Tempesto's "Comfort Collar" Releases During Ride

[JoeKD]

 

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) – The newest ride at Busch Gardens promises twists and turns, but one woman says her granddaughter’s thrill turned into a real-life scare.

 

“She said when she was on the ride, the harness strap came loose and it was not protecting her upper body at all,” Gayle told 10 On Your Side. “[it happened] when it went into the upside down loop.”

... [continued]

 

Full article here: http://wavy.com/2015/07/07/busch-gardens-collar-that-came-loose-during-tempesto-isnt-a-safety-issue/

 

For those who aren't aware, Tempesto at Busch Gardens Williamsburg features "comfort collars": over-the-shoulder restraint-like devices made of a soft, flexible material, similar to the material on Intimidator 305's restraints. However, unlike over-the-shoulder-restraints, the "comfort collars" are meant to provide nothing more than a feeling of added security. The lap bar restraints to which the "comfort collars" attach do 100% of the work to restrain riders.

 

Truthfully, the "comfort collars" serve no real purpose and have already proven themselves to be a bit of a nuisance. They slow down loading times and limit the freedom of the ride vehicle. It should be noted that Tempesto is the only Sky Rocket II clone to feature such a device; the others utilize only lap bars. The "comfort collars" were requested by the park.

 

Here's a picture of the comfort collars:

 

Also keep in mind that, although the "comfort collars" do not actually restrain riders and the coaster's safe operation is not reliant on them, the person who called the news cannot be faulted for her reaction. The general public does not know, and cannot be expected to know, the difference between a legitimate restraint device and a "comfort collar." All they know is that the device they thought was securing them has released, which would quickly raise red flags for most people.

 

Just thought you all would be interested in this.

[RailRider]

"Comfort Collars" not very comforting when they fall off.  This ride and how it has been handled from construction, to theme and introduction make me seriously question the future of Busch as so many love them.

[Steph88]

To me it makes sense why they would have them. I'm a bit scared of riding anything that goes upside down without an over the shoulder restraint. Knowing the facts doesn't make much of a difference to me, for some reason. I still would rather have something over my shoulders.

 

That being said, I wish they'd have given a thorough explanation of how the restraints work to the woman and her granddaughter, as well as the media. Their PR didn't handle this well. If they'd actually explained these comfort collars the way JoeKD did, instead of the defensive, cookie-cutter statement it would have come off better.

 

My local park had an incident where a plastic wheel broke from a Drop Zone ride during operation and came to an abrupt stop. Nobody was injured, but the park's owner went on TV and said the ride did what it was supposed to do to keep riders safe. The wheels weren't due for replacing yet, they'd kept up their maintenance, but he said they were shutting down the ride temporarily and replacing all of these wheels just to be safe and give riders peace of mind. I thought that was handled remarkably well. He explained what had happened and how they were going to fix it. Explaining something rather than being defensive and issuing cookie-cutter statements just seems so much more reassuring.

[XGatorHead 8904]

I would have been concerned too if I was in that position.  I never would have thought that something that goes over my shoulders wasn't part of the restraint.

 

Either way, I can't wait to go there next week!  It'll be my first time, and I'll be getting coaster credit #150 while there.  Now just to figure out which ride will get that honor... probably Griffon since I've never ridden a dive coaster.  I'm just as excited about the shows as I am the rides too.

[WindingSon]

Just looking at those things tells me they don't do anything. I don't fault the lady for freaking out because most people don't think about those kinds of things. Growing up with my home park being Lagoon, I'm used to rides only needing a lap bar for restraints and I hate rides that add them unnecessarily (and in some cases like Revolution at SFMM it apparently destroys a formerly great ride). I understand why they do (so that people can feel safer even if they're not) but I will still scream at my cloud for as long as I can about it.

[marth555]

Not really A big deal and I still look forward to riding it

[silver2005]

Why does this have overhead restraints?  Superman Ultimate Flight at SFDK (which has the same layout and trains, just minus a car) and Full Throttle at SFMM only have lapbars.   In fact, this is the only Premier coaster of this train model not to have lap bars. 

[WindingSon]

Why does this have overhead restraints? Superman Ultimate Flight at SFDK (which has the same layout and trains, just minus a car) and Full Throttle at SFMM only have lapbars. In fact, this is the only Premier coaster of this train model not to have lap bars.

