Should Splash Mountain have safety restraints?

[°O°Joe]

dizprincess717, I really do feel this is a stupid arguement, because she wasn't hurt. But it was a near miss and I'm sorry, I still dissagree. What about Kali River Rapids? It has restraints... Those ride vehicles could in theory sink, right?

You might think differently someday when you are a parent, but me personally - I just want to have fun and see my kids have fun, and you want your kids to feel like if there's anywhere they can feel 100% safe, it's at the Happiest place on Earth. You wouldn't think that you would have to constantly worry about your children's safety on the ride. I've never felt that way before and I don't feel I should have to. And trust me, after that happened, there's no way my daughter will ride that ride again for years, because she won't feel safe. Which sucks, because it is still my favorite ride and I enjoy it tremendously.

And I do feel if she were somehow injured from her fall, I could have won in a lawsuit. I'm not the type of person that would sue, because I don't believe in that, but I don't think Disney would stand a chance in that lawsuit.

I would like to believe these rides are designed to ensure peoples safety while riding, whether 4 years old or 90. I would feel safe sending a whole train load of 4 or 5 year olds on BTMR. I can't say the same about Splash. IMO they're targeted to the same audience.

I understand when you say you were on my side and that you are sorry this happened. But you say it is the parents responsiblity and you have to watch your own kids. Well, I do watch my kids and I consider myself a darn good parent, and I guess when you are criticized like that and made out to look like your irresponsible, it hurts your pride a little bit. Someday you'll understand that.

I never said you, a CM, or Disney were at fault for my daughter falling. But I still think more good would come out of safety restraints than bad. So what if the ride is slowed down by having to make certain everyone is properly secured. BTMR would be much faster if people could just jump on and send them on their way, maybe they need to lose the restraints on BTMR.

 

[°O°Joe]

As a side note, this picture is from Walt Disney World's official website. My daughter was basically sitting just like this little girl in the front. Only with her face burried in my side. And now that I think about it, you see people sitting in this position all the time trying to avoid the "splash".

 

[Micca]

It would seem that ride safety is what the height requirement is all about. The Imagineers would have designed the logs differently if they thought anyone would actually fall out. You know that the attraction was tested and retested many times before guests boarded it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

But if they are expected to hold children tight so they don't fall while riding - their should be some sort of warning written about that!

Warning! Please hold children tight so they don't fall while riding!

'Expected to' is entirely different from 'choose to'. Nobody is expected to hold on to anybody on any Disney attraction. If a parent chooses to hold on to a child on a ride like Splash Mountain, fine. But as several posters have indicated, the ride IS safe the way it's designed.

dizprincess717, I really do feel this is a stupid arguement, because she wasn't hurt. But it was a near miss and I'm sorry,

Just for the record, a 'near miss' is actually a hit, or in this case incident.

 

[Doc CW]

No because people should be responsible for keeping themselves besides that feeling of almost falling out is part of the fun. I understand about kids though, thats why they have height requirments.

 

[°O°Joe]

Just for the record, a 'near miss' is actually a hit, or in this case incident.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. In my industry, construction, a near miss is an accident that nearly happened. I guess I considered it a near miss because there was no harm done. Kind of like if a beam came loose from a crane and fell to the ground nearly crushing somebody by 3 feet, it was an accident (the beam falling) but at the same time it didn't cause injury so it was a near miss.

 

[maelstrom]

I've been thinking about this since I recently started riding Splash Mountain again. I'm an adult, but a very small one (4'11" 93lbs) and I feel like I am going to go flying out of the log every time I ride. My behind is literally not touching the seat on the way down. I have to hold onto my dad very tightly (he's a big guy and isn't going anywhere). I cannot hold onto the bars in the log and feel safe; they are very big around and I have very small hands; I can't get a good grip/wrap on them. I really think that Splash Mountain should have a lap bar like on BTMRR.

 

[maxiesmom]

For many people, the feeling that you might fall out of the ride is part of the thrill. And not just on Splash Mountain.

I trust that Disney would have seat belts or a bar if it was necessary. I do not want added restraints that do no purpose other than to make someone feel better. I ride Soarin', and I feel like I am going to fall out, little seat belt or not. But I am not going to demand that they add an over the shoulder harness so that I feel better. That would also diminish some of the rides thrill. Part of the fun is tipping forward and feeling like you might fall out into the sky.

If you are uncomfortable and do not want to ride a ride, then don't. But why would you ask Disney to add restraints that in reality are doing nothing in the way of making you safer?

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Trust me about this stuff too, I'm a law student.

Well... once you're no longer a 1L, a 2L, or a 3L.... and you've passed the bar... and you've participated in at least one tort case that actually goes to trial without settling... you'll smack yourself in the head for typing this.

 

[StevePSU1]

Splash Mountain is completely safe as designed and WDW's safety record is exemplary.

Comparing restraint systems from Splash to BTTM to Kali arent valid comparisons. Each ride subjects the rider to different physical forces. BTTM and KRR have sizable lateral forces and negative g forces. Splash Mountain doesnt.

Some of the thrill at SM is the Illusion or feeling that you might pop out. This is not physically possible without someone actually trying to jump out.

A rider of appropriate size should not need a parent to hold them into the ride.
This practice compromises the parents ability to brace themselves properly.

