Going to pin this as it seems to have come up a lot in the comments. Another way ratcheting restraints can come up slightly is by "slipping a ratchet". Meaning that the restraint was not fully clicked into the next ratchet and at some point on the ride it clicked up one into the next ratchet. This happens from time to time, if you want to avoid it just push down your restraint more before riding!
Pro-tip from an operater, (Diamondback at Kings Island) to avoid this "false click" make sure after you push your restraint down, that you push down and pull up. This will help you.
This is a giant fear of mine. I’m not scared of heights- i’m scared of not feeling secure and it’s something that my family finds hard to understand. This really helps with my anxiety, thank you
I'm afraid of falling from high places and not feeling secure while high up (so kind of like a fear of heights?) I think that's part of the reason why I usually don't like the feeling of being lifted out of my seat during certain rides. The idea of the restraints coming loose and suddenly opening is something that crosses my mind almost every time I go on a ride. This video at least makes me feel a little better.
No matter what anyone tells me, my full body weight pressing against the restraint will always make me think its gonna break open and send me plummeting towards the earth
One time while my father was riding one of the drop tower type rides (don’t remember where) the over the shoulder restraint got undone (my guess is he was too large, since he has a beer gut, so it might not have locked in completely) so it would’ve gone up, however, the seatbelt was clipped in so he just held it down with his arms and enjoyed the rest of the ride. Moral of the story: those tiny seatbelts are actually helpful.
When I went on bizzaro my restraint randomly popped up I was on the verge of tears but thanks to that belt thing I was able to push it down in time and panic for the rest of the ride let’s just say I never sat in that row ever again
some people just won't go on rollercoasters (or planes) and are looking for any little thing to keep someone from convincing them to ...chill. no one is slandering roller coasters as a thing. there are plenty of people who never think about that kind of stuff and just want to have fun. some people are just not cool with coasters like some people are just not cool with being on a plane. seems weird but people have their reasons for seemingly unreasonable fears but fear of heights is a good one.
I may sound like a crazy gp but I was on the skyliner at lakemount park in Altoona pa. My dad and I were in the back row of this really old run down wooden coaster. On the second drop when we hit the bottom of the hill our lap bar shot up. We quickly grabbed it and pulled it back down and it re locked it’s self. We told the operator when we got back and the ride was shut down for the rest of the day. Still never deterred me from riding again but that is an extremely rare case of catastrophic failure.
My question is how did it shoot up on the bottom of a hill? It isn’t airtime it is positive forces. So it would stay down until you crest the next hill
Honestly, this did happen to me once, but it was at a state fair on one of those crappy coasters. The bar came down and the ride operater locked it from the outside. Problem was, he didn't lock it like he thought he did, and at the first drop I heard a click then the bar started to rise up. I kept it down with my arms and I was fine, but it did happen. Dude was definitely high or drunk which I'm guessing caused him not to pay attention. I fully trust regular parks and don't think it would happen there, all I'm saying is watch out for drunk ride ops at county and state fairs. They don't give a crap. Probably didn't help that this coaster looked like it was from the 60s.
When it comes to these safety videos, you can throw carnivals out the window. They are bad at safety, and it is hard to trust the people operating the ride.
@@zachcoastercrazy4032 Depends on the Country. Here in Germany, and probably most other central and west-european countries, has the same, if not even stricter, rules and regulations applied to carnivals as in Parks. I.e. in Germany every carnival ride has to be inspected by a safety inspector that is specially trained for amusement ride inspections at each carnival a red is set up. If a showman is unable to fix issues on the spot the ride will sit essentially in SBNO mode on the carnival / fair for everyone to see. Such a thing did happen in my neighboring town a few years ago when a portable Freefall tower failed safety inspections it had to sit on one of the absolute best spots and they where unable to do anything about it. Similar to stationary rides the restraints for each guest has to be checked for each ride cycle and people working these rides take their job at least as serious as the Parks do, maybe even more so due to the usually much higher amount (slightly) drunk people.
@@tabbijoy6448 What Park, what coaster and when did this happen? Going by your Story the trains must have been at least 3 wide, more likely 4 wide though as 3 is extremely uncommon. 4 wide is most commonly found on rides made by B&M. Every B&M with OTSR that I have ridden has a little Seatbelt that attaches to the OTSR making it IMPOSSSIBLE for the restraint to open all the way up in the event of a locking mechanism failure. Gerstlauer is another company that does commonly build 4 wide trains, some do have OTSR, however to my knowledge Gerstlauer doesn't feature Seatbelts, therefore the OTSR has at the very least 2 independent locking mechanisms that both have to fail at the same time for something you described to happen. Something like that is statistically so impossible that if it actually happened news of it probably would have made the round.
To summarize for whoever doesn't decide to watch the whole thing - yes, it is possible for restraints to come open mid-ride, because mechanical failures are possible, but this is obscenely rare and the restraints are very specifically designed for this to NEVER happen. If you think coaster restrains pose a significant hazard due to this incredibly small risk, then you should probably never drive or ride in a car because they're absolute death traps by comparison.
@@nytrek9815 but they cant really malfunction or at least the ride cant start if it malfunctions and also i don't think a single major ride built in the 2000s and on have had any problems with restrains without seat belts
I disagree that it should be mandatory because modern day restraints are filled with many redundant saftey measures to not open up mid ride and if needed (for weight reasons) a park will put seatbelts. That being said I do also appreciate seatbelts on the rides as I know that if anything were to happen to the main restraint I'm safe because the seatbelt is holding my restrant in or keeping me down.
I am thinking of the Six Flags I go to. I believe all the coasters at least have seatbelts in addition to the restraints. Actually though, Superman Ultimate Flight is an exception. This one does not have seatbelts, just hydraulic locks. That is the last one I rather not have a seatbelt for though. Because if the hydraulic locks become loose, you are definitely falling out of that ride, as it is a flyer.
The restraint never locking in the first place has always been a fear when riding and I try to wiggle it every time to see if it really did lock. Once the ride is moving I don’t have a fear it will unlock, though I have felt myself slip around too much inside some restraints because they seemed to not go tight enough on me even when fully locked.
Lol that happened to me on Magnum yesterday by accident. I didn’t like how the lap bar bounced when I made sure it was locked and my brother was like “yeah. For me, I want that, but I know for you, you dont like that feeling of airtime that much.” So he managed to push down it and it accidentally locked on the tightest position it could go. Before we could contact someone to lessen it a bit, they said all clear. I was fine the entire ride until the bunny hills due to the lap bar being so tight
I am a very rare case where this DID actually happen, due to negligence by the ride operators. When I was about 8 years old my restraint was not properly locked / checked on Ninja (now Blue Hawk) at SFOG before leaving the station. It was only halfway locked and would fly up quite a bit throughout the ride. Scariest moment of my life, my aunt reamed out the operators, whom were extremely unapologetic and rude teenagers.
In your defense, SFOG has had many many many complaints about bad ride operators and overall carelessness, and it still happens to this day. Don't go to that park if you wanna live
Yeah the Ninja is still unforgiving and painful even after the name change. Even if you were properly restrained it’s still a neck breaker. Or as my brother calls it “abstract art.” 😂
I'm so old that I remember when the "restraint" on a roller coaster would be a chain -- like the kind you'd tie a dog out on -- hooked across the seat. I took my daughter on one of those roller coasters about 42 years ago, when she was about 5 or 6 years old. During the ride she got scared, slipped down under the chain and onto the floor, and I had to reach down and grab her by the pants and drag her back onto the seat before she could get thrown from the car!
just wanted to say a thank you for doing these videos, haha. i’m not particularly fond of rollercoasters but i feel so much better about their safety now with the help of this channel and the way you explain it all really de-mystifies how they work. plus, it’s just super interesting.
Once my restraint popped open after the first drop on the Mantis at Cedar Point, and mind you, that was a stand up coaster at the time. I had my arms up, and had it not been for the belt clipping the bottom of the restraint to the crotch mount out whatever you call the seat on a stand up coaster, I would have probably been ejected from the ride. I really thought I was going to die every time the train did an inversion or hit a big airtime hill, but even with that being said, I still think roller coasters are incredibly safe. I was able to hold the restraint down for the rest of the ride, and when we arrived back at the station, I told the ride operator and they took it very seriously- the ride was down for the rest of the night.
