Theme parks can be found worldwide, attracting millions of visitors, by allowing them to experience a multitude of exciting and thrilling attractions. Guests are often drawn to the size and scale
of the parks flagship rides, roller coasters. But from first impressions, these huge structures
of wood and steel have an intimidating and dangerous appearance. The perception that theme park rides are unsafe,
and somewhat perilous, has been highly exploited by the media over the recent years. Various news articles exaggerate circumstances
to make routine operations seem like terrifying events. This form of scaremongering, for the attention
of the public, has led to many questioning the safety of roller coasters, and theme parks in general. In this video, we’ll explore what’s really
happening during the events seen in the news, as well as recognise the multitude of protective
measures in place to keep guests safe. One of the most common concerns of roller
coaster safety occurs when a ride has broken down. To the uninformed, a roller coaster temporarily
closing to the public could seem like a huge issue. This is however far from the truth. Roller coasters that have temporarily ceased
operation, often referred to as ride stoppages, are widely seen in the media. Ride stoppages occur regularly at a functional
and safe theme park for a large number of reasons: In adverse weather conditions roller coasters may cease operation. Aside from giving an uncomfortable experience;
heavy rain, lightning storms, and other extreme weather types may cause a ride to stop until conditions have improved. Throughout the tight twists
and turns of a roller coaster, some riders might become ill. If they do so, the ride operator may stop
the ride so the guest can be attended too. The attraction can also temporarily close
so that part of the ride area can be cleaned as a result of unwell guests. Cameras and Mobile Phones: Unless you have
the correct permission, it is unsafe to attempt to record the ride experience while on a roller coaster. As a result, some parks may temporarily stop
the ride so the recording device can be retrieved. Loose items can often fall
from the pockets of riders. This can be dangerous as these items can collide
with people on, or around the ride. If the item needs to be retrieved, the attraction
must be stopped, allowing for a member of staff to safely enter the ride area and collect the lost property. To reduce this happening, loose items should
be stored in the designated ride baggage zones. To ensure a smooth and
safe ride experience, roller coasters are equipped with hundreds of sensors. These sensors monitor all aspects of the ride,
from ensuring the attraction is operating correctly, to locating the position of the
trains. Sometimes, sensors can be overly sensitive. This can cause the computer system to stop
the ride, as it detects there may be an issue. These problems are quickly rectified by the
operators of the ride, who follow predetermined procedures to analyse and fix the issue. Once the attraction is operating again, several
empty trains are sent around the circuit, before guests can board. The most unlikely, and extremely
rare reason for a ride stoppage is a mechanical fault. If a mechanical fault of some degree does occur, the computer system will shut the ride down, protecting all those on board. On top of these reasons for why a ride stoppage
can occur, at any point in time, the operators of the attraction can force the ride to stop. If staff believe that certain guests on, or
around the attraction are at risk, they will temporarily close the roller coaster. If a ride stoppage does occur, there are two
main solutions. The first involves solving the issue and restarting
the roller coaster. This means that guests can complete the remainder
of the ride layout, and return, as normal, to the station. While the second solution involves removing
guests from the attraction. This method, referred to as a ride evacuation, results in the hosts of the roller coaster manually releasing the guests from the trains of the ride. They are safely escorted out of the ride area
by members of staff. Fortunately, due to the way in which roller
coasters are designed, the trains of the ride commonly come to a stop in two key locations, both of which feature specific methods to bring guests to a stop. The first location, the ride's lift hill,
features an anti-rollback system, which prevents the train from moving back towards the base of the hill. Instead, the train of the ride will remain
stationary if the chain fails to move forwards. The second stopping location can be found
along the brake run of the roller coaster. Throughout the ride's layout, various brakes
cause the trains to slow down, and stop, if necessary. These brakes are engaged by default, meaning
they function regardless of any ride system issue. Located beside these two common stopping points
are catwalks, small platforms that allow riders to walk harmlessly out of the ride area. Catwalks, as well as the regularly trained
ride hosts, make evacuations a painless, yet crucial part of a safely operating roller
coaster. A secondary concern of those riding roller
