question: Why is there height restrictions on amusement rides?
comment: Tall person bang head on pole, small person slip out safety restraint. Both not ideal scenario.
passages: Acrophobia is just over 200 feet in height, as evidenced by the FAA-mandated red hazard beacon at the top of the tower, although the actual drop height of the ride is approximately 161 feet.
   Canada has no national height restrictions, but many individual cities do have height restriction bylaws and building is restricted by the national aviation authority (Transport Canada) near airports. Some examples:
   There are no safety restraints on the UFO; the centrifugal force is strong enough to prevent riders from experiencing any major movement while the ride is not at horizontal, and in the event of a rotational or power failure, the size and spacing of the bars that make up the gondola 'cage' (along with enforced height and safety restrictions), prevents riders from falling out.
  
  Nevertheless, minimum rider height requirement is usually or taller, as much as some extreme roller coasters.
  
  Section::::Appearances.
  
  There are believed to be very few UFOs operating worldwide.
  
  BULLET::::- Canada - One; "Night Mares" at Canada's Wonderland.
   In Europe, there is no official general law restricting the height of structures. There are however height restriction laws in many cities, often aimed to protect historic skylines.
   BULLET::::- In April 2010, the Backyardigans Swing Along ride broke down and was suspended in the air for about 30 minutes. No one was hurt and everyone was brought down safely. The ride was tested and reopened the same day.
  
  Section::::Ocean Breeze Waterpark.
  
  Section::::Ocean Breeze Waterpark.:Trident.
   For airports, sometimes there are exceptions for height restrictions made for important infrastructure equipment, as radio towers or for structures older than the airport. These structures have to be marked with red and white paint, have flight safety lamps on top, or both. Often red and white paint and flight safety lamps have to be installed on high structures (taller than ) far away from airports. Height restriction laws are not always kept strictly.
  
  Several cities in the United States have local height limits, for example:
   Several height classifications have been used by parks and manufacturers in marketing their roller coasters, as well as enthusiasts within the industry. One classification, the kiddie coaster, is a roller coaster specifically designed for younger riders. Following World War II, parks began pushing for more of them to be built in contrast to the height and age restrictions of standard designs at the time. Companies like Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC) developed scaled-down versions of their larger models to accommodate the demand. These typically featured lift hills smaller than , and still do today. The rise of kiddie coasters soon led to the development of "junior" models that had lift hills up to . A notable example of a junior coaster is the Sea Dragon – the oldest operating roller coaster from PTC's legendary designer John Allen – which opened at Wyandot Lake in 1956 near Powell, Ohio.
   BULLET::::- On October 28, 2018, a mother from Spring, Texas filed a lawsuit to the park and claimed that her 6-year-old daughter almost fell out of the roller coaster they were riding on. She wanted more safety features to be added to all of the cars. The girl was tall enough to ride the roller coaster as the ride's height requirement is 48 inches.
  
  Section::::Kennywood.
  
  Section::::Kennywood.:Jack Rabbit.
   On most Enterprise models, there are no safety restraints; the force applied to the riders is sufficient to keep them pinned in their seats. However, some models have been fitted with seat belts. Most parks and carnivals require riders to be at least 48 inches tall, though it is not uncommon to see restrictions as much as 54 inches or more. The transportable version of the ride racks onto two trailers, the first carrying the wheel, arm, and drive systems while the second is loaded with the gondolas, platforms, and any additional equipment. The first trailer also acts as the base of the ride while in operation.
   It has been noted, however, that most coasters usually have disqualifying ratcheting lap bars, seat dividers and headrests to prevent people from trying to stand up during the ride. For example, Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure had buzz bars which meet traditional lap bar Coaster Classic requirements, but it is "not" a classic because of headrests and seat dividers being added in 1981 to prevent people from standing up during the ride.
  
  Section::::Awards.:Coaster Landmark.
   In July 2012, Six Flags New England submitted plans to the city of Agawam, Massachusetts requesting special approval to construct a Star Flyer ride, as the proposed height exceeded the city's height limit. The approval was granted a week later, with an additional conditional approval to build as tall as , in case a competing park built a taller model first. The planning documents revealed that the ride would replace the park's Skycoaster, "Taz's Dare Devil Dive" as well as the former spot of "Catapult".
   Taller riders with long torsos, or more stout riders, may find that they don't fit in the seats. The problem is that while the shoulder harness locks the seat sensors will not register the harness as secured. This will prevent the ride from launching. Such passengers will have to leave the ride. As of August 26, 2011 operators were giving passengers thus removed from the ride a pass that permitted a single re-ride on another attraction in compensation.
  