Had my first ever "anxious ride" on Apollos Chariot at busch gardens williamsburg last year because of its restraints. something about not having something over the shoulders just got stuck in my head. I know it's an irrational fear, but vids like this are great to ease the nerves!
So I'm guessing on B&M hypers they have a racheting system and on like newer B&M dive coasters, like Yukon Striker, Valravn, Emperor, and Valkyria have those hydraulic restraints. Just as an example ~~
@@CoasterCollege I distinctly remember Krake at Heide Park having a ratcheting system that did not fit me at all. Had a lot of wiggle room in there cuz the next click woulda been painful lol
Yasu the Cat that happens to me all the time and honestly, I’d rather have comfortable wiggle room than being squeezed. Also it can have a bit more airtime than being pinned down
The answer to can x do y is usually yes, what really matters is to what degree. Can restraints unlock mid ride: yes but here is why that is so statistically improbable it wont happen. Can I win the lottery while at the same time being struck by lightning and attacked by a shark: Yes but once again so statistically improbable it wont happen.
I remember having my restraint suddenly pop on Ghost Rider at Knott's Berry Farm when I was a kid. I jammed I back down and just counted myself as lucky that it happened at the bottom of a dip in the track.
Only a small handful of rides exceed 100mph, probably less than ten worldwide. I can think of Dragster, Ka, Dodonpa, Formula Rossa, Red Force, Superman at MM and I can't think of any others now. But your point still stands lol
lividity my trip to Washington DC was cancelled last week too because of corona. But as long as we stay safe and indoors as much as possible we all no should be fine
Gas filled? Maybe in a reservoir to pressurize oil, but I can't imagine that you'd get away with a compressible fluid to lock a restraint closed, especially in Germany.
I actually had my restraint unlock on me mid-ride on the Big Bad Wolf back in 1987. I was 13 and it was my first big coaster. It hasn't stopped me from riding but I greatly appreciate a secondary lock such as a buckle that secures the harness to the seat. The B & M hypers, such as Mako, still give me pause.
I worked on a rollercoaster where the train could be dispatched with restraints up, they were never left up though, there was always two staff, one for each side of the car, and the last thing we did before hitting the button was check the restraints, we used to push down on them until they clicked one more time, then tried to lift them to see if they would come up There was a pedal at the side of each car that engaged on a rail, rhe rail would lift before the train was dispatched to lock the restraints Maintenance did tell me though, you could if you wanted to send riders in the cars around the track with the restraints up, as the design of the track was mostly all positive G's, so no riders would fall out, as the loops would push you down and backwards into your seats The only time you might come out your seat is when you hit the brakes I also worked on a ride that had tripple locking harnesses, that had hydraulic, and ratcheting, and electric locks, plus seatbelts, so that was mega safe 😁
I've been sent on a rollercoaster with a improperly latched restraints. I could tell the shoulder restraints didn't come down nearly enough, and was yelling at the worker that is supposed to check the restraints but they skipped my car despite my yelling. I basically held on for my life the whole time and still constantly have nightmares almost 10 years later.
I swear to god, my restraint on Nemesis Inferno once popped open while leaving the station. I wrenched it shut again and held on for dear life. It didn’t come open again
My harness came off at alphengiest bunch gardens Virginia funny thing is before the ride I checked it and it was locked in and the guy but right before the drop I look down and it's not locked in and the bars where above my waist and even above the bottom of my stomach lucky I saw it and didn't panic/ imagine if I didn't notice it 🤦
Check out the King Cobra roller coaster at Kings Island in Cincinnati. In 1991, the chest restraints came half way open on me while exiting the big loop. I didn't freak out as bad because the abdominal restraint was still locked and my shoulders were still technically under the restraint that popped open. I told the operator while getting off and they stopped the ride for about an hour then started back up. Yes, my coaster loving, 16 year old self got right back on it later that day. Lol
thanks so much for these types of videos! i personally have never been afraid of rollercoasters, but the facts you give in these videos really help when i try to explain to people that rollercoasters are safe
If the pandemic lasts through the summer, how many amusement parks will go out of business? How financially secure are the major players in the industry? What are the basic fixed costs to maintain a park that is not operating?
When I was younger, I do remember the ride operators at Darien Lake being too busy with their conversation and they started the ride with me shouting 'my restraint isn't locked'. So they stopped it, locked it, and rolled their eyes at me. I don't blame the ride, I blame those people, but, it's the only time that ever happened, but it didn't keep my from riding coasters.
You've made me fascinated in something I haven't done in YEARS, go on a roller coaster. In 2019 I went on a drop tower in my city's street fair and loved it. I'll have to head back to galaxyland one of these days, as it's not far from my city.
First minute of the video I just know exactly what you're talking about, I only rode so many coasters in my life, not more than 10seperate but rode those 100+times ( only times was on vacation with family ) Love the hydraulic seats, the sound and how they can have a nice firm grip
I usually have the opposite happening the restraint locking down further mid-ride. Especially hydraulic ones. Had this happen on Stealth in Thorpepark. Restraint sat comfy, tight but not too tight. Ride ends and I'm stapled to the seat and even had trouble getting it to release inside the station. Though I never have been afraid of it opening mid-ride.
For the ratcheting restraints, as someone who has a body stature of a 12 year old but height enough to ride despite being in my 20s a big fear is the ratchet going up a notch and because my thighs are so skinny I could just slip out from it. Been on a fairground wave ride that was bouncing me almost in circles on my seat if you can imagine in its waving rotations because the bar did not keep me firm in my seat and if I wasnt clinging on I really might have been thrown as I was bouncing and slipping. Hydraulic restraints make me feel so much more secure
I’ve had reoccurring nightmares about this happening to me since I was 12 (I’m 31 now). Sometimes I hold on, and sometimes I fall out. My father and I were riding Bizzaro (then Medusa) and we went through the ride with no issue as usual. My dad then tells me after we got off that his harness popped open going up the drop hill, and luckily he was able to latch it back in place before the drop. Every time I get on a roller coaster now, I think about that. Though I rarely ride them now because of the nightmares and my paranoia. It’s a shame because I used to love them as a kid.
@@nikolvitanza4746 it is a great ride for sure. I can’t truly verify that it did, as I didn’t see it. Though when he told me, I could tell he was a bit shook up by it. You would think it couldn’t happen, but apparently it did according to him. Who knows if something happened that made him think it popped or if it actually did. Either way, it messed with my head since I was a kid.
I had that happen to me on the Hulk at Universal Islands of Adventure back in the day. Probably around 2005 or 2006. It didn't unlock completely, but it did move to the next ratchet up mid ride. Still continued to ride it every weekend I went though.
sounds like it "slipped a ratchet" meaning that it was not fully clicked into one ratchet before the ride started, at some point during the ride it moved up, it happens from time to time. Thanks for the comment!
@@CoasterCollege ☠️☠️☠️ idk if you agree with this, but with the ratchet mechanisms, we know those eventually fail, why are there not redundant ratchets, and a system to check function of both ratches? Redundancy means nothing if you don't find out one isn't working. Relying on one piece of metal and one spring seems like suicide tbh
Did you know on newer rides with hydraulic locking of the restraints (Like Intamin's Kondaa at Walibi Belgium and probably also Toutatis, since it's the same sort rollercoaster and same manufacturer) every ride cycle one of the cylinders of the restraints is checked (first left, the next cycle the right cylinder and so on) if it has released some pressure during operation the ride will not dispatch any more and the control panel will show an error. It does this for every train and every cycle. Though 1 cylinder is enough to keep it closed, they do this for every ones safety... So next time you board Kondaa.... the ride is also inspecting itself! NEAT!
I was on a quite large ride once and the ride was experiencing difficulties but at the time we were at the highest point in the entire ride, the top of the hill after the initial launch. we were informed that we would be taken down by fire personnel so an operator came to unlock our restraints but the train had started again because someone that was in line at the time had apparently hit the start button. the train went ZOOMING down the hill and we continued the rest of the ride as normal, except the restraints were unlocked and moving freely as the ride went on. no one was hurt but i now live with insane anxiety from it and cant ride any of my favorite rides anymore. not to discourage anyone from getting on rides, theyre super safe and super fun, this was just my horror story lol
Great job as usual. Although I kind of miss the debunked series, I think that these types of videos will be far more informative than a debunked ever could be.
