I saw the above video where YouTube star Mark Rober tested the fastest seat on a coaster, but subsequently got kicked out of a park for having his cell phone out on a ride. As a big fan with a 7 year old son who loves him too it was honestly disappointing to see. The parks though have good reason to take this seriously though as there have been a number of major injuries caused by foreign objects on rides with lawsuits looking to hold the parks responsible.

I personally have had a couple of experiences that can help me understand the importance of these policies. If you’ve ever ridden a roller coaster when the rain starts you know the pain a rain drop causes at 60 mph and can only imagine then a phone, coin or keys. Even a bug can be a thunderous impact. I once sat behind a girl on ArieForce One whose braids became undone during the ride and proceeded to painfully literally whip my son and I for the duration of the ride. The forces on these rides are no joke.

It’s good to see many parks taking this seriously. Some have created displays at ride entrances, but these often slant more to the risk of losing or damaging your devices rather than the injuries they can potentially cause. The Universal Parks have taken the step of installing metal detectors on several of their rides to be sure no loose articles make it on the ride. At least they offer free lockers which to me is a sign that this really is about safety and not just a locker rental money grab. Lockers are great, but sometimes expensive or inconvenient as it’s nice to have a phone in line. I really prefer pockets with zippers and a strap on my glasses for my visits as it essentially eliminates the chances of me losing anything. Also, if you see a roller coaster stopped on a lift hill it may have nothing to do with a mechanical issue, it could just be that a camera caught someone with a phone out and the ride was emergency stopped.

The sad thing is when people know the rules and break them anyway. Even the metal detectors at Universal aren’t foolproof either as people still try to sneak things through to get video. I also saw this on a trip to Anakeesta in Pigeon Forge where people were obviously dropping money on the roof of a house intentionally from the chairlift. It seems harmless, but this same chairlift also goes over roadways and walkways.

For people who really want to capture video on a ride the parks usually offer a safe way to do this. If you go to most park’s websites there will be a section of what is required to safely film. This often requires some sort of mount (often on the chest or wrist) with a harness. One such example is below:

If a park doesn’t have a posted policy and you still want to film you can usually contact their marketing team for information. Sometimes media, bloggers or YouTubers may also be offered the ability to film when the park is closed as to not create an unsafe situation.

I’d love it if Mark Rober did a follow-up to this video where he talked about the tremendous forces on modern rides and the damage something like a phone could do. He’s no stranger to theme parks as he did this great video on the carnival games found at parks. It would be educational and hopefully help to keep people safe this summer. I do however give him props for posting what was no doubt an embarrassing moment.