Seat belts on Millennium Force...

I think if parks put them on thier B&M hyper coasters, it would be a good idea. I also think it would be smart if there was a mechanism that didn't let you put down the restraint until your seatbelt was fastened.

Can arrow coasters restraint opener (the pedal for each car) only open up in the station?. I am jus wondering because what would happen if somthing fell on the pedal to make it open? Thanks! :)

On Corkscrew, the operator has to apply a fair amount of force to kick the pedal to open the restraints, then has to apply a fair amount of force to pull the pedal back up to close them again. The pedal can be operated at any time by anyone who is in a position to do so. On Iron Dragon, which has a similar restraint design to Corkscrew, there is a return spring on the restraint release which holds the system "locked" whenever someone is not actively standing on the pedal or the mechanism in the station is not actively pushing the restraint release open. This is similar to the conventional setups found on Wildcat, Gemini, Jr. Gemini, Magnum, and Woodstock.

Corkscrew and Mine Ride are kind of interesting in that their restraints are "bi-stable" in that on these rides, the restraints can be left in the "unlocked" position. On Corkscrew, if the pedal is down, the shoulder bars can be moved more or less freely; when the pedal is up, the bars can only be pulled down. On Mine Ride, when the lap bars reach a full-open position, they lock there until the operator pushes the pedal to let them come down.

Personally, I think if the restraints on Corkscrew came open mid-ride, one of two things happened: either a linkage on the restraint mechanism came apart and the bars could not be locked at all, or the pedal got missed both by the attendant and by the pedal count sensor at the downtrack end of the station.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

You are Right Ride Man,People don't understand that magnum,gemini and a few others did not have them when thay first opened,there had to be a malfunction some where and now it is standard protocol at that park for them to have seat belts on all of the rides!!!!!!!

Actually, I think they put seat belts on all the rides because of a particular interpretation of ASTM F 2291-09b:6.4.3.8, which lists the *design* requirements for Class 5 ride restraints. Basically if there is any forward or upward acceleration applied to the body, the ride will land in Class 5, which requires two restraints (i.e. lap bar and seat belt) one of which must be individually adjustable and locking. Never mind that the requirements set forth in F 2291-09b:6.4.3 are, as stated clearly in F 2291-09a:6.4.4.1, *design guidelines only* and should not be applied to as-built rides.

I'm not aware of any incidents on Gemini, Woodstock, Jr. Gemini, Wildcat, or Mantis:TCFKAB which would have led to the installation of safety belts. Magnum had them from the beginning, and there have been incidents on both Mine Ride and Corkscrew that may have played a role, although I think the incident on Mine Ride merely resulted in a subtle change to the height requirement (the striking of the words, "or accompanied by an adult").

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Rideman, are you sure Magnum had them from the begining? I watch a video on when it first opened & there were no seatbelts on it! The riders just pulled down there lapbars.

I could be mistaken. But they were there when I took my first ride in 1990.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I'm pretty sure the Magnum did not have them cause i rode it in like 89 when it first opened and i don't remember them at all,all i remember is the lap bar.
All I can think is now that cause of all of the accidents that have happened in ALL Parks i think thay have changed the laws to protect the people and the parks as well,But i could be wrong.

Magnum not only was without the seatbelts when it first opened, but did not have any padding, whatsoever on the lap bar or the seat or seat backs. I just remember sliding all over and thinking of how much fun it was. I liked the lap bar getting padded after I was there for 2 days in a row and my thighs were pretty sore from riding it the first day.

Magnum DEF had belts when I tried to ride in 1991. It was because I was too big to get the belt fastened that I couldn't ride and didn't go back to CP until 2007.

I've also noticed in my 4 visits so far this year that not all belts on Maggie are the same length. I sat in one seat and had slack. Got off, went around to get back in line. Tried to get in the last seat of one of the cars and couldn't get the belt fastened at all! That seems stupid to me. Anyone have a theory on that one?