Accidentally stapled myself on Apollos in Williamsburg once and the restraint popped up; I thought I was gonna die but it instantly tightened a notch looser and everything was fine
In 1985 I had a season pass to Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara. I remember tht they had a decapitation incident shortly before (or while) I had a few season tickets to the park. I remember one summer I decided to ride their "Tidal Wave" roller coaster ten times in a row. On the tenth and final ride, I remember realizing, on the final part of the ride, that my restraint was unfastened. That freaked me out a bit, as the ride was terrifying for me, but I lived, so didn't make a fuss.
I had a ratchet restraint pop open and release on me when I was younger and my seat belt unlatched and I couldn't rebuckle it. Wore glasses but left them at the station with the ride op since I didn't have strap so I couldn't see. It was on an old wooden coaster at six flags America called the wild one. It popped a little after the first couple drops on the coaster. I survived obviously but it scarred me and pushed me away from coaster for a very long time. Now I make sure to strap my glasses to wear them on any coaster and check my restraints multiple times before a ride.
My fiancé took me to Six Flags a few years ago when I got on a real proper roller coaster for the first time. Having been on kiddie coasters and more tame coasters before in Disney Land, my expectations were a bit warped. Once the ride started, it didn't take long before I realized that I severely underestimated the forces an adult roller coaster can exert on you. As a result, I couldn't shake away the irrational fear that my restrains could come off at any second since I could feel the forces I was exerting on it. This caused me to instinctually tense up and hurt myself in the process. It didn't help that we put on our restrains ourselves and the staff seemed to compose of disinterested college students. Of course, the restrains didn't come off until they were supposed to, but this didn't stop me from developing a fear of the coasters. Since my fiancé loves them so much, I plan to give them another shot at some point, but even watching coasters make me remember the sheer panic I felt on the first ride. Hopefully it will go away with exposure.
I think you should really continue this series of debunking common "GP" myths. I think it is very helpful for people that are new to coasters and have only watched clickbait coaster videos.
one time when i was riding the ghostrider at knott’s berry farm there was a rlly small child that had been on right before me so the seatbelt was tightened rlly small, i get panicky during the loading part of rollercoasters so instead of asking someone for help to loosen the belt i just clicked it in place with how small it was and put the lap bar down. half way through the ride theres a small pause before going down again and i looked at my lap and my belt was FULLY unbuckled i was like 👁👄👁
Late 1980s I was about 8-9 yo riding thunder road in Carowinds NC. The bar became loose at top of hill, the only thing holding it down was the back up chain attached to leg rail/car mount. SCARY!!!
The video is very true but some aspects of it vary by park. A lot of park maintenance crew do NOT like hydraulic because of the batteries they have to remember, But they have better safety measures. A lot of times when evac get so crazy, they are never remember to get charged. Sometimes this is the reason why guests are stranded on ride for a while. Rachet rides are a lot different as explains in the video because all you need is a very unqily design tool and it can open up the restraints. These are never to be in anyone access and locked away by maintenance and when calling ops, crew need to let them know they are loaded trains out of station so maintenance could bring the tools and evac the train. On Medusa at six flags this happened a few time. This tool could turn like a key and unlock individual rows. It was easy quick and painless to the riders. When El Toro got stuck, the batteries that had to be used were LEFT at Kingda Ka and uncharged. Riders were stuck on El Toro for 45 to and hour because they need to charge them. SOP on El toro requires full charging. They have sense changed, where maintenance is required to make sure batteries are being charged after stacking trains at the end of the night. Great video.
It happened to me on The Dragon at Adventureland in Iowa. Between the people behind me and my friend next to me, we held them down all the way up to the first drop. They finally clicked back into place just in time. Scariest ride of my life. We told the operators and it was down for maintenance the rest of the day. The next year I went, they had attached seat belts for extra security.
I feel like most of the people in the comments claiming their restraints 'popped open' mid-ride just experienced a ratcheting restraint pop up to the next ratchet slot because it wasn't fully slotted into the absolute tightest ratchet slot possible for them... completely normal, maybe slightly unnerving yes, but totally safe and you'll just have a bit more of a roomy ride :)
I recall one time when I was like 10 or something on the Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg my harness didn't lock whatsoever, and the floor dropped out and the gate opened and me and my father were absolutely screaming the ride did all the whooshy stuff for a few agonizing seconds before they noticed and corrected it. As it turned out, someone exceeding ride size requirements in front of me was not able to properly lock, which for some reason affected the whole column. They left and the ride went fine after, but it was Not fun. Solid ride though on reflection
I'm freaking out because of this! My family was invited to Knotts and one of the guys is 300lbs at least. That's why I'm here. I am super worried about this!
Hydraulic over the shoulder restraints are my favorite. Especially the ones like on the Valravn (I think) at cedar point that has the cushy/non metal over the shoulder thing as well. Those are the best!!
Both types of restraints have their satisfying feature, on hydraulic restraints, it's fun watching the restraints get pulled back/up on their own. On Ratchet restraint, it's that satisfying click sound.
It can really happen. Years ago, at Six Flags Great America, on Batman the ride, the over shoulder restraints fully released on my friend during the first drop. She was in the middle of me and another friend, so thankfully we were able to hold the shoulder restaurant down firmly throughout the ride. We reported the issue as soon as the ride was over, and they immediately took the train out of service.
One time I was on a coaster (Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia) and for half the coaster, my restraint wouldn’t lock and stayed open. They didn’t check my seat before I rode that time. I had to pin *myself* down during the ride. I’m entirely surprised I didn’t get thrown out. I had to physically hold myself to the ride, something I’m, again, honestly surprised I managed to do. I am not above or below any height or weight restrictions for the coaster. The seat just wasn’t checked properly. I reported the issue to the ride operator when I got off and, to my knowledge, the issue was fixed immediately and no one got hurt. Edit: This was a few years ago and this issue is definitely a very rare thing. As the video said, rides are always checked every time they’re sent across the track. This ride in particular just for that day and just for that one riding experience was an exception. I am not in any way saying that roller coasters are dangerous or that you shouldn’t ride them. I still love coasters and I haven’t stopped riding them since! In fact, I rode that same ride two more times right afterwards (just in different seats) with no problem! And even though there was a weird, rare issue, it was resolved before anyone had a chance to get injured! I just wanted to share a neat, coaster related story. :3
I road Goliath spring last year at SFOG, front row seat 1 and typically will close very tight to my legs- as usual it did and as we went over the first airtime hill after the drop, the restraint clicked up one notch.
Around 4 years ago I was at ceder point riding the Raptor and my fiancees overhead restraint unlocked while we were going up the first hill. Like the intelligent person she is, she decided that instead of trying to pull the restraint back down, she would just start bawling her eyes out instead. Me and the other guy next to her pulled it back down and it locked, but we looped our arms through it and held tight just in case(hurt like hell holding it that way) When we got off we told the ride operator what happened. Showed him the seat, and he said "oh ok" and loaded the next people into it. And that ride operator alone is why I don't like roller coasters anymore. I can trust the engineering, i can accept the one off tragic random event, but I cant accept a seemly stoned out his mind kid being responsible for overseeing the immediate safety of a ride and it's passengers. We ending up reporting it to some other staff and the next day we got into the park and noticed that one of the carts was being worked on. I hope that kid lost his job because he ruined coasters for me forever.
For some vekoma trains the pedal is reachable from the passenger's location. So, a long Dutch person can reach for it, and unlock the restraints mid-ride. It allows a long person to know exactly where the pedal is, and purposely do it, but it *is* possible. I've seen someone do it on the final brakerun of a ride before, and I could open my restraints up a bit more. However, holding it down it neatly relocked after he released the pedal.
There is a Schwarzkopf double looping model at my home park, and around 6 years ago I was on it, and I remember as we were going up the lift hill everyone restraints came undone, of course the train stopped, everything was safe, but it was still one of those really uncommon experiences that I’ll always remember
I wish I'd seen this in high school and had never been on a roller coaster. These days I'm a bit more seasoned and don't event think about it, but it's still very interesting!
I have an anxiety disorder and riding roller coasters is one time when I feel totally safe. Under normal circumstances being restrained or confined would result in a serious panic attack; on a roller coaster, once I feel like that restraint is snug, I'm nice and secure.
