The Student Room Group

The Smiler at Alton Towers is set to reopen (19 Mar 16)

I was just whether you'd want to be on it when it first reopens?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498541/Alton-Towers-crash-victim-blasts-themepark-putting-money-safety-reopening-18m-Smiler-ride.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-35842278

I can certainly understand why those injured on the ride would want it to remain closed. From what I gather, the case is still being argued in the courts. Any injury like those are horrible.

But if the reports are true then the incident was caused by human error which means that the actual ride itself is safe. From what the sources I've posted above say, the ride computer detected an obstruction and applied the automated braking system. It was only after an engineer overruled that did the incident happen. Surely the engineer who restarted the ride should be the one being punished? Unless of course the Alton Towers training package was insufficient or perceived/real pressure from the management influenced his/her decision to override the safety system (in which case those processes obviously need to have been fixed which according to the sources then this has happened).

Apparently Alton Towers has had safety incidents in the past but its record on the whole is better than other theme parks according to below.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/thirty-accidents-alton-towers-three-9397443

I was at Alton Towers last weekend and they were doing empty test runs on it then. Personally I think it looks like an amazing ride and you do have to think that the rides at Alton Towers do run constantly many days of the year with thousands of people using them. The odds of something going seriously wrong while you're on one must be very slim (not that it's any consolation to those who were injured).

TLDR - Would you feel safe on the Smiler?
It is probably their safest ride now.

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Reply 2
Original post by DiddyDec
It is probably their safest ride now.

Posted from TSR Mobile


I'd say there's a good chance this is the case. I'd be surprised if they hadn't tightened up things in general as well though. Another public incident on any big ride there would would cause massive public trust issues I'm sure.
Original post by Tempest II
I'd say there's a good chance this is the case. I'd be surprised if they hadn't tightened up things in general as well though. Another public incident on any big ride there would would cause massive public trust issues I'm sure.


They wouldn't have been able to reopen it if it wasn't safe.
Let's face it, it's natural, the victims want retribution and there is a small chance - very very small but still there - of this happening again.

However you wouldn't write off a repairable aeroplane.

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