Roller coaster train

Some inverting roller coasters, notably ones created by Anton Schwarzkopf safely operate without the need for shoulder restraints.

Historically, inverting roller coasters with lap bars could only perform vertical loops, as the higher centripetal force (and low lateral force) exerted while traversing a simple clothoid loop helps to keep riders safely in the train.

However, with modern advances in engineering, more roller coasters with complicated inversions are able to run without over-the-shoulder restraints.

For example, most of Premier Rides' LIM-launched roller coasters (the vast majority of which have multiple inverting elements) operate with only lap bars.

Over-the-shoulder restraints, the most common type, consist of a roughly U-shaped padded bar mounted to the top of each seat that swings downward.

Until early 2006, The Rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the UK also operated without any restraints, although seatbelts were added to the ride in the 2007 season.

"The Rollercoaster" now operates with lap bars, although the original train is still stored on the transfer track in the station.