Posted
CoasterBuzz member and resident student of ride safety and engineering (though he'd deny any such attributes) Dave Althoff, Jr. has posted a commentary on inspecting rides yourself. He says that the "moral of the story" is to look for things that aren't right, even with an untrained eye, before boarding a ride.
Read the editorial on Dave's Web site.
Also on Dave's site is an excellent article on the blocking systems on roller coasters that prevent trains from colliding. If you've ever asked, "Why don't they just add another train?" this article is for you.
Read the blocking article here.