New bill would prohibit minors from operating amus

[DeliriumDreamer]

I agree with beast freak. If they trust 16-year-olds to Drive on-road vehicles, and they can get licenses like anyone else can, what makes it so wrong to drive amusement park rides when there have been 7 deaths within the last ten years, and there have been thousands of traffic accidents(most of which are ADULTS)?

Btw-I don't drive anything-the only thing I drive is my parents crazy. I don't even have a temps for that!

[SixFlagsMasta]

the funny thing is that with all of the "employee deaths" only 7 of them were minors! so which group is really more careless?????

[coasterrz]

Part of the reason for more adult operator deaths, is I would assume that there is a larger proportion of adult ride operators, since places like Cedar Point require their operators to be 18 or older.

To address the issue about PKI`s rides and the computer ensuring that bars are locked, not every ride computer ensures the bars are locked. I believe most of the coasters and all the wooden coasters do not have sensors ensuring all the bars are locked. One reason the bars on Face Off, Top Gun, Vortex and Son of Beast have a strip of yellow tape on them is for ride operators to better be able to visually see if a bar is up and not locked. I do know that Delirium and Tomb Raider have computer sensors to sense if a bar is locked.

I`ve stated my position on this bill before. There are some minors that shouldn`t be running rides, but there are some that should. Additionally, there are some adults (18 or 19 year olds in particular) who are operating rides that probably shouldn`t be. As for the 16 year olds being able to drive and able to operate amusement park rides. Most states now require a graduated license system in which rookie drivers are required to have some practice with an older adult. On research I`ve done, some states have laws that say that minors can check bars on coasters, but they can`t actually push any buttons. There is a big difference between a 16 year old driving a car and operating an amusement park ride. When a 16 year old is driving he usually has people in their car that they know. However, when they are operating an amusement park ride, they are in control of machinery which has complere and total strangers.

Just like everything else in this country everyone has a right to their own opinion and point of view. Ed Markey may feel this is a necessary Bill, others may feel that it is unnecessary. That is one of the founding principals of this country. If the bill is such a big problem to some people, then people can make it an issue with their local congress man or senator. Ultimately, the bill doesn`t affect me as I`m 19, but I know several people at Coney that are excellent ride operators that would be affected. Sorry for the long post!

[coasterdime]

I think that all people are different, regardless of age. As others have said, there are 17 year olds who are more responsible than 30 year olds. This whole thing is very subjective, and a bill like Markey's is like trying to kill a fly with a cannon. Ages of the ops has little to do with their work ethic, maturity, or responsibility; and Markey's bill is simply designed to harm already labor-strapped parks. It also gets us thinking about how DANGEROUS parks can be....he does this every Spring.....

What it all boils down to for me is this: If PKI trusts a person-after inteviewing, hiring, and training them...then I trust PKI's judgement. They've been doing this for a long time with a very good safety record. Most parks aren't going to risk their entire business if they thought a 16 year-old was incompetent. With an extensive training program in place, I can ride worry-free, no matter who is driving.

[coasterrz]

Here is an interesting question: how many ride operators between 16 and 18 have been injured? Furthermore, how many of those injured were at permanent amusement parks? Finally, how many of those injuries were related to corporatlly owned parks? I would venture to say that a good portion of the injuries/deaths are related to traveling fairs/smaller amusement parks.

[BoObKiNoS]

I believe most of the coasters and all the wooden coasters do not have sensors ensuring all the bars are locked. One reason the bars on Face Off, Top Gun, Vortex and Son of Beast have a strip of yellow tape on them is for ride operators to better be able to visually see if a bar is up and not locked. I do know that Delirium and Tomb Raider have computer sensors to sense if a bar is locked.

The yellow tape is there to help simplify the final visual check given by the ride operator, considering the bars are black and the seats are usually. EVERY single coaster will not let you dispatch a train until the bars are locked, wood coasters are no different. Every single ride with electronicaly controlled lap bars is the same way to the best of my knowledge.

