New ‘Scream Machines’ Spur Cries of Concern
Roller coasters that drop, twist and turn riders at heights and speeds that were unimaginable just a few years ago are coming under closer scrutiny amid an increase in amusement park injuries.
Some lawmakers and doctors are asking whether the human body is built to withstand what today’s scream machines dish out.
“Technology and ride design are outstripping our understanding of the health effects of high G-forces on child and adult riders,” said Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.). “How much force is too much force?”
America’s theme parks are expected to draw more than 500 million visitors this year. Competition is driving a roller coaster arms race of sorts--parks want rides that can claim to be the highest, the fastest, the steepest, the scariest.
“Anything that gets a little more scream,” said Richard McClary, a former federal safety inspector and now a consultant to amusement park operators. “I think the threshold is going to be with the human: How much you can protect the neck and head, the arms and legs?”
Six people died on amusement park and carnival rides in the United States last year, which is close to the average over the last 25 years of five deaths a year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
But the commission estimates that 9,200 people were treated for ride-related injuries in 1998--a 24% increase over four years.
Democrats in Congress have proposed legislation that would allow the government to regulate rides at the nation’s biggest theme parks.
Regulation of amusement park rides is left to the states, but more than a dozen have no inspection programs. Only two states--Florida and Ohio--have full-time inspectors. And Florida allows the very biggest parks to police themselves. Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Universal say their rides are too sophisticated for state inspectors.
Markey noted that there are at least 16 cases cited in medical studies of brain damage associated with riding roller coasters. In January, the journal Neurology reported that Japanese doctors found a woman developed blood clots after riding a roller coaster.
Theme park industry executives counter that the studies were too limited to form any conclusions.
The odds of being seriously injured on a ride are 1 in 25 million, according to the International Assn. of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
The industry says the death toll is small compared with the number of people who go to theme parks and fairs. They also say that most accidents can be blamed on riders horsing around and breaking the rules by doing such things as standing up or trying to get off too early.
Richard Brown, a California engineer and consultant who tests roller coasters, said technology has made rides smoother and safer.
“They used to be designed with slide rules and calculators,” he said. “Now they’re actually built and evaluated in computers. Before they even touch a piece of wood or steel, they know what the ride is going to do.”
More than 100 coasters built in the last two years will be rolling this summer. Designers are using computers to apply technology developed by the space program and to push the limits of roller coasters.
Topping them all this year will be Cedar Point’s Millennium Force in Sandusky, overlooking Lake Erie. The roller coaster’s first hill towers 310 feet, or five feet higher than the Statue of Liberty. It is the first coaster to break the 300-foot barrier and reach speeds of 92 mph.
“This may be one where people have to work up the courage to ride it,” said park spokeswoman Janice Lifke, “and that’s fine.”
Elsewhere, Six Flags theme parks across the world are opening 21 coasters this year. About $40 million will be spent on four new coasters at Six Flags Ohio near Cleveland.
Paramount’s King Island outside Cincinnati is debuting Son of Beast--the tallest, fastest wooden roller coaster. It is also the only looping wooden coaster in America.
Even Walt Disney World, with its traditionally tame rides, has joined in the coaster wars with the Rock’n’Roller Coaster at Disney MGM Studios. The ride launches riders from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds and spins upside down three times.
“When it comes to roller coasters, bigger, taller, faster are words people like to hear,” said Robert Coker, creator of ThrillRide.com, an Internet site for roller coaster addicts.
On the Net:
Consumer Product Safety Commission: https://www.cpsc.gov
Consumer’s Guide to Safe Thrills: https://www.saferparks.org
World of Coasters: https://www.rollercoaster.com
