Now ... they're banning ROLLERCOASTERS!!

[janettetheirritated]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/six-flags-closes-x2-coaster-195458021.html

Its in America but FFS !! for people who don't know much about rollercoasters and why the lawsuits are so dubious, the X2 peaks at 4 G's which is average for a rollercoaster (they range from 3 G to 6 G) so if 4 G's was causing brain bleeds almost EVERY rollercoaster would

Sad times where people can get anything "cancelled" or taken down through pure greed alone if you don't like rollercoasters don't ride em period !!

looking forward to fairs where all youre allowed to legally ride is the teacups !! NOT

Rate of change of velocity is what acceleration is. G force is a handy yardstick for acceleration, as 9.8m/s² doesn't mean a lot to many people.

4G of design peak acceleration based on the profile of the track and the speed of the cars as they move along it is one thing, and something that can be calculated in advance. The shock loading on your brain when it bounces off the inside of your skull due to your head being spanged off the headrest because of weird rotations of the seat etc is something else entirely.

Funfair rides being found to cause unintended injuries and so needing to be redesigned or removed entirely is nothing new.

looking forward to fairs where all youre allowed to legally ride is the teacups !! NOT

Don't underestimate the teacups !!!! My friend's hairdresser's cat went to America one time, and he said that the teacup rides there actually turn you completely upside-down!!!! LITERALLY. 🐈☕ 🔄😱

I don’t believe that - l think there’s much more to it. Under normal circumstances the human body can withstand 4G for the brief amounts of time involved in these rides, and rollercoasters are engineered to ensure that G forces remain well within safe, temporary limits. You can hit 3G for the same time frame each time you sneeze.

The problems arise when people who have certain health conditions embark on the rides - Adrenaline plus G force, along with sudden pressure changes can spike blood pressure and heart rate which can be dangerous for those at risk of heart/vascular problems or who have pre-existing aneurysms.

Sometimes there’s no way to know you’re at risk until these things happen. And I think that’s at the heart of the closure - the owners are shutting this one down voluntarily and I suspect that’s more to do with the fact that they know the public knee jerk reaction will focus on the rides to the exclusion of any other contributing factors There will be negative press and the ride will lose custom and close anyway.

The article you linked to it does seem to bear this out because the owners say they are closing it ‘because we believe it's the right thing to do, - ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.’

Can you stop putting an apostrophe in 'Gs' please?

Yes, I know...

I don't know much about roller-coasters, but I've been educated today about the possible risk of brain injury if you use them regularly.

Maybe it’s a specific quirk. That for some reason at the high g they turn a corner. Then turn again quickly the other way.

I am not a physicist/ doctor nor acquainted with this rollercoaster but not sure why you can’t understand how something specific can be happening with this coaster that’s unique to other coasters.

Oh I now see they have independently rotating 360 seats as well as the rollercoaster.

So it’s just pot luck over thousands of rides with thousands of people whether your seat decides to do something funky.

Sounds right it’s shut down OP!

Including the possibility that there are a higher number of customers using it who are either knowingly or unknowingly at risk of brain injury.

This particular rollercoaster reminded me of a youtube video I watched some time ago -

That was the Green Lantern in Six Flags, a similar design. It was eventually closed because of the rate of injuries. It's a CONSPIRACY AGAINST FUN!?!! THEY WON'T BE HAPPY UNTIL WE'RE ALL KEPT IN CAGES!!!!!!1!!!!

Or, you know, sometimes these things don't quite work out how they're planned and so they're closed because people get hurt. One of the two.

Aren't you kind of disproving your own theory here. They've closed one ride. They have not closed other rides that have a more significant G force. Surely if this was all just to inconvenience us poor souls who like to fling our bodies through the air, wouldn't they just have shut the lot down?

I don't really understand what your thought process is behind this. Why you think the general public is being targeted by means of roller-coaster. Do you think they had meetings about this? "We'll start with the 4G coasters then we'll get someone in the UK to say they got a hiccups after going on Oblivion and before you know it all the fun will be cancelled!! <insert evil laugh>".But maybe you're onto something. I'll do my best to get some tea-cup rides in whenever I have the chance.

according to Chat GPT
Full-size controlled-rotation 4D coasters are extremely rare. X2’s combination of high speed + coaster forces + independently rotating seats makes it quite different from an ordinary 4G coaster

While I’m not saying the above is necessarily completely correct, I’d say that OP fixation on 4G independently on other stuff could well be wide of the mark. It’s probably more about the particular design of this one.

Oh ffs. Sons off to Alton Towers next week and my health anxiety is now pinging off. 🤦‍♀️

It's all about context too. 4G pulling you down into a supportive seat you isn't too bad for short periods. 4G to one side and then a sudden change to 4G the other way would be really hard on your neck. F1 drivers have to get specific training to handle the cornering forces they experience. 4G while you're upside down would be positively dangerous. Hell, even just hanging upside down for long periods of time in 1G is really bad for you.

Honestly, you're wasting your time. Trying to reason with the OP using logic is like trying to expain Norway to a squirrel.

Well case closed then.

Two incidents less than a week apart. Imagine being minimum-wage employees staffing that ride, wondering if you're going to find an unconscious passenger in the seats and the end of a circuit. Or wondering whether any of the people disembarking are going to collapse while leaving the ride.

I fractured my spine aged 26 on a fairground ride (I appreciate not a rollercoaster) and frankly think anyone is insane to go on one.

I suppose "they" have to start somewhere in their quest to ban fun (but bizarrely want us to be happy).
I thought "they" wanted us to be distracted by soap operas and football matches (i.e. fun) so that we didn't worry about politics too much.
I wish "they" would sort out their plans.

I wonder how I can get 'them' to ban curly wurlys, then I wouldnt be such a fat arse.

the company doesnt like the idea of losing money, they sound like they stilll like roller coasters. and others will stay.

Are you wanting to shut down a business decision because you do not like it? honestly i do not see a reason to clutch our pearls here.

The company that owns the roller coaster has chosen not to run it.
It is a business decison so it is hard to see where the outrage is,
Of course a business would like to keep its customers.

Nothing has been banned and nothing has been cancelled. A business made a choice not to risk losing money.

Do you object to private companies making decisions?

It is likely that even if a central government ran an amusement park they might chose to close down a ride when its safety is being questioned by experts and the public -even without the profit incentive.

I assume you are not thinking the company should force people to take that roller coaster?

I have been in a roller coaster accident and it was very scary. Now I chose to just watch when my family go on them.. That is not cancel culture, it is consumer caution.

OP, I'm concerned you may have been on a roller coaster recently as your posts has gone quite bonkers. Also, you are liberally flinging out apostrophes incorrectly as if they are free. Please seek help.

But until you saw this you didn't know and millions of people have been to Alton Towers. Is he not in more danger just getting there if by road?

It's just one roller coaster due to the severe shifts in direction at high G and the head restraints being unsuitable. The owners have closed it to protect themselves from lawsuits and for investigation. Alton towers rides have been around for decades in a lot of cases, I've been on them, apart from a bruise on my shoulder they're fine. Try not to stress. You're much more likely to suffer an injury or something happen at pop up fair grounds.

Yes I’ve had a word with myself.

I await the OP's current thoughts on the Six Flags theme park company.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/13/six-flags-georgia-death-rollercoaster