[CaviMan2]

okay...heres where i stand...i dont think that it is a bad idea except for one thing...the workforce...the only problem would be filling operator positions in KI area with only 18 year olds...i think otherwise its not that bad of an idea...

[coasterrz]

CaviMan2, I think if the park tried to fill all their ride positions with ONLY 18 YEAR OLDS, then they would have a problem. However, there would be people older than 18 that would work in rides. Yes, they would have a smaller pool of people to draw from, but Disney and Cedar Point seem to manage just fine.

[swampmonster]

You knew that he didn't actually mean only staffing 18 year olds and excluding 19 and up.

[SOB/Gun Steve-O]

OK, after a thorough review of these posts, here is my opinion in a nice, ordered, numbered form:

1) Nobody high up in the federal government knows what they're doing.

2) PKI requires that at least one 18-or-older person be at every major ride.

3) PKI would probably not have that much trouble staffing only people over 18. Keep in mind I believe there is a wait-list to get into the rides dept.

4) SOB puts through thousands of people per day and cost the park several million dollars. Do you really think that they would allow a plastic toy easter egg to do any damage to it?

5) At every ride that has an auto-restraint system, the ride won't start until they have been locked down. This is part of our saftey test we run every morning.

6) I know more than a few 18 year-olds who have no business running a ride (anyone in AZ last year knows who I'm talking about, and its more than 1 person).

7) Tiny's right. Its pretty hard for a driver to do something that would cause harm to anyone on the train unless something went catastrophically wrong and the trains were about to crash or fall off the track or something. When a ride is normally operating, all you really use are two buttons and two switches. If the driver for some reason did do something wrong, the computer will often just automatically stop the ride.

8) I don't know why the yellow tape is there.

9) All the ride ops (particularly the ones who work on big rides) go through a lot of training about emergency procedures and how to operate the ride in a safe manner for you and us. Anyone who openly violates saftey procedure can be fired instantly.

10 and finally) Look, I understand that you want to be safe. That is most definately a reasonable request. But some of this is comprable to breaking down the door to the cockpit on a 747 and telling the pilot how to fly the plane - when you've never even seen the inside of a cockpit of a crop duster, much less an intercontinental jumbo jet.

[coasterrz]

Nicely stated Sob/Gun Steve-O!

Yes, I knew what he meant, but taken literally, that is what he typed, although I understood what it meant.

[adbort]

Does this bill mean, you have to be 18 to operate a ride (driver). Or you have to be 18 period to even work on an amusement ride?

[coasterrz]

18 or older to operate the rides at an amusement park.

[stephenmayes]

Well Put STeveo

Tiny

[DeliriumDreamer]

You tell 'em, Steve-O! I couldn't have said it better myself. I especially like your number one reason.

[AZ Kinda Guy]

The yellow tape is there to help simplify the final visual check given by the ride operator, considering the bars are black and the seats are usually.  EVERY single coaster will not let you dispatch a train until the bars are locked, wood coasters are no different.  Every single ride with electronicaly controlled lap bars is the same way to the best of my knowledge.

Well Drew your right about the yellow tape, or paint in Face/Off's case. However, your wrong about the bars. Every coaster will let you dispatch with the bars up or unlocked. The only rides I can think of that will not let you dispatch with the bars up are Tomb Raider and Delirium. Both of which come from the Huss Giant ride lineup.

[teenageninja]

Here's what I think will happen. If this by some snowballs chance in hell passes, those employees under 18 will be grandfathered in. They just won't hire any new under 18 rides people. However, I think this would create some trouble and rides might have to pay a little more to get what they need. Hopefully this doesn't happen, but I'll be 18 by the time this ever even thinks of being signed anyways.

[PKI Homey]

I think the guy attempting to pass the bill is probably talking about maturity. That, I would have no problem with. The problem is, judging maturity. If PKI feels that employee is mature enough to handle themselves in a situation, then I feel they know what's best. Besides, what is an 18 or over gonna be able to do that someone else couldn't? If training is done properly, then that's it. Case Closed.

