really hard on the restraints? What is the proper way to check them? What is everyone else's experience with this?

At sfgam, they pull up on the restraint.

I've been stapled to too many rides to let those kind of people get away with that. It hurts! I complain. One thing, I'm afraid that having a tight restraint means that IF it fails, then I'm putting all kinds of crazy stupid pressure against the thing, it's going to fly open easier, I hate being pushed up against restraints. I don't even like to touch them. I think most the people, and especially the GP, feels like they're safer if they are "in tighter". If a person has it dangerously high, it can probally be obvious or noticable to the ops, or at least I'd think. *** This post was edited by p_c_r on 6/18/2001. ***

At SFStL, on Mr. Freeze, the ride ops just kind-of gently tap on the restraints, so they BARELY check them. After they tap the OTSR, they just touch the back of the back headrest. Kind-of dangerous knowing they don't really check them good...

At SFGAm they barley do anything. I swear i have noticed this 100 times. They fly by you, and they just touch it and it doesn't even move, or they pull on the saftey strap a little bit. I don't really care though. I can do it myself.

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Neil, "Boy Genius, Hope of Mankind"
http://kmlaser81.tripod.com/RockinCoasterSite/

I work at Hersheypark:

We pull up on... Wildcat, Wildmouse, Lightning Racer, Comet, Sooperdooperlooper, Trailblazer and anything else with a lap bar.

We push down on... Great Bear, Sidewinder, some kiddie rides, and anything other than seatbelt/lapbar.

Just be glad, when I was in Sweden, the ride operators did not even check the restraints on many of the roller coasters (only those with OTSR).

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Six Flags Magic Mountain Unofficial Guide

It all depends on whos working the ride... not the park itself...

Alan Jacyszyn
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SFDLnet: The Ultimate Darien Lake Guide
http://sfdl.coasterbuzz.com - NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN!

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sfgamfreak said:
"At sfgam, they pull up on the restraint."

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I think it depends on the ride op, becasue SFGAm is my home park and sometimes they pull, sometimes they push. sometimes they do both.

On Raging Bull specifically, there is a little red line where the lapbar connects to the train. If the line is visible, it means that the restraint is too loose, or not closed. I know this because I always leave my lapbar as loose as safely possible (for airtime), and one time they busted me for it. So now I lean forward and close it until you can barely see the line.