safety of dragster? are you concerned?

i was reading some posts about the new breakdown of kingda ka and it got me a little worried about the safety of these two rides. before you get all overexcited, i know CP is probably the safest park on the planet, so i'll still ride it in August when i go up there. but, it seems like Ka is broken down now because of a cell phone that someone lost.

regardless of how much CP does to ensure our safety on the ride, bad things could still happen. (like getting hit in the head with a bird that flies by or the brake fins not raising and the train rolling back.) how many of you worry about the ride, even if its just a tiny bit? personally, i've never feared for my safety on a coaster before untik Ka started malfunctioning so much.

Everything is speculation right now. I am not worried. I wouldn't even have any quelms about riding KK again. Besides, you have more of a chance getting into a car accident on the way to or from the park than getting hurt on a ride at the park.

I've been to CP maybe 5 times total over the past few years and have not once been concerned that I wasn't safe. This goes for any ride I've been on or any building I went in. As you already mentioned, CP is one of, if not the, safest parks on the planet.

A bird flying in front of you is nothing CP, you, or any other park can control. The chances of that happening aren't very good anyway and honestly (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think its happened very often.

Granted, the cell phone thing could happen at CP, but I mean, what are the odds that another cell phone would land perfectly on the track in front of the sensor, again.

Besides, I would think CP management has heard about Kingda Ka's incident and has heeded warnings to Dragster's team about trying to find guests' loose objects. They obviously can't pat you down to check your pockets, but I'm sure they're aware and are triple checking everything now.

Am I concerned? When it comes down to my health and being injured doing anything, yes I am concerned. But I have confidence that CP, and a majority of other parks, take enough steps to ensure that their rides are the safest they can possibly be.

Now when it comes down to the traveling amusement rides, I will not ride them due to lack of confidence in their safety inspections.

like i said, i'm not scared to ride dragster either. but, when i started thinking about how powerful that ride is and what could potentially happen, it just made me wonder. i mean, even on MF, there isn't that much that could happen that would cause major injury. (if you make sure you're strapped in!) but, with the forces on dragster, the risks are higher. thats all. its really the first time i've even questioned safety from the ride standpoint and not the occupant. *** Edited 5/9/2006 5:12:55 PM UTC by halltd***

I know a little about amusement rides and I would bet (a lot) that the KK downtime was not caused by a phone. Worse case the phone would strike a prox switch and set off a false signal or strike someone in the head. I also know the launch system very well and if I was to bet I would say the launch/catch car went out the end of the trough at full power. This has happened before and had caused a lot of damage to the structure and the train. If this is true then the 6 ton launch car went out the end of the trough at around 125 MPH - DAAAA. I would say at a minimum - new cables - pull and return. Structure repair - catch car repair to itself and the brakes. Then debug and find out way the computer malfunctioned (again) we will see

I'm not saying I agree with the "Cell Phone Theory" but, you can't have sensors on every square inch of the ride.

I would think that there are many places that something could get lodged without tripping a sensor.

*** Edited 5/9/2006 7:54:28 PM UTC by Jason Hammond***

Exactly. From what I've gleaned off coaster buzz, they are wondering how something could fall into the ride (be it on the track, or down in the sled trough or whatever) and not block a sensor. That just doesn't make sense. It would be very easy for something to be in the track on just about any coaster and not obstructing a sensor.

It gets me a little worried, but when you think about it, this is the second time something really dangerous happened to Kingda Ka (luckily both times w/o riders) and nothing like that has EVER happened on Dragster with the exception of a cable fray which is nothing TOO major. But like I said, it's a little unerving, but I'm not gonna get too worked up over it. Cedar Fair takes great care of their rides, whereas Six Flags....thats another story! haha

Carpy said:
A bird flying in front of you is nothing CP, you, or any other park can control. The chances of that happening aren't very good anyway and honestly (someone correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think its happened very often.

On opening day in the evening a seagull intercepted with the second row of the Raptor train while it was in the vertical loop. The bird flew in, got caught by the moving train, lots of screams ensued, and eventually the bird found its way out and flew away. I'm sure the people in that row got a bit shook up, but can you imagine what the bird must have been thinking? :)

Animals that I have heard about or know about that have come in contact with amusement rides/coasters:

Seagulls

Geese

Raccoon

Various birds

Cat

And -----

Basketballs

Hats

Cameras

Phones

Wig

Coat

Shoe

Lighters

Teeth

Thats what I know and I'm not changing my story

Don't forget rocks.

I have never been and will never be afraid of going on Dragster.

The only thing making me scared on TTD is the anticipation of the launch....such a great feeling. I know i never feel scared because I think it's unsafe-I don't think I've ever even thought of saftey issues about the ride until now-thanks a lot, man;)

If I die on a coaster, at least I'll die happy.

I got over the antipation of launch by counting the seconds between the time the brakes go down to launch. It's about 5 seconds. *** Edited 5/10/2006 2:37:47 AM UTC by Keith 2005***

lol I've said that so many times to people who asked me the possbiblities of dying on Dragster.

First I tell them that they have a better chance at winning the lottey....but then tell them that I would at least die happy.:)

Haha. Am I worried?

Heck no. I've ridden Dragster many times without any problems.

I'm not fond of Kingda Ka.

Safety is NOT a concern at a Cedar Fair park.
*** Edited 5/10/2006 3:16:04 AM UTC by Jeffrey Spartan***

The chances of a object coming in contact of a sensor are just as good as a object coming up and whipping you in the face on a hill or turn of any other ride. CP trains their workers quite well when it comes to looking for loose articles. Sure they're will always be idoits, but the majority of guest follow the rules.

I'm never really concerned about my safety at CP. As long as my seatbelt is tight and my lapbar is down, I know I'll get back to the station just like the millions of others have done before me.

I dont get worried. If i die atleast i was doing something i love. LOL

If I had to pick a scenario, I am most concerned about the launch cable snapping and injuring riders and/or people on the midway. Remember the photos from the first cable snap? That thing was tangled all around the tower and I always wondered how that didn't hit someone.