coasters can often be the restraint, located on the seats of the trains. Riders can feel insecure when they pull the
restraint into position, as it may be loose. The ride vehicles have been designed to accommodate
all guests above the height restriction. Therefore, if you are tall enough to ride
the attraction, and can close the restraint comfortably, you will be safely held within the ride. On top of this, seat restraints feature a
multitude of additional and redundant safety features. A clear example of this is the seatbelt often
attached to the over the shoulder restraints, found on some rides. The seatbelt is an extra security measure
and not crucial to rider safety. As a result, a seat belt coming undone throughout
the experience poses no threat to riders. Similar to all other aspects of roller coasters,
the restraints also feature sensors, which feed information back to the ride computer
system. The computer system itself is extremely extensive, as it ensures the ride is functioning correctly at all times. The systems consistently and accurately monitors
the progress of the trains around the ride circuit, as well as the statistics of the
entire coaster itself. Through the hundreds of sensors scattered
around the attraction, the computer system can determine the location of every train on the track. This information is crucial due to the way
in which roller coasters operate. The track layout of a roller coaster is split
up into various sections, known effectively as block sections. The computer system allows for only a single
train to exist in each block section at any point in time. As a result, a new train cannot enter a specific
segment of track until it is empty. Areas of brakes can be found before and after
each block section, allowing for the progress of a train to be paused until the track in front is clear. This system, which in principle is very similar
to those found on commuter railway networks, removes the possibility of two different trains
interacting. On top of these highly advanced computer systems,
which monitor every aspect of the ride in real time, roller coasters and theme park
attractions are inspected daily. Alton Towers, one of the UK’s leading Theme
Parks, state: “It takes 8 man-hours to get one of our big coasters ready for opening every morning”. During this time, the track and trains are
inspected, the systems are tested, and the cars complete several circuits of the layout. Only after the entire inspection has been
completed can guests begin to board the ride. Larger scale maintenance work is completed
on all theme park attractions during out of season months. At this point in time, the trains of the ride
are disassembled and reassembled, the track is finely inspected, and the roller coaster is often certified as safe to operate by an external inspection body. Right now, there are thousands of people riding
roller coasters around the globe. Over the course of a year, hundreds of millions
of people visit theme parks, and enjoy the diverse variety of attractions they have to
offer. As a result theme parks and amusement parks have become one of the safest and most popular forms of recreational activities. With new parks appearing around the world,
and existing ones gaining new and more exciting attractions, the enjoyment of roller coasters
and other rides will only increase in the future. The point to remember, is that the world of
theme parks revolves constantly around the satisfaction and well being of its guests. Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you
all next time.
What a lad
Very informative and interesting video but he forgot one major aspect of coaster safety: ride ops. While not part of the coaster itself they do control it and if they fail (see The Smiler) people can get terribly injured. More often than not in our world accidents involving machines are caused by human error, not the machines themselves.
However it's clear he is more concerned with easing fears than sharing all the facts. These rides can be and are engineered with all the safety features we can come up with but the human element will always be a factor in some way. And that's the real danger of roller coasters, and all of the things in which we entrust our lives.
Edit: To expand on this a bit; ride ops play a big role in how safe we feel as guests in addition to how safe we actually are. By that i mean how they conduct themselves in front of guests. For example i feel a lot more safe at HersheyPark than I do at SFoG because their professionalism (or lack thereof) is obvious.
I wish he would have talked more about height restrictions and how they play a major role in the safety of guests--that they are not just some arbitrary number parks select.
Or how manufacturers revise their safety requirements year after year to maintain a high level of safety for riders.
I like the video editing in this, Clearly a lot of times spent on this. :D
As for seatbelts, I think it is necessary. Remember new texas giant?
I know. More of just an illusion of safety, but I still think it is calming.
I was waiting for this to come up.
Another great video Coaster Bot. Well done.
Great video once again with an unusually high production quality/value, thumbs up from me!