It does have lap bars. It also has OTSRs to make people feel safer.

[APE]

I love when people try to make something out of nothing. 

[RailRider]

Point of clarification.  These are not OTSRs because they do zero restraining.  They are nothing more than something that Busch asked be added to the trains to provide a sense of comfort and safety to their riders, hence the name "Comfort Collars".  Also the general public has zero knowledge that these are merely for aesthetic purposes because they look and attach like OTSRs.  I highly doubt the general public can differentiate between Comfort Collars and OTSRs, plus I would argue that very few enthusiasts knew these were not OTSRs.  Anyone?

 

I think the parks nonchalant response with little explanation are what is alarming to the rider.  After all aesthetic or decorative items on coaster trains that can detach or fall off can be extremely dangerous to the safe operations of a ride and/or park guests.  See the drag wheels that used to exist on Top Thrill Dragster.

[silver2005]

^Which is odd coming from a park home to a B&M hyper with lap bars and seats that allow for a bit of freedom of movement, not to mention a B&M floorless dive machine with similar aspects and then wants these 'comfort collars'.   It's like Busch Gardens went out of their way for them.   I understand guest comfort is important, but its a bit hypocritical with some of the other rides in the park.  

[The Interpreter]

Different management.

Different times.

See also seat belts, Diamondback.

[bkroz]

Cedar Fair was always the king of redundant safety features (in this case, "redundant" meaning "backup," not necessarily "superfluous"). When Backlot's trains went through the strip shop and lost their doors, seat belts were added. I don't think that's a coincidence. (However, I think they're gone now...? Maybe they were taken next door to Diamondback.  )

 

But this is a unique case. The ride already secures at the lap and ankles (in traditional Premier fashion). The collar is a clunky and – truly – superfluous element. Worst, it drastically impacts loading and unloading on a ride that's already incredibly low capacity for such a major park. If you ask me, they need to get the axe. Seems like a silly and unnecessary addition. 

 

It's possible we'll see them disappear (not because of this necessarily, but because of the loading time) but I wouldn't expect anything to change until next season. It would be quite a hassle to shut down the new ride to reconfigure the trains. 

[CoasterDirected]

I honestly hear a lot of GP, being my friends, people I talk to in line, as well as the always correct YouTube commenters, that they feel much "safer" with OTSRs. I showed my friend a video of me on Dragster (my dad recorded it from the stands) and said that it should of "literally killed me" because all I had was a T-bar and a seatbelt. 

[shark6495]

Heck I feel safer with OTSRs.... And to be honest if something popped off of the ride when I was riding I would have flipped

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[NoChickens]

 I couldn't be happier that FoF no longer has them. 

[Steph88]

The GP hears about things like the 2013 New Texas Giant incident, and I saw many commenters saying it should have had OTSRs if it went upside down. They perceive it as being safer because of incidents like this. Although, if a restraint is not properly secured or if there is a malfunction, it really doesn't matter if it's an OTSR or a lap bar.

 

I have to admit it's more reassuring to me to have an OTSR or comfort collar with some handles on the front to hang onto, if it's a ride with inversions. Even if it's just for show. Kind of like how dogs who are afraid of thunder are calmed down when wearing a shirt.

[shark6495]

Oh FoF OTSRs were horrid. The Banshee vests are comfy though.

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[jsus]

I honestly hear a lot of GP, being my friends, people I talk to in line, as well as the always correct YouTube commenters, that they feel much "safer" with OTSRs. I showed my friend a video of me on Dragster (my dad recorded it from the stands) and said that it should of "literally killed me" because all I had was a T-bar and a seatbelt. 

 

YouTube comments, Facebook comments..  It's really pretty much everywhere that the masses discuss roller coasters.  Even for Fury 325, there are those who claim they won't ride it because it "only" has a lap bar.  The only time I personally feel any benefit from an OTSR is on a ride with inversions, and even then only when they're the more modern style like Banshee's.

[Steph88]

^ Also Drop Towers.

[jsus]

^ Good point..  Drop Towers do tend to benefit from OTSRs.  

[WindingSon]

The only roller coaster I've ridden where I felt safer with OTSRs than without is Vortex, and that is only because it sometimes feels like you're crawling through those corkscrews.