New Jersey Officially Limits G-Forces on Coasters 364
Well, NJ has (sadly) become the first state in the US at limiting G-Forces on roller coasters. The regulation calls for prohibition of forces greater than 5.6 that last longer than one second. NJ gave itself the right to regulate rides after an accident where two were killed from a malfunction, not excessive Gs. (A ride I rode once -- It's a kiddie-sized coaster, not what you'll find at Cedar Point, OH. The two killed were a seven year old and her mother.) This is also despite the lack of scientific evidence linking G forces to brain injury, and 320 million riders who turn out just fine every year. One brain-injury specialist interviewed said that you can exert 10 Gs just plopping into a chair, saying the state was "a little misguided."
Aha! Brain Injury! (Score:0, Funny)
Re:Some Perspective...? (Score:3, Funny)
Are you from Jersey?
I'm from Jersey.
Really? What exit?
--
Damn the Emperor!
brain dead (Score:5, Funny)
Wait a minute, are you telling me that all those people out there that continue to pay $40/day for park admission, $4/slice of pizza, $3/drink, and then are willing to spend 2-3 hours waiting in line for a 40 second ride... have not suffered some kind of brain damage?
Re: Dangerous G Forces? (Score:2, Funny)
> Former Astronaut, "Buzz" Aldrin seems to have suffered no ill effects or brain injury from high Gs from his flights and space shots.
Yeah, but the kook reportedly suffered somewhat from the law of conservation of momentum.
Speaking of Chairs (Score:2, Funny)
It must be terrible.
If I bounce on it hard enough,when I sit down, sometimes I can re-live the initial experiece.
Re:This is a step in the right direction (Score:2, Funny)
If one of those 42 people were your close relative, would you care? Would you remove the crayon?
Would you even take the time to write the number 42 in crayon?
You should see my comfy chair!! (Score:5, Funny)
Woah Woah... into a chair? Thats crazy!! i've got the most comfy overstuffed lounge chair and I can tell ya the "specialist" has it all wrong.. its getting out of the chair!!! that exerts gforce!! i probably push against 100g's to get out of oh so comfy chair!!
Re:This is a good thing... (Score:5, Funny)
second, what few injuries rolloercoaster riders have sustained have NOT come from G forces at all. the ones that weren't the result of a malfunction or user error have come from banging their head into the restraints. this has to do with how well the ride is designed, not the G forces it inflicts. a ride could pull only 1 or two G's but still bloody your ears if it's designed poorly.
third, this is simply setting a bad precedent. first come the G force regulations, then height and speed regulations follow. at this particular point in time, rollercoasters are taking quantum leaps forward technologically. the advent of complex high-speed 3d software and the hardware to run it, along with the current theme park boom, are allowing coasters to go higher and faster than they ever have before, and do so while providing a smoother, safer ride than has ever been experienced. have you ridden a B&M coaster, or one of S&S's thrust air monsters? any legislation concerning height and speed, for example, would quickly become laughably obsolete. 100 feet was once a monster of a hill (in the 80's!). now there are coasters more than 400 feet tall.
roller coasters ARE safe. G-forces are NOT dangerous on any roller coasters operating today.
G-Forces on Coasters (Score:3, Funny)
"exert 10 Gs just plopping into a chair" (Score:3, Funny)
Pardon me for asking, but isn't that a bit unhygienic?
(I can't even begin to consider the agony of requiring 10Gs!)
Simon
It's OK to smoke (Score:5, Funny)
Otherwise known as the Philip Morris argument.