 

[3mtn-kate]

I have a story about my experience with my own "safetey restraint" on Splash. When I was seven I went for the first time with my mom and dad. My mom and I were in the very first seat in the log and my dad was behind us. As our log is lifting over the hump to go down the big drop my mom feels me rising slightly out of my seat, being scared she throws her arm across me litterally choking me back into my seat . All you can see in our picture is me and my mom with our eyes closed. Me because I'm being choked by my mother and my mother because she is scared. Not the best first experience for the ride huh? But I don't think they would be all that necassary but I do see why some people (my mom lol) would think they are.

 

[suzij13]

The Log Flume ride has been around since 1963 none of them that I have ever seen have had any sort of seat belts or safty bar. I have been on quite a few too as my family is into amusment parks of all kinds. I think that if they have been around that long then they should be perfectly safe as long as you follow the rules. That includes Splash Mountain.

 

[S. C.]

Sit up straight, with the small of you back, and your behind, pressed hard against the seat back. Press down hard with your feet/legs on the floor, feet outstretched as far forward as they can get. I can now do Splash, arms completely upraised....used to be terrified I was going to heave right out. If you lean forward, holding onto the bar, the feeling of 'airtime' is even worse!!

My Grandsons love splash. The younger one in the pic in my signature was 8 yrs old in the pic and he is small and a lightweight for his age. He rode splash in the front seat everytime they could get in the front & we rode splash a lot. He would sit up there arms high in the air and he never felt like he was going to come out of the log. Everytime we got off he would say LETS GO AGAIN!!!!

We rode splash so much that grandsons started making silly faces for their pics .

 

[helenm29]

There are exceptions to everything. I personally don't think that they should put safety restraints in Splash Mountain. As a lot of others have said "The fealing of falling is half the fun" and the height restrictions are there for a reason. I think Disney did a good job on the design of those logs because they round in towards the sides...I have never gotten wet on the sides, just from the front. Helen

 

[dizprincess717]

This is the story people -

Splash is safe as it is. If the child fell to the floor, then it wasn't because there's a restraint needed, it was an accident and that's that.

There will never be any sort of lap bar added to the logs at Splash now. I have heard rumors that they are designing new logs, but that's years off.

So for now, there's no lap bars. There won't be lap bars. And the ride does not need lap bars because if you're 40"+ you are 100% safe.

That's that. End of discussion.

And as far as the poster who commented me about being a law student? I'm just saying, I learned about this from my professor who is also the professor for the College Program at my school.

And these boards seem to be becoming overrun by people who criticize what anyone else says. I WORKED at Splash which is why I posted to clarify to the OP about the safety and lap bar issue at Splash. It's fact. That's that.

 

[°O°Joe]

This is the story people -

Splash is safe as it is. If the child fell to the floor, then it wasn't because there's a restraint needed, it was an accident and that's that.

There will never be any sort of lap bar added to the logs at Splash now. I have heard rumors that they are designing new logs, but that's years off.

So for now, there's no lap bars. There won't be lap bars. And the ride does not need lap bars because if you're 40"+ you are 100% safe.

That's that. End of discussion.

And as far as the poster who commented me about being a law student? I'm just saying, I learned about this from my professor who is also the professor for the College Program at my school.

And these boards seem to be becoming overrun by people who criticize what anyone else says. I WORKED at Splash which is why I posted to clarify to the OP about the safety and lap bar issue at Splash. It's fact. That's that.

Well, you say it's 100% safe, but the fact that my daughter fell on the floor of the "log" tells me that maybe it's not 100% safe. I'm sorry, but just because you were a CM and say that it's 100% safe doesn't mean is. I mean, honestly, if a small child falls on the floor of a high velocity thrill ride, how is that 100% safe? CM? What if my daughter fell and hit her head and was unconsious? Is that still 100% safe?

I'm not so sure that it's fact, I think it's more opinion.

 

[Groovee]

And these boards seem to be becoming overrun by people who criticize what anyone else says. QUOTE]

You are the one who had a huge go at me for saying that I wouldn't go on it and now you're whinging about people critising you.

 

[disneylandkitty]

no force of gravity will keep u in

 

[maxiesmom]

Well, you say it's 100% safe, but the fact that my daughter fell on the floor of the "log" tells me that maybe it's not 100% safe. I'm sorry, but just because you were a CM and say that it's 100% safe doesn't mean is. I mean, honestly, if a small child falls on the floor of a high velocity thrill ride, how is that 100% safe? CM? What if my daughter fell and hit her head and was unconsious? Is that still 100% safe?

I'm not so sure that it's fact, I think it's more opinion.

You also stated that your daughter was not sitting straight up, which is how Disney expects people to be riding. So the statement should be that Splash is 100% safe if you are riding the correct way.

Suppose I ride alone. If I decide to try and sit sideways across the seat, should I not expect to maybe slide off? No, I'm sure I would slide off. You need to have your feet down and your upper body straight for that to not happen.

I am truly sorry for the scare you and your daughter had. But it is not a design failure that caused it.

 

[cleo]

And with that, we're done. Personal issues aside, Splash is safe if you meet the height requirments. If you would like to continue the various debates that have sprung up, please feel free to post on the Community Board.