I had a restraint on one of the ONLY roller coasters I will ride at my summer camp come up right before a twist drop, it was scary but I managed to pull it back down and it locked right when we entered the drop. After we finished the ride I told the operator and he called maintenance right away. This is the reason why I only feel comfortable going in the roller coasters at this park, because the operators are really nice and you can get to know them if your there for a long time like me, and also because they have really really good safety procedures there
A few years back, i was riding tempesto at Busch Garden Williamsburg and i thought my restraints were locked but right before an inversion they popped open and my sister had to use her arm to keep me from flying out.... I didn't tell anyone because I knew that my parents wouldn't let me go back on any roller coasters ever again.... i've had similar things happen to me at Coney Island and some small carnivals so I guess I have crazy bad luck. I still ride roller coasters I just make a big deal about my restraints being checked like 4 times before we leave the station. Scary.
Had this happen on a tame wood coaster (The Outlaw at Adventureland in Altoona, IA) with ratcheting restraints (just a metal bar that the operator checks at each car after locking). On the ascent up my friend and I (in the front car, which made it more scary/fun) noticed the bar was completely loose. It was just moving freely. We were too amused by the situation to get scared and I just said “let’s just push the bar down at the top and hold on”, that’s what we did and it was only sketchy at a couple points but I’m grateful for it. That coaster was boring as fuck to me at that point and this was a great curveball. We told the attendant that the bar didn’t lock and they seemed wholly apathetic. Two thumbs up.
Glad im not the only person with this fear. I have no fear of the restraint not being locked per say when I leave the station. My fears comes from feeling like I am falling out of the seat or gonna come out on air time hill...I always feel like the restraint cant take my weight pushing up on it, even tho I am sure it can.
Mostly of the ride these days can’t open when ridning, not even if you click the button, because they need to be in still position. Some of the rides also have automatic lock. When they click the Button, the bars goes Down, you Can easy hear when it lock, it gives a Big lock sound in the seat
I'm a larger guy. I was riding a wooden coaster when the lap bar came up. I was scared out of my mind for the rest of the ride and holding on for dear life. Thankfully there wasn't much airtime on this ride. Haven't been on it since.
I'm not meaning to scare the general public away from coasters with this but my restraint did come up a click on Batman the Ride at my home park once. It was locked but the ride op really stapled me so Idk if that affected it. I think on the 1st loop it came up and I just pushed it back down even if it meant a hard staple on me. Maxx Forces restraints are great because they can't come up or down during the ride so if you get a little room, you can keep it even when it undergoes strong positive gs.
Yea it probably “slipped a ratchet” meaning that the restraint was not fully clicked into the next ratchet and at that point on the ride it clicked up one into the next ratchet!
The Calgary Stampede has a drop ride with a similar restraint style. The issue is that there's no ratcheting or hydraulic system to hold you in place. All there is, is basically a seatbelt latch that can be opened mid-ride. Not good when you're 150 feet in the air, with concrete below you.
I was behind my brother on a looping ride when we were kids, and was horrified when his over-the-shoulder restraint opened completely at the end of the loop. The problem was, we were about to do the whole thing backwards. Despite our panicked screams, the ride continued. Fortunately my brother was able to pull it down and get it locked before we went back through the loop. I never went on that ride again.
One time when I was 8 years old, I rode the Scorpion at Busch Gardens. My lap bar was locked in place at the station but as soon as the operator started the ride my lap bar released, and it seemed like other people’s lap bars did too. So as the train went up the lift hill I pushed my lap bar down again locking it in place again. The rest of the ride went on as normal. No one mentioned what the lap bars did so I don’t know if my 8 year old mind exaggerated what happened due to being nervous. The Scorpion is from 1980 so I don’t know if something “glitched” (I know it’s not the right word) and told the rollercoaster to release the restraints. It probably would’ve stopped at the top of the lift hill if it sensed that the lap bars weren’t down. I believe that the rollercoaster is safe, a little rough nowadays but safe. I still ride it whenever I visit the park with no problems
On a crazy steel coaster with the ratchet restraint. I heard a click while riding and it loosened by one click. It was double secured with a seatbelt but it was loose enough to knock me around and scare the shit outta me. I still love coasters but never rode that one again
Happened to me on Batman leg dangling roller coaster (Knight Flight) at Six Flags Cleveland (Geauga Lake) on the first loop. At the bottom of that loop it reactivated and worked the rest of the ride, but I didn't enjoy the rest of the ride after that. Scared the hell out of me.
Going to pin this as it seems to have come up a lot in the comments. Another way ratcheting restraints can come up slightly is by "slipping a ratchet". Meaning that the restraint was not fully clicked into the next ratchet and at some point on the ride it clicked up one into the next ratchet. This happens from time to time, if you want to avoid it just push down your restraint more before riding!
GP To Enthusiast yeah this happened to me on Wildfire at SDC. Halfway up the lift hill it clicked in
It opened to my sister on ghost rider but it was at the start going up so she was ok.
Pro-tip from an operater, (Diamondback at Kings Island) to avoid this "false click" make sure after you push your restraint down, that you push down and pull up. This will help you.
@@Varadict I can hear this comment.
@@tabbijoy6448 What ride?
This is a giant fear of mine. I’m not scared of heights- i’m scared of not feeling secure and it’s something that my family finds hard to understand. This really helps with my anxiety, thank you
I am afraid of falling off rather than heights. That's why I love roller coasters and have no fear riding them.
@@Emoticono13 I am so short that Voyage feels rough to me. (5'3" or.. just convert it if u use metric)
@@HeelerHouse haven't ridden it yet but having ridden Cu Chulainn I can day that Gravity Group woodies are neither smooth nor rough for me.
Same. I love flying, for example. But if I were dangling from a plane by a rope, I would be afraid. It’s a matter of knowing I’m relatively safe.
I'm afraid of falling from high places and not feeling secure while high up (so kind of like a fear of heights?) I think that's part of the reason why I usually don't like the feeling of being lifted out of my seat during certain rides. The idea of the restraints coming loose and suddenly opening is something that crosses my mind almost every time I go on a ride. This video at least makes me feel a little better.
Ride: *moves in*
Everyone: *wildly kicks their legs*
Gotta burn those calories
Lol i do that i dont even know why🤣
i only did this once
Hence why clickbait videos call an inverted coaster a "dangling" coaster.
I was dyiiinngg at this comment when I saw the clip lmao
No matter what anyone tells me, my full body weight pressing against the restraint will always make me think its gonna break open and send me plummeting towards the earth
That is the most scary part indeed for me too
One time while my father was riding one of the drop tower type rides (don’t remember where) the over the shoulder restraint got undone (my guess is he was too large, since he has a beer gut, so it might not have locked in completely) so it would’ve gone up, however, the seatbelt was clipped in so he just held it down with his arms and enjoyed the rest of the ride. Moral of the story: those tiny seatbelts are actually helpful.
In my country we dont have those tiny seatbelts. Sooooo rip lol
When I went on bizzaro my restraint randomly popped up I was on the verge of tears but thanks to that belt thing I was able to push it down in time and panic for the rest of the ride let’s just say I never sat in that row ever again
@@sealfromthesea8453 where are you from?
No this did not happen. Lies
This just happened
Who else is an enthusiast and knows nothing can happen and you’re safe but ur still scared that will happen mid ride
Not me, cause even if it does, as he mentioned in the video there are seat belts that will hold you in either way
Did y’all even watch the gosh darn video?..
akiru anthony i LOVE zumanjaro, scared the hell out of me the first time i was on it!
UH! Yeah, I'm pretty sure almost everybody has this fear especially during the climb to the top of the dreadfully slow lift hills.
@akiru anthony so your 11?
him at the start of the vid: "yes, they can come off while-"
people: "ALL I NEED, ROLLER COASTERS ARE'NT SAFE! NEVER GO ON ONE!"
More like the GP
some people just won't go on rollercoasters (or planes) and are looking for any little thing to keep someone from convincing them to ...chill. no one is slandering roller coasters as a thing. there are plenty of people who never think about that kind of stuff and just want to have fun. some people are just not cool with coasters like some people are just not cool with being on a plane. seems weird but people have their reasons for seemingly unreasonable fears but fear of heights is a good one.