  Section::::Construction.
   In 1995, Paramount's Great America in California removed its first generation Freefall, "The Edge", and replaced it with the Drop Zone Stunt Tower.
  
  In 1997, a second generation ride "Skyscreamer" was removed from Six Flags AstroWorld.
  
  In 2002, The "Drop of Doom", a first generation freefall at West Edmonton Mall's Galaxyland was removed.
   The Giant Drop variant improved upon the original free-fall tower in numerous ways, most noticeably in its braking system. Whereas the first-generation towers used standard friction brakes on a horizontal track section to slow down the descending cabins, the Giant Drop uses rare-earth magnets to gently slow the ride vehicle to a stop at the base of the tower. This innovation provided a fail-safe braking system—no electricity is required to create the magnetic forces—and also allowed for a smaller footprint.
   BULLET::::- On May 24, 1984, a 5-year-old boy suffered a fractured skull and bruises after falling from the train's front seat during its drop. This was before height restrictions at Cedar Point, so although the boy was too small to ride, the park did not know. The park added the 48 inch height restriction and thicker lap bars after the incident.
   In February 2017, Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore ruled that private hire cars who used Uber or Grab service are not exempted from child seat requirement. For safety reasons, all vehicles in Singapore must have booster seats or child restraints for passengers under 1.35m in height.
   Section::::Dutch Wonderland.
  
  Section::::Dutch Wonderland.:Sky ride.
  
  BULLET::::- On July 19, 2008, a 44-year-old woman from Ann Arbor, Michigan lost about a centimeter off the tip of her left index finger when it was caught in the safety bar.
  
  Section::::Expoland (Japan).
  
  Section::::Expoland (Japan).:Fujin Raijin II.
   Parks contains a mixture of attractions which can be divided into several categories.
  
  Section::::Rides and attractions.:Flat rides.
  
  Flat rides are usually considered to be those that move their passengers in a plane generally parallel to the ground.
   BULLET::::- On June 18, 2019, an online viral video showed a woman falling from her seat on one of the rides at the park. As she fell, she was smashed by one of the gondolas and it is possible that she may have been injured in the accident, but it is currently unknown what injuries she suffered at the time. Shortly after the incident occurred, Armando Cabada, the mayor of the park, posted some photos on the ride on Facebook and said that all of the rides at the park were operating properly while the one the woman was injured in was shut down for investigation.
   BULLET::::- On August 19, 2011, five people were injured while riding when the center mast that was used for the Sea Dragon ride suddenly broke apart while it was in motion. One of the park guests was taken to Cape Regional Medical Center in Cape May Court House, New Jersey with non-life-threatening injuries, while the four others suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
  
  Section::::Morey's Piers.:Sea Serpent.
   Some ski areas mandate the use of safety bars on dangerous or windy lifts, with forfeiture of the lift ticket as a penalty. Vermont and New Jersey state law also require the use of safety bars, as well as most provinces in Canada.
  
  Restraining bars (almost always with foot rests) on chairlifts are more common in Europe and also naturally used by passengers of all ages. Some chairlifts have restraining bars that open and close automatically.
  
  Section::::Design and function.:Carriers and grips.:Canopy.
   Despite safety measures, accidents can, and do, occur. Regulations concerning accident reporting vary from one authority to another. Thus in the US, California requires amusement parks to report any ride-related accident that requires an emergency room visit, while Florida exempts parks whose parent companies employ more than 1000 people from having to report any accidents at all. US Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts has introduced legislation that would give oversight of rides to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
   BULLET::::- On August 23, 1995, a 36-year-old male worker was killed after he was struck in the head by a passenger's foot while picking up trash in a fenced area beneath the ride. The park later put a new restricted section from the ride shortly after the incident.
  
  Section::::Morey's Piers.:Giant Wheel.
   BULLET::::- On August 31, 2005, a day after the Ladybug Coaster incident, a 45-year-old mentally disabled woman from Long Island, New York was thrown from the Top Scan ride after her safety harness gave way and crashed into a parked car in the parking lot. She was pronounced dead on the scene from her injuries and the ride never operated again afterwards.
  
  Section::::Adventureland Park (New York).:Space Raider.
   Section::::Walt Disney Studios Park.:The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
  
  BULLET::::- On November 23, 2011, a 12-year-old boy was stated to have been paralyzed from the neck downwards after a ride in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. However hospital doctors later stated that the boy's upper limbs were already paralyzed upon arrival at the hospital and therefore refused to link the injuries to the ride.
  
  Section::::Resort Hotels.
  
  Section::::Resort Hotels.:Disney's Newport Bay Club.
  