Rollercoaster disaster Motherwell, is there another way to look at it?

Rollercoaster disaster Motherwell, is there another way to look at it?

 

I guess we are very stupid people, all of us. Irrespective of what went wrong this time, we have had several such disasters of late, so for another to hit us such a sensitive time, referendum and Joe Cox makes it an even harder blow.

 

So I tried to look at the rollercoaster disaster in Motherwll another way. In any such disaster there are a variety of causes. What if everyone turns out to reinforce the idea that we are stupid people?

 

If it emerges as mechanical failure, then we are very stupid people to think that we can use technology to transform the mundane into the thrill-seeking, without there being human cost. I guess the question is, are we prepared to pay that cost? Back in the early days of flight people joy rode in aeroplanes which were hardly safe or reliable. Some people bungee jump, maybe these theme parks have become places to have near death experiences, which in my opinion says little about the people that build them, ride on them or design them.

 

If, therefore, it is down to some unimagined mechanical failure, it reflects very poorly on those that design, specify and build such entertainments. But I am certain they must have used highly creditable structural engineers with experience in ultrahigh load structures and recognised their need for design and safety to be inextricably linked. If not then there are some very stupid people.

 

If the tragedy were down to human error, then again we are very stupid for thinking we can avoid human error at £6.50 an hour or minimum wage. Maybe such places need qualified attendants and industrial strength safety systems, although I’d be surprised if these weren’t already on the menu.

 

If the tragedy came about because the commercial objective of the ride owner is to maximise profits, and in order to do so they went higher, faster, scarier and closer to the limits of mechanical endurance, then were they cutting down the safety factors employed, because safety factor is expensive. How expensive? Ask NASA.

 

And lastly should such a tragedy be down to the idiocy on the part of someone participating then as I say, there are some very stupid people. But the question remains why a certain generation look to extreme danger in order to find some meaning in their lives? As a motorcyclist I have survived 45 years of riding getting into the most unimaginable scrapes and only ending up with one injury, concussion and a broken collarbone the day after my 16^th birthday. You are allowed one, if your ‘experience never to be repeated' instinct does not function adequately then the rest is down to Darwinism.

 

Having argued a rationale behind everyone who may have allowed or caused such a tragedy to occur I end by expressing how sorry I feel for the people involved. In some sense it’s not their fault even if it turns out it is. After the enormous kick up the backside we all have had this week, this happens. Personally I am very very sorry.