How Should Roller Coasters Be Designed?
The majority of amusement park roller coasters are designed where the roller coaster is brought to an apex and the roller coaster then descends and goes into a curve where the roller coaster rider is never totally weightless. However, as the limits of roller coasters are continually challenged, some roller coasters are traveling at such high speeds that the roller coaster rider experiences negative gravity. When negative gravity occurs, the roller coaster rider will experience being momentarily separated from the roller coaster seat. It is then the responsibility of the roller coaster’s safety restraint system to keep the roller coaster rider safe by preventing them from falling out of the roller coaster. When these safety restraints are faulty or improperly secured, the roller coaster rider may fall from great heights resulting in broken bones, brain damage, quadriplegia, loss of a limb, amputation or even death.
