What would happen if you rode a roller coaster without a harness

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/05/31/what-would-happen-if-you-rode-a-roller-coaster-without-a-harness.html

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The real answer, “it depends,” wouldn’t make for a very monetizable YouTube video.

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A special force

is not the explanation that should make you more at ease.

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Don’t some coasters do negative-g? Good luck.

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A friend of mine ran away with the circus, well with the company that provides the carnival rides for county fairs and the like. He explained that the way he was trained to put a ride together was taught worker-to-worker. It wasn’t rocket science, but as he explained it those bolts and cotter pins weren’t all there, but the most important ones were- those that can be seen. To paraphrase, “I sure as 𐌅& ¢< wouldn’t get on those rides.”

Sure, I may survive, because of physics, if the restraint on a ride failed, but I might also not survive. My odds are likely better on a permanent ride at a major amusement park, but I still wouldn’t want to test it.

As far as things falling, this particular post seems to not have been constrained with any thought about what BoingBoing readers appreciate. " A special force" is something best associated with science fiction and is something I might say to my kids when explaining where Jedi come from. I love finding the clip, but it could have been a good jumping off point for noting another good video or to explain inertia or angular momentum, or something more … science-y, sciency, scienciy, science-eeeeeeee (how ever it is spelled).

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This was less than a year ago in North Carolina. The park’s initial response was “Thank you for bringing this to our attention, nice chatting.” He had to call the fire department and explain what he saw in order to get them to take it seriously. 'You need to shut this ride down:' Man speaks out after finding crack on Carowinds rollercoaster

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Would midichlorians help with your ease?

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Special force? These guys?
Us Army Sf GIF by California Army National Guard

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Stick to the old wooden coasters that depend on carefully calculated physics, operated by low-wage employees, to keep the cars on the track.

The dubiously likely outcome on a loop, but what about that corkscrew? And, when the coaster takes you over several humps a la Ghostrider, try not to hit your head on one of the many crossbeams. :roller_coaster:

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This.

Some coasters in the UK i’ve been forcibly kept in my seat by g-forces, others i’ve needed the restraints to keep me inside (I forget which one, but one UK coaster (Alton towers or Thorpe park probably) did this badly, I was too thin for the retraints to fit and bounced up and down a lot… Came out quite bruised at the end…

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