@@princesstamika I probably should have said media instead of people
@@tabbijoy6448 oh crap Really? Do you know what type of restraint it was?
princesstamika I do this with planes tbh but i’m a rollercoaster enthusiast ( i’m terrified of planes too)
I may sound like a crazy gp but I was on the skyliner at lakemount park in Altoona pa. My dad and I were in the back row of this really old run down wooden coaster. On the second drop when we hit the bottom of the hill our lap bar shot up. We quickly grabbed it and pulled it back down and it re locked it’s self. We told the operator when we got back and the ride was shut down for the rest of the day. Still never deterred me from riding again but that is an extremely rare case of catastrophic failure.
😬 yikes!
ratchet bars do have their flaws unfortunately, when they wear out they wear out bad
I ride with my hands up 100% of the time, so I probably would have died there
My question is how did it shoot up on the bottom of a hill? It isn’t airtime it is positive forces. So it would stay down until you crest the next hill
Lakemont seems pretty run down, not as much as Conneaut Lake, but it seems sketchy. Leap the Dips' track seems to flex much more than it should
Honestly, this did happen to me once, but it was at a state fair on one of those crappy coasters. The bar came down and the ride operater locked it from the outside. Problem was, he didn't lock it like he thought he did, and at the first drop I heard a click then the bar started to rise up. I kept it down with my arms and I was fine, but it did happen. Dude was definitely high or drunk which I'm guessing caused him not to pay attention. I fully trust regular parks and don't think it would happen there, all I'm saying is watch out for drunk ride ops at county and state fairs. They don't give a crap. Probably didn't help that this coaster looked like it was from the 60s.
was it a wacky worm
When it comes to these safety videos, you can throw carnivals out the window. They are bad at safety, and it is hard to trust the people operating the ride.
@@zachcoastercrazy4032 Depends on the Country. Here in Germany, and probably most other central and west-european countries, has the same, if not even stricter, rules and regulations applied to carnivals as in Parks. I.e. in Germany every carnival ride has to be inspected by a safety inspector that is specially trained for amusement ride inspections at each carnival a red is set up. If a showman is unable to fix issues on the spot the ride will sit essentially in SBNO mode on the carnival / fair for everyone to see. Such a thing did happen in my neighboring town a few years ago when a portable Freefall tower failed safety inspections it had to sit on one of the absolute best spots and they where unable to do anything about it.
Similar to stationary rides the restraints for each guest has to be checked for each ride cycle and people working these rides take their job at least as serious as the Parks do, maybe even more so due to the usually much higher amount (slightly) drunk people.
@@andyroman8223 Nope I believe it may have been an old Pinfari Zyklon. Not sure though.
@@tabbijoy6448 What Park, what coaster and when did this happen?
Going by your Story the trains must have been at least 3 wide, more likely 4 wide though as 3 is extremely uncommon. 4 wide is most commonly found on rides made by B&M. Every B&M with OTSR that I have ridden has a little Seatbelt that attaches to the OTSR making it IMPOSSSIBLE for the restraint to open all the way up in the event of a locking mechanism failure.
Gerstlauer is another company that does commonly build 4 wide trains, some do have OTSR, however to my knowledge Gerstlauer doesn't feature Seatbelts, therefore the OTSR has at the very least 2 independent locking mechanisms that both have to fail at the same time for something you described to happen. Something like that is statistically so impossible that if it actually happened news of it probably would have made the round.
To summarize for whoever doesn't decide to watch the whole thing - yes, it is possible for restraints to come open mid-ride, because mechanical failures are possible, but this is obscenely rare and the restraints are very specifically designed for this to NEVER happen. If you think coaster restrains pose a significant hazard due to this incredibly small risk, then you should probably never drive or ride in a car because they're absolute death traps by comparison.
Cars are more dangerous than coasters and airplanes
I am ALWAYS grateful and relieved when rides have a seatbelt as well as a restraint. I think it should be mandatory on all rides!
why? they don't really matter
@@VECTOR_Coasters what if it malfunctions or the underage operator is incompetent
@@nytrek9815 but they cant really malfunction or at least the ride cant start if it malfunctions and also i don't think a single major ride built in the 2000s and on have had any problems with restrains without seat belts
I disagree that it should be mandatory because modern day restraints are filled with many redundant saftey measures to not open up mid ride and if needed (for weight reasons) a park will put seatbelts. That being said I do also appreciate seatbelts on the rides as I know that if anything were to happen to the main restraint I'm safe because the seatbelt is holding my restrant in or keeping me down.
I am thinking of the Six Flags I go to. I believe all the coasters at least have seatbelts in addition to the restraints. Actually though, Superman Ultimate Flight is an exception. This one does not have seatbelts, just hydraulic locks. That is the last one I rather not have a seatbelt for though. Because if the hydraulic locks become loose, you are definitely falling out of that ride, as it is a flyer.
The restraint never locking in the first place has always been a fear when riding and I try to wiggle it every time to see if it really did lock. Once the ride is moving I don’t have a fear it will unlock, though I have felt myself slip around too much inside some restraints because they seemed to not go tight enough on me even when fully locked.
If you aren’t able to move around in your restrain in the first place the ride isn’t very good. Or you just have it too tight
Lol that happened to me on Magnum yesterday by accident. I didn’t like how the lap bar bounced when I made sure it was locked and my brother was like “yeah. For me, I want that, but I know for you, you dont like that feeling of airtime that much.” So he managed to push down it and it accidentally locked on the tightest position it could go. Before we could contact someone to lessen it a bit, they said all clear. I was fine the entire ride until the bunny hills due to the lap bar being so tight
I am a very rare case where this DID actually happen, due to negligence by the ride operators. When I was about 8 years old my restraint was not properly locked / checked on Ninja (now Blue Hawk) at SFOG before leaving the station. It was only halfway locked and would fly up quite a bit throughout the ride. Scariest moment of my life, my aunt reamed out the operators, whom were extremely unapologetic and rude teenagers.
In your defense, SFOG has had many many many complaints about bad ride operators and overall carelessness, and it still happens to this day. Don't go to that park if you wanna live
@@OvergrownWithTheMoss What does SFOG stand for? I'm assuming the first half is Six Flags, but what does the second half mean?
@@blueflare3848 Over Georgia
Yeah the Ninja is still unforgiving and painful even after the name change. Even if you were properly restrained it’s still a neck breaker. Or as my brother calls it “abstract art.” 😂
I'm so old that I remember when the "restraint" on a roller coaster would be a chain -- like the kind you'd tie a dog out on -- hooked across the seat. I took my daughter on one of those roller coasters about 42 years ago, when she was about 5 or 6 years old. During the ride she got scared, slipped down under the chain and onto the floor, and I had to reach down and grab her by the pants and drag her back onto the seat before she could get thrown from the car!
😳😳
just wanted to say a thank you for doing these videos, haha. i’m not particularly fond of rollercoasters but i feel so much better about their safety now with the help of this channel and the way you explain it all really de-mystifies how they work. plus, it’s just super interesting.
Statistically speaking, you're safer on a coaster than you are when you're in transit to the park where the coasters are.
Hey dude, quality video, thanks for the shout out!
Love your channel, glad you approve!
2:30 drinking game take a shot for how many people swinging their legs
I think he tried it...
Harry Johnston-Smith goodlord
Once my restraint popped open after the first drop on the Mantis at Cedar Point, and mind you, that was a stand up coaster at the time. I had my arms up, and had it not been for the belt clipping the bottom of the restraint to the crotch mount out whatever you call the seat on a stand up coaster, I would have probably been ejected from the ride. I really thought I was going to die every time the train did an inversion or hit a big airtime hill, but even with that being said, I still think roller coasters are incredibly safe. I was able to hold the restraint down for the rest of the ride, and when we arrived back at the station, I told the ride operator and they took it very seriously- the ride was down for the rest of the night.
Had my first ever "anxious ride" on Apollos Chariot at busch gardens williamsburg last year because of its restraints. something about not having something over the shoulders just got stuck in my head. I know it's an irrational fear, but vids like this are great to ease the nerves!
So I'm guessing on B&M hypers they have a racheting system and on like newer B&M dive coasters, like Yukon Striker, Valravn, Emperor, and Valkyria have those hydraulic restraints. Just as an example ~~
Yep, though some of the older dives have ratcheting restraints!
@@CoasterCollege Ah that's right, like Griffon, Shiekra, and Oblivion :) GOTCHA
@@CoasterCollege I distinctly remember Krake at Heide Park having a ratcheting system that did not fit me at all. Had a lot of wiggle room in there cuz the next click woulda been painful lol
Yasu the Cat that happens to me all the time and honestly, I’d rather have comfortable wiggle room than being squeezed. Also it can have a bit more airtime than being pinned down
The answer to can x do y is usually yes, what really matters is to what degree.
