The Evolution of Today’s Roller Coasters
How safe is the modern roller coaster? Media attention to amusement park injuries and fatalities have led to concerns about passenger safety and potential brain injuries resulting from faster, more complex rides that may cause greater stress on the rider.
West European ice slides, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, are the earliest ancestors of the present-day roller coaster. Ice blocks were fashioned into sleds, and sand created friction to slow down the sled at the end of the ride. As popularity increased, wooden sleds were built with iron runners to increase the speed and intensity of the ride.
The first roller coaster with a train attached to a track was built in 1817. In the mid-1800s, a Pennsylvania train was originally constructed as a coal transportation system but became an attraction for visitors willing to pay one dollar to ride it. In 1875 Coney Island was opened and the first under-friction roller coaster was introduced there later in 1912. This design held the coaster train on the track and allowed for more speed, steeper hills, and less drag.
The opening of Disneyland in 1955 increased the popularity of roller coasters and introduced improvements in their design. Until then coasters had been built out of wood, which limited the way loops could be handled, but in 1959 Disney introduced the Matterhorn, the first tubular steel coaster. Ever since, people have wanted faster, more thrilling rides, pushing the limits of design to provide extreme adventures for their passengers. With these improvements, concern for safety became paramount.
Compared to the sustained forces astronauts or fighter pilots experience, the G-forces coasters exert are brief. Roller coaster riders experience both “weightlessness” and elevated G-forces during the course of a ride, which gives roller coasters their unique and exhilarating feel in a safe and controlled environment. Even though new coaster designs provide faster and more complex experiences for their riders, accelerations and G-forces have remained relatively constant and within tolerable levels.
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