jon81uk
TS Member
In the 1930s/40s rollercoasters didn't have any restraints at all because people knew they had to hold on for dear life so they could make it round in one piece, nowadays people need to be tied to the seat with a straight jacket to stop them standing up on the rides to look "cool" in front of their mates.
Close but not quite. A good example was the black hole coaster. when it opened there was no restraint. But if it stopped on the lift hill it was possible for an idiot to stand up and get out the wrong side of the car and drop to possible death. So the restraint was just to stop those idiots, this was explained at the talk I went to when the Black Hole closed. and as you say, it is likely people now would do it to try and look cool.