Can restraints unlock mid ride: yes but here is why that is so statistically improbable it wont happen.
Can I win the lottery while at the same time being struck by lightning and attacked by a shark: Yes but once again so statistically improbable it wont happen.
I remember having my restraint suddenly pop on Ghost Rider at Knott's Berry Farm when I was a kid. I jammed I back down and just counted myself as lucky that it happened at the bottom of a dip in the track.
In this crazy world it's refreshing to be able to just get lost in your videos. Thank you for everything you do.
I know this is for the GP, but who the hell honestly thinks they can just open a restraint, on purpose, on a ride exceeding a 100 mph 😂
Only a small handful of rides exceed 100mph, probably less than ten worldwide. I can think of Dragster, Ka, Dodonpa, Formula Rossa, Red Force, Superman at MM and I can't think of any others now.
But your point still stands lol
What isgp
@@visionist7 oblivion, rita at alton towers
@@milsx2065 Oblivion is the fastest of the two and does just over 60mph, no where near 100 :P
@@crappyaccount a person who is new to coasters or does not know much about them
These videos helped me get over my fear of rollercoasters! Much love to you and keep up the great work!!!
i had to explain this to my freind before lol but quite simplifyed
Hopefully the corona virus ends before coaster season
Or, parks follow social distancing rules and only allow 10 people in at a time lol
I hope it’s outta here by May the earliest, late June-early July the latest
same, i’ve been planning for months to go to busch gardens as my birthday gift (next week) but now the park is closed :((( i hope they reopen soon
@@Pyschophobia please get over it. Other people have it way worse in this global health issue.
lividity my trip to Washington DC was cancelled last week too because of corona. But as long as we stay safe and indoors as much as possible we all no should be fine
There is also a third type: Mack Rides uses a sort of gas filled Cylinder. But i can`t remember what gas exactly
Gas filled? Maybe in a reservoir to pressurize oil, but I can't imagine that you'd get away with a compressible fluid to lock a restraint closed, especially in Germany.
Nitrogen usually
Also a forth, buzzbars!
@@markvolpe2305 Aren't those still ratcheting, just with one click?
Pneumatic restraints usually use nitrogen.
Can they? Yes. will they? Not randomly
I actually had my restraint unlock on me mid-ride on the Big Bad Wolf back in 1987. I was 13 and it was my first big coaster. It hasn't stopped me from riding but I greatly appreciate a secondary lock such as a buckle that secures the harness to the seat. The B & M hypers, such as Mako, still give me pause.
I finally found this channel again after my phase a couple of years ago then becoming an enthusiast :)
The fact that I can immediately tell that clicking example clip was mako is insane. My most ridden coaster for sure
Me: watching TH-cam without obtaining irrational fears.
Also me: *Irrational fear of coaster restraint opening on a loop obtained*
Most smaller loops will keep you on the seat, full duration.
The one that you must pay attention is hill
This actually alleviates a lot of anxiety lol, as just someone who enjoys riding coasters. Also I seen two of my fave rides on there, nice.
I'm an enthusiast but I learn a lot from these videos 😁😁 Some enthusiasts may not know about these functions so i'm glad there's a channel for that~~
Ahhh yes my perfect nerd is back at it again
I worked on a rollercoaster where the train could be dispatched with restraints up, they were never left up though, there was always two staff, one for each side of the car, and the last thing we did before hitting the button was check the restraints, we used to push down on them until they clicked one more time, then tried to lift them to see if they would come up
There was a pedal at the side of each car that engaged on a rail, rhe rail would lift before the train was dispatched to lock the restraints
Maintenance did tell me though, you could if you wanted to send riders in the cars around the track with the restraints up, as the design of the track was mostly all positive G's, so no riders would fall out, as the loops would push you down and backwards into your seats
The only time you might come out your seat is when you hit the brakes
I also worked on a ride that had tripple locking harnesses, that had hydraulic, and ratcheting, and electric locks, plus seatbelts, so that was mega safe 😁
I've been sent on a rollercoaster with a improperly latched restraints. I could tell the shoulder restraints didn't come down nearly enough, and was yelling at the worker that is supposed to check the restraints but they skipped my car despite my yelling. I basically held on for my life the whole time and still constantly have nightmares almost 10 years later.
Oh wow! I'm sorry that happened! I've never been on anything but child roller coasters when I was little, but what you experienced is something I fear
Omg that's my worst fear, I'm glad you're okay though 🙏🏻💞♥️
I bet this was at Six Flags Over Georgia
I’m glad you’re alright!!!! 🙏🏽
Seat sensors probably came to be after the 1999 ride of steel accident, when we also realized the og t-bars were flawed
I swear to god, my restraint on Nemesis Inferno once popped open while leaving the station. I wrenched it shut again and held on for dear life. It didn’t come open again
Same thing happened with me but I was about to drop
My harness came off at alphengiest bunch gardens Virginia funny thing is before the ride I checked it and it was locked in and the guy but right before the drop I look down and it's not locked in and the bars where above my waist and even above the bottom of my stomach lucky I saw it and didn't panic/ imagine if I didn't notice it 🤦
Check out the King Cobra roller coaster at Kings Island in Cincinnati. In 1991, the chest restraints came half way open on me while exiting the big loop. I didn't freak out as bad because the abdominal restraint was still locked and my shoulders were still technically under the restraint that popped open. I told the operator while getting off and they stopped the ride for about an hour then started back up. Yes, my coaster loving, 16 year old self got right back on it later that day. Lol
thanks so much for these types of videos! i personally have never been afraid of rollercoasters, but the facts you give in these videos really help when i try to explain to people that rollercoasters are safe
If the pandemic lasts through the summer, how many amusement parks will go out of business? How financially secure are the major players in the industry? What are the basic fixed costs to maintain a park that is not operating?
*Plandemic. Year three...
When I was younger, I do remember the ride operators at Darien Lake being too busy with their conversation and they started the ride with me shouting 'my restraint isn't locked'. So they stopped it, locked it, and rolled their eyes at me. I don't blame the ride, I blame those people, but, it's the only time that ever happened, but it didn't keep my from riding coasters.
You've made me fascinated in something I haven't done in YEARS, go on a roller coaster. In 2019 I went on a drop tower in my city's street fair and loved it. I'll have to head back to galaxyland one of these days, as it's not far from my city.
First minute of the video I just know exactly what you're talking about, I only rode so many coasters in my life, not more than 10seperate but rode those 100+times ( only times was on vacation with family )
Love the hydraulic seats, the sound and how they can have a nice firm grip
the most dangerous experience ive had was when the restraint on the peter pan ride at disney world got stuck on my shoe lmao
0:05 mom! the man in the internet just confirmed my paranoia!
I usually have the opposite happening the restraint locking down further mid-ride. Especially hydraulic ones. Had this happen on Stealth in Thorpepark. Restraint sat comfy, tight but not too tight. Ride ends and I'm stapled to the seat and even had trouble getting it to release inside the station. Though I never have been afraid of it opening mid-ride.
For the ratcheting restraints, as someone who has a body stature of a 12 year old but height enough to ride despite being in my 20s a big fear is the ratchet going up a notch and because my thighs are so skinny I could just slip out from it. Been on a fairground wave ride that was bouncing me almost in circles on my seat if you can imagine in its waving rotations because the bar did not keep me firm in my seat and if I wasnt clinging on I really might have been thrown as I was bouncing and slipping. Hydraulic restraints make me feel so much more secure
I’ve had reoccurring nightmares about this happening to me since I was 12 (I’m 31 now). Sometimes I hold on, and sometimes I fall out. My father and I were riding Bizzaro (then Medusa) and we went through the ride with no issue as usual. My dad then tells me after we got off that his harness popped open going up the drop hill, and luckily he was able to latch it back in place before the drop. Every time I get on a roller coaster now, I think about that. Though I rarely ride them now because of the nightmares and my paranoia. It’s a shame because I used to love them as a kid.
Ahh Medusa!! One of my faves!! I don't think the restraint would pop open on that cause I think they're hydraulic.
