DIY Network

Safety Tips for Coaster Riders

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Scripps Howard News Service (July, 2002)

Thrill ride safety tips:

• Read posted rules carefully. Follow all height/age restrictions and verbal instructions issued by ride operators.

• Keep all body parts (hands, arms, legs, long hair, etc.) inside ride at all times.

• Always use the safety equipment provided (seat belt, shoulder harness, lap bar, chain, etc.).

• Hold onto handrails.

• Remain in the ride until it comes to a final stop at the unloading point. If a ride stops temporarily, stay seated and wait for the ride to start again or for an operator to give you further instructions.

• Stop riding before you get excessively tired.

• Never ride while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• Don't board a ride if you see obviously broken parts, signs of poor maintenance or an inattentive operator.

Health conditions can limit ride choices. The following health conditions should make amusement-park goers think twice about taking any ride, from a hyper-coaster to the bumper cars to the Tilt-A-Whirl, that has the potential to whip the head or body forward, backward or sideways, said Dr. Cliff Gronseth, a spine and neck expert with University of Colorado Hospital.

1. Heart conditions: Anybody with any type of heart condition, from high blood pressure to heart arrythmia to vascular disease (clogged arteries, stroke, heart attack), should avoid these rides.

   Neck injuries: The neck is too weak relative to the head to withstand many rides.

2. Vertigo: Anybody with vertigo (dizziness) should avoid these rides, which can aggravate their condition.

3. Spine injury, back pain, neck pain.

4. Pregnant women.