[PKI Punk]

I really have never had a problem with young employees at PKI. Hell, no park for that matter. I feel that they can handle it because of training and experience.

[TowerGuy]

Well Drew your right about the yellow tape, or paint in Face/Off's case. However, your wrong about the bars. Every coaster will let you dispatch with the bars up or unlocked. The only rides I can think of that will not let you dispatch with the bars up are Tomb Raider and Delirium. Both of which come from the Huss Giant ride lineup.

I think what Drew was talking about is that coasters will not let you dispatch until you have at least pressed the lap bar locking button. It won't actually tell you that all the bars are locked, but it will prevent you from sending the train with all the bars up.

[SOB/Gun Steve-O]

Yeah what TowerGuy said - its part of morning saftey tests - trying to send the train with the restraints unlocked. It won't dispatch and our display screen says on it in big all capatalized bold yellow letters:

DISPATCH NOT ALLOWED

LAB BARS RELEASED

or something like that.

On Top Gun each individual car's restraint lockers are checked by a probe on the lift also.

We'd have to really try to get the ride(s) to really hurt somebody - unless someone stepped in front of it or something. Further reasoning as to why a minor CAN operate a ride.

[beastdude]

If only the voters new how much saftey went into rides. I think when ever a accident happens the news somtimes blow it up into a huge debate and people get a idea that every rollercoaster in the world is unsafe.

[SOB/Gun Steve-O]

Well, I hate to go back to the airliner analogy, but what the heck.

Thousands upon thousands of aircraft take off and land in this country every day without incident.

But when one does not, the whole freaking world knows about it. People want to know about stuff thats out of the ordinary. I could be wrong about this, but I think the last major airliner incident to occur in the US was in 2001 - and this was an actual plane crash here, I'm not talking about 9/11. Took days for the news folk to get off of it. Whenever an incident happens, things get blows out of proportion about who saw or did what when (this is one of the main reasons for the employee "gag order," as I have understood anyways).

Same goes for theme park rides. When accidents occur (and I'm talking about rides in general not just PKI here), they get a lot of attention because they don't happen very often. And when something does happen, it is only natural to call into question the measures taken to prevent such an incident. And people get suspicous. That's just human nature. Certainly working on a really big ride and another good-sized ride that people here like to make fun of , you learn about the borderline insane measures taken to protect people on rides - just like on airplanes.

And when you think about it, accidents, for airplanes or roller coasters or trains or manufacturing businesses or just about anything else you can think of are bad for business, not to mention the almost imminent lawsuits that occur if somebody is injured or killed. So they obviously want to prevent them.

[SOB_TOM]

Someone mentioned they would feel better if a non-minor was operating TRTR. Someone might have pointed this out, but Im going to as well, just because its one in the morning and I dont feel like reading right now:

The way TRTR is set up is that each person in the main ride chamber has a ride stop and an E-stop button. A ride stop will stop the motion of the ride and bring it back to the home posistion. An E-stop will cut all power to the ride. Now with this in mind, each operator has one of each button. The ride runs on a program that, if somehow it diverts from the program, the ride stops itself.

The ride will not, under any circumstances, let you dispatch the ride with one bar with less than four (any backup I cant remember the number) clicks on the restraints. Once that happens, the ride will say it is ready to run. The ride requires four buttons pushed to start, one at both of the bar checkers posistions, and two in the drivebox.

Again with these things in mind, how can anyone really screw it up? As long as you know your ride, you could be 16 or 60, it dont matter, you will feel/see the same thing. I say let minors work the rides. Gives them a good look at what the "real world" is like.

Oh and for those who havent been following the Markey saga: Markey is out to make everything that is enjoyable in a park so restricted its stupid. He tried putting a bill through the congress about limiting the G-forces felt on the rides to 5 Gs. Funny how there are no coasters that really hit that G-force for more than a split second. Do a Google search on him. I bet it will bring up some really interesting things.