@@nikolvitanza4746 it is a great ride for sure. I can’t truly verify that it did, as I didn’t see it. Though when he told me, I could tell he was a bit shook up by it. You would think it couldn’t happen, but apparently it did according to him. Who knows if something happened that made him think it popped or if it actually did. Either way, it messed with my head since I was a kid.
Yes, but when it happens it emergency stops the ride.
-Former 6 Flags Ride Operator
He's a ride op, i think he knows..??
Do you even KNOW 6 flags?
It happened to me once on OzIris. The OTSR opened up one ratchet.
Great video btw - interesting topic and solid research 👍
For some reason it seems to be more common on B&M inverts then because the same happened to me on Batman the Ride
I had that happen to me on the Hulk at Universal Islands of Adventure back in the day. Probably around 2005 or 2006. It didn't unlock completely, but it did move to the next ratchet up mid ride. Still continued to ride it every weekend I went though.
sounds like it "slipped a ratchet" meaning that it was not fully clicked into one ratchet before the ride started, at some point during the ride it moved up, it happens from time to time. Thanks for the comment!
GP To Enthusiast makes sense
@@CoasterCollege ☠️☠️☠️ idk if you agree with this, but with the ratchet mechanisms, we know those eventually fail, why are there not redundant ratchets, and a system to check function of both ratches? Redundancy means nothing if you don't find out one isn't working. Relying on one piece of metal and one spring seems like suicide tbh
Did you know on newer rides with hydraulic locking of the restraints (Like Intamin's Kondaa at Walibi Belgium and probably also Toutatis, since it's the same sort rollercoaster and same manufacturer) every ride cycle one of the cylinders of the restraints is checked (first left, the next cycle the right cylinder and so on) if it has released some pressure during operation the ride will not dispatch any more and the control panel will show an error. It does this for every train and every cycle. Though 1 cylinder is enough to keep it closed, they do this for every ones safety... So next time you board Kondaa.... the ride is also inspecting itself! NEAT!
I was on a quite large ride once and the ride was experiencing difficulties but at the time we were at the highest point in the entire ride, the top of the hill after the initial launch. we were informed that we would be taken down by fire personnel so an operator came to unlock our restraints but the train had started again because someone that was in line at the time had apparently hit the start button. the train went ZOOMING down the hill and we continued the rest of the ride as normal, except the restraints were unlocked and moving freely as the ride went on. no one was hurt but i now live with insane anxiety from it and cant ride any of my favorite rides anymore. not to discourage anyone from getting on rides, theyre super safe and super fun, this was just my horror story lol
Great job as usual. Although I kind of miss the debunked series, I think that these types of videos will be far more informative than a debunked ever could be.
Better hope a bird doesn’t hit that manual release. Good luck everybody.
It would have to hit it with so much force tho lol
Youmemichael 🤷🏻♂️
Accidentally stapled myself on Apollos in Williamsburg once and the restraint popped up; I thought I was gonna die but it instantly tightened a notch looser and everything was fine
In 1985 I had a season pass to Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara. I remember tht they had a decapitation incident shortly before (or while) I had a few season tickets to the park. I remember one summer I decided to ride their "Tidal Wave" roller coaster ten times in a row. On the tenth and final ride, I remember realizing, on the final part of the ride, that my restraint was unfastened. That freaked me out a bit, as the ride was terrifying for me, but I lived, so didn't make a fuss.
Honestly such a great video and it’s fun learning about this stuff
I had a ratchet restraint pop open and release on me when I was younger and my seat belt unlatched and I couldn't rebuckle it. Wore glasses but left them at the station with the ride op since I didn't have strap so I couldn't see. It was on an old wooden coaster at six flags America called the wild one. It popped a little after the first couple drops on the coaster. I survived obviously but it scarred me and pushed me away from coaster for a very long time. Now I make sure to strap my glasses to wear them on any coaster and check my restraints multiple times before a ride.
My fiancé took me to Six Flags a few years ago when I got on a real proper roller coaster for the first time. Having been on kiddie coasters and more tame coasters before in Disney Land, my expectations were a bit warped. Once the ride started, it didn't take long before I realized that I severely underestimated the forces an adult roller coaster can exert on you. As a result, I couldn't shake away the irrational fear that my restrains could come off at any second since I could feel the forces I was exerting on it. This caused me to instinctually tense up and hurt myself in the process. It didn't help that we put on our restrains ourselves and the staff seemed to compose of disinterested college students. Of course, the restrains didn't come off until they were supposed to, but this didn't stop me from developing a fear of the coasters. Since my fiancé loves them so much, I plan to give them another shot at some point, but even watching coasters make me remember the sheer panic I felt on the first ride. Hopefully it will go away with exposure.
I think you should really continue this series of debunking common "GP" myths. I think it is very helpful for people that are new to coasters and have only watched clickbait coaster videos.
one time when i was riding the ghostrider at knott’s berry farm there was a rlly small child that had been on right before me so the seatbelt was tightened rlly small, i get panicky during the loading part of rollercoasters so instead of asking someone for help to loosen the belt i just clicked it in place with how small it was and put the lap bar down. half way through the ride theres a small pause before going down again and i looked at my lap and my belt was FULLY unbuckled i was like 👁👄👁
Late 1980s I was about 8-9 yo riding thunder road in Carowinds NC. The bar became loose at top of hill, the only thing holding it down was the back up chain attached to leg rail/car mount. SCARY!!!
Can rollercoaster restrains open during ride, Yes they can-
me: *nervous noises*
I love the footage from CP's backstage areas.
The video is very true but some aspects of it vary by park. A lot of park maintenance crew do NOT like hydraulic because of the batteries they have to remember, But they have better safety measures. A lot of times when evac get so crazy, they are never remember to get charged. Sometimes this is the reason why guests are stranded on ride for a while. Rachet rides are a lot different as explains in the video because all you need is a very unqily design tool and it can open up the restraints. These are never to be in anyone access and locked away by maintenance and when calling ops, crew need to let them know they are loaded trains out of station so maintenance could bring the tools and evac the train. On Medusa at six flags this happened a few time. This tool could turn like a key and unlock individual rows. It was easy quick and painless to the riders. When El Toro got stuck, the batteries that had to be used were LEFT at Kingda Ka and uncharged. Riders were stuck on El Toro for 45 to and hour because they need to charge them. SOP on El toro requires full charging. They have sense changed, where maintenance is required to make sure batteries are being charged after stacking trains at the end of the night. Great video.
Paul A hydraulic lock is a lot more comfortable and strong than any ratchet lock
It happened to me on The Dragon at Adventureland in Iowa. Between the people behind me and my friend next to me, we held them down all the way up to the first drop. They finally clicked back into place just in time. Scariest ride of my life. We told the operators and it was down for maintenance the rest of the day. The next year I went, they had attached seat belts for extra security.
I feel like most of the people in the comments claiming their restraints 'popped open' mid-ride just experienced a ratcheting restraint pop up to the next ratchet slot because it wasn't fully slotted into the absolute tightest ratchet slot possible for them... completely normal, maybe slightly unnerving yes, but totally safe and you'll just have a bit more of a roomy ride :)
The lap bar once fully opened mid ride on Dollywoods Thunderhead, and the seatbelt saved me. Happened back in one of the years around 2010-2012.
Cap
I recall one time when I was like 10 or something on the Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg my harness didn't lock whatsoever, and the floor dropped out and the gate opened and me and my father were absolutely screaming the ride did all the whooshy stuff for a few agonizing seconds before they noticed and corrected it. As it turned out, someone exceeding ride size requirements in front of me was not able to properly lock, which for some reason affected the whole column. They left and the ride went fine after, but it was Not fun.
Solid ride though on reflection
I'm freaking out because of this! My family was invited to Knotts and one of the guys is 300lbs at least. That's why I'm here. I am super worried about this!
Hydraulic over the shoulder restraints are my favorite. Especially the ones like on the Valravn (I think) at cedar point that has the cushy/non metal over the shoulder thing as well. Those are the best!!
Both types of restraints have their satisfying feature, on hydraulic restraints, it's fun watching the restraints get pulled back/up on their own. On Ratchet restraint, it's that satisfying click sound.
It can really happen. Years ago, at Six Flags Great America, on Batman the ride, the over shoulder restraints fully released on my friend during the first drop. She was in the middle of me and another friend, so thankfully we were able to hold the shoulder restaurant down firmly throughout the ride.
