SICK OF MEDIA talking about roller coaster saftey

I don't know about you guys, but lately I have seen at least 5 newspaper articles that totally lie about roller coaster saftey. They use words like "probably" and "possibly" when they can't find proof for what they are trying to say. We need to get the truth out there because it is starting to get out of hand. These people don't know the first thing about roller coasters and suddenly they are experts on them. Got any ideas on how to get them to stop???

The media lately has been "blowing" accidents out of proportion. I'm also getting sick of it. The media makes a big deal with an accident at at park and doesn't make a big deal with a drive-by-shooting. I'm really sick of it.

With SFEG's latest "accident," the title of the accident: "Children stuck in Elitch's Observation Tower." First of all, there were also 6 adults stuck in the tower with the 6 children. "They" have to mention children first to make the accident sound sad. "They" could of called it, "12 people stuck in Observation Tower Elevator."

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"Duff Man Says... Ohhhhh Yaaaaa!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Millennium Force 3)Medusa (SFMW) 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)

why all the quotations?

they meaning park managers/management

quotations for the title of the stories for the accident at SFEG

Accident in quotations because no one was hurt

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"Duff Man Says... Ohhhhh Yaaaaa!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Millennium Force 3)Medusa (SFMW) 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)

The IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) has a report that says "roller coasters are safer than trampolines, using golf equipment, and riding on a bike. Also, over one million kids are rushed to hospitals for sports-related injuries". Maybe we should ban trampolines, golfing, bike riding, and all other sports.

"The likelihood while riding a roller coaster of being injured seriously enough to require hospitalization is one in 22 million. And the chance of being fataly injured is one in one and a half billion" !!!!!!!!!!!!!

coasteraddict -
Good point. At my hockey game last week, a kid broke his arm in a 90 degree angle. He needs surgery to help repair it.

It's a fact. Roller Coasters are safer then any sport.

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"Duff Man Says... Ohhhhh Yaaaaa!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Millennium Force 3)Medusa (SFMW) 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)

In one article that I read today it said this about roller coasters:

"The number of deaths on roller coasters are small- .061 deaths per 100 million passenger miles - but that is a much higher rate than on airplanes and trains. Moreover, safety officials say problems are increasing on theme park rides. Four deaths occurred at amusement park rides in one week of Augusts 1999, according to Markey."

(notice how they compare deaths in miles, how can you do that?)

Ed Markey needs to learn the facts, this guy should get educated on roller coaster safety before he starts trying to change the whole system.

coasteraddict said:
"(notice how they compare deaths in miles, how can you do that?)"

All statistics lie and all liars use statistics...
(signature says it all)
jeremy
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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01

The article that is sitting in front of me is basically saying that the Amusement Park Industry is racing to make the biggest and best roller coaster, and that they don't care what happens to people when they ride the roller coaster.

Just because the rides are getting bigger doesn't mean they are unsafe. I bet a lot of the engineers are ticked off at the media too because their job is to check everthing out before a single thing is built to make certian that the ride will be safe.

I remember this past summer when a couple parts of a roller coaster that was being built fell off and the media was all over it saying " just how safe are these thrill rides?". Well if they are just putting up the supports and a huge wind storm comes, what do you think will happen!?!?!?!!!

Anybody else have some good Examples? I think I will print this out, take everything that I know is a fact, and send this to the newspaper etc. otherwise it is pointless to mumble about it. So any input would help!!!

OOOOH Here's a good one:

-Separately, a Los Angeles coroner ruled last month that a ride on a Six Flags California roller coaster " Probably was a factor" in the death of a 28-year-old woman who had a brain aneurysm - a finding that has prompted much discussion in the theme park industry.

(How can a coroner saying "probably" be considered a "finding")

YES!!!!!!!! I can't stand it anymore!

Anybody wanna help out? Any good stories?

They should make a Discovery Channel Show on this! "Are coasters safe?" It should be a debate or something, and ACE members and some of you dudes and dudets from Coasterbuzz should defend coasters. That would be sick.

And yes, I'm sick of it. Every time I hear anything that remotely resembles "Markey", I scowl. Your signature's got a point 2Hostyl!

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What would life be without roller coasters? A big ball of poo!!!

Good idea, but how could we get on t.v.?

I want to at least get into the newspaper with this stuff, we should all try before they get ride of these "terrible and unsafe thrill rides".

Would you really want a program that explored themepark safety, particularly if they interviewed accident victims, or relatives of non-survivors? I didn't think so.

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Batwing-Bow Down

IAAPA's website has some very good statistics on theme park safety.

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.:| Brandon Rodriguez |:.
http://www.coasters2k.com

I feel horrible every time I hear about someone getting injured or dying at an amusement park. The families of the victims must go through even more hell because these things happened at amusement parks, somewhere where accidents are not extremely common.

But when people in the media go around like these accidents are a common occurence, we get people like Markey going on pathetic crusades to 'bring change' to an industry that has a nearly unmatched safety record. It's not as if the parks and ride designers have no regard for people's safety.

I personally couldn't see the industry getting any safer than it already is. Most accidents are caused by human error, not mechanical. In the amusement industry, where there are tens of thousands of people each day getting onto rides (which are basically giant machines), there will always be room for error. The truth of the matter is, for every one person that gets hurt on a ride, there are thousands, if not millions of people who don't get hurt. Accidents are just that, accidents, and while they should be prevented with the best of care, there will never be a way to completely get rid of them.
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If bees make honey, then do earwigs make chutney?

Riding a coaster is probably the safest thing you can do other than just sitting in an empty room. The CBS News report tonight on park safety kind of contradicted itself. They showed mainly MF and a voiceover that said "..this summer the amusement industry is scrambling this summer." in regards to the accidents. Then they showed when Titan was stopped on the lift for safety reasons. Makes me kind of sick truthfully. The second half then talked about not the coaster accidents, but two childen injured. One on a kids ride and another kid for sticking his foot out on the brake run on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
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Assistant Webmaster
Kennywood Park Unlimited
www.kpunlimited.com

With the accident on BTMR that was part of human error and safety error (the ride doesn't have seat belts).

With Titan, the ride shut down with the problem (which I forgot). It is a new safety system on the ride.

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"Duff Man Says... Ohhhhh Yaaaaa!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Millennium Force 3)Medusa (SFMW) 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)