We reported the issue as soon as the ride was over, and they immediately took the train out of service.
Omg I'm glad she was okay, that's my worst fear 🙏🏻💞♥️
I doubt that actually happened
One time I was on a coaster (Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia) and for half the coaster, my restraint wouldn’t lock and stayed open. They didn’t check my seat before I rode that time. I had to pin *myself* down during the ride. I’m entirely surprised I didn’t get thrown out. I had to physically hold myself to the ride, something I’m, again, honestly surprised I managed to do. I am not above or below any height or weight restrictions for the coaster. The seat just wasn’t checked properly. I reported the issue to the ride operator when I got off and, to my knowledge, the issue was fixed immediately and no one got hurt.
Edit: This was a few years ago and this issue is definitely a very rare thing. As the video said, rides are always checked every time they’re sent across the track. This ride in particular just for that day and just for that one riding experience was an exception. I am not in any way saying that roller coasters are dangerous or that you shouldn’t ride them. I still love coasters and I haven’t stopped riding them since! In fact, I rode that same ride two more times right afterwards (just in different seats) with no problem! And even though there was a weird, rare issue, it was resolved before anyone had a chance to get injured! I just wanted to share a neat, coaster related story. :3
I road Goliath spring last year at SFOG, front row seat 1 and typically will close very tight to my legs- as usual it did and as we went over the first airtime hill after the drop, the restraint clicked up one notch.
Around 4 years ago I was at ceder point riding the Raptor and my fiancees overhead restraint unlocked while we were going up the first hill. Like the intelligent person she is, she decided that instead of trying to pull the restraint back down, she would just start bawling her eyes out instead. Me and the other guy next to her pulled it back down and it locked, but we looped our arms through it and held tight just in case(hurt like hell holding it that way) When we got off we told the ride operator what happened. Showed him the seat, and he said "oh ok" and loaded the next people into it. And that ride operator alone is why I don't like roller coasters anymore. I can trust the engineering, i can accept the one off tragic random event, but I cant accept a seemly stoned out his mind kid being responsible for overseeing the immediate safety of a ride and it's passengers. We ending up reporting it to some other staff and the next day we got into the park and noticed that one of the carts was being worked on. I hope that kid lost his job because he ruined coasters for me forever.
For some vekoma trains the pedal is reachable from the passenger's location. So, a long Dutch person can reach for it, and unlock the restraints mid-ride. It allows a long person to know exactly where the pedal is, and purposely do it, but it *is* possible. I've seen someone do it on the final brakerun of a ride before, and I could open my restraints up a bit more. However, holding it down it neatly relocked after he released the pedal.
There is a Schwarzkopf double looping model at my home park, and around 6 years ago I was on it, and I remember as we were going up the lift hill everyone restraints came undone, of course the train stopped, everything was safe, but it was still one of those really uncommon experiences that I’ll always remember
I wish I'd seen this in high school and had never been on a roller coaster.
These days I'm a bit more seasoned and don't event think about it, but it's still very interesting!
GP to Enthusiast: "Can restraints come undone mid ride?
Short answer: Yes
Me: I never thought that that could happen
I have an anxiety disorder and riding roller coasters is one time when I feel totally safe. Under normal circumstances being restrained or confined would result in a serious panic attack; on a roller coaster, once I feel like that restraint is snug, I'm nice and secure.
I had a restraint on one of the ONLY roller coasters I will ride at my summer camp come up right before a twist drop, it was scary but I managed to pull it back down and it locked right when we entered the drop. After we finished the ride I told the operator and he called maintenance right away. This is the reason why I only feel comfortable going in the roller coasters at this park, because the operators are really nice and you can get to know them if your there for a long time like me, and also because they have really really good safety procedures there
A few years back, i was riding tempesto at Busch Garden Williamsburg and i thought my restraints were locked but right before an inversion they popped open and my sister had to use her arm to keep me from flying out.... I didn't tell anyone because I knew that my parents wouldn't let me go back on any roller coasters ever again.... i've had similar things happen to me at Coney Island and some small carnivals so I guess I have crazy bad luck. I still ride roller coasters I just make a big deal about my restraints being checked like 4 times before we leave the station. Scary.
Had this happen on a tame wood coaster (The Outlaw at Adventureland in Altoona, IA) with ratcheting restraints (just a metal bar that the operator checks at each car after locking). On the ascent up my friend and I (in the front car, which made it more scary/fun) noticed the bar was completely loose. It was just moving freely. We were too amused by the situation to get scared and I just said “let’s just push the bar down at the top and hold on”, that’s what we did and it was only sketchy at a couple points but I’m grateful for it. That coaster was boring as fuck to me at that point and this was a great curveball. We told the attendant that the bar didn’t lock and they seemed wholly apathetic. Two thumbs up.
Glad im not the only person with this fear. I have no fear of the restraint not being locked per say when I leave the station. My fears comes from feeling like I am falling out of the seat or gonna come out on air time hill...I always feel like the restraint cant take my weight pushing up on it, even tho I am sure it can.
Mostly of the ride these days can’t open when ridning, not even if you click the button, because they need to be in still position. Some of the rides also have automatic lock. When they click the Button, the bars goes Down, you Can easy hear when it lock, it gives a Big lock sound in the seat
I'm a larger guy. I was riding a wooden coaster when the lap bar came up. I was scared out of my mind for the rest of the ride and holding on for dear life. Thankfully there wasn't much airtime on this ride. Haven't been on it since.
I'm not meaning to scare the general public away from coasters with this but my restraint did come up a click on Batman the Ride at my home park once. It was locked but the ride op really stapled me so Idk if that affected it. I think on the 1st loop it came up and I just pushed it back down even if it meant a hard staple on me. Maxx Forces restraints are great because they can't come up or down during the ride so if you get a little room, you can keep it even when it undergoes strong positive gs.
Yea it probably “slipped a ratchet” meaning that the restraint was not fully clicked into the next ratchet and at that point on the ride it clicked up one into the next ratchet!
The Calgary Stampede has a drop ride with a similar restraint style. The issue is that there's no ratcheting or hydraulic system to hold you in place. All there is, is basically a seatbelt latch that can be opened mid-ride. Not good when you're 150 feet in the air, with concrete below you.
The ride isn’t gonna start with the restraints unlocked unless it’s owned by Joshua macaroni.
Who?
Gotta love the amount of footage I’ve seen of trains and coasters at Six Flags Great America. That’s my home park !
1:46 Notice all the bugs on the train😂 Cedar Point for ya
lol I took that pic before we cleaned the trains in the morning!
I've had it happen on Shikra in Busch Gardens. It was terrifying, but the double seat buckle thing did its job.
I was behind my brother on a looping ride when we were kids, and was horrified when his over-the-shoulder restraint opened completely at the end of the loop. The problem was, we were about to do the whole thing backwards. Despite our panicked screams, the ride continued. Fortunately my brother was able to pull it down and get it locked before we went back through the loop. I never went on that ride again.
Oh wow that's my worst fear, I'm glad your brother pushed it down in time and he is okay 🙏🏻💞♥️
I'm calling cap
One time when I was 8 years old, I rode the Scorpion at Busch Gardens. My lap bar was locked in place at the station but as soon as the operator started the ride my lap bar released, and it seemed like other people’s lap bars did too. So as the train went up the lift hill I pushed my lap bar down again locking it in place again. The rest of the ride went on as normal. No one mentioned what the lap bars did so I don’t know if my 8 year old mind exaggerated what happened due to being nervous. The Scorpion is from 1980 so I don’t know if something “glitched” (I know it’s not the right word) and told the rollercoaster to release the restraints. It probably would’ve stopped at the top of the lift hill if it sensed that the lap bars weren’t down. I believe that the rollercoaster is safe, a little rough nowadays but safe. I still ride it whenever I visit the park with no problems
2:47 hehey that's the train from Taron in Phantasialand ahah
On a crazy steel coaster with the ratchet restraint. I heard a click while riding and it loosened by one click. It was double secured with a seatbelt but it was loose enough to knock me around and scare the shit outta me. I still love coasters but never rode that one again
Happened to me on Batman leg dangling roller coaster (Knight Flight) at Six Flags Cleveland (Geauga Lake) on the first loop. At the bottom of that loop it reactivated and worked the rest of the ride, but I didn't enjoy the rest of the ride after that. Scared the hell out of me.