Though Disney has a variety of health and safety protocols in place, with thousands of Guests enjoying the magic of theme parks daily, accidents, falls, and injuries are sometimes an unwanted memory gained from a trip.
The thrills of Expedition Everest, Slinky Dog Dash, and Matterhorn Bobsleds are all popular for their sudden drops and turns, with many Guests putting their hands up in the air while on these attractions.
But have you ever wondered how Disney ensures you won’t get injured while riding a roller-coaster? Well, now we know the answer.

We all love a good thrill ride. From the wildest ride in the wilderness – Big Thunder Mountain – to the dark galactic drops of Space Mountain, Disney has a wide variety of roller coasters and simulators to keep Guests entertained.
Incidents rarely occur at the Parks, with both Universal and Disney managing a vast array of safety measures and regulations to help prevent accidents from happening.
From Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World to Disney’s California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, Disney has safety procedures in place on rides to keep Guests safe, and now we’ve learned how Disney designs attractions to keep Guests safe before any human has even stepped foot in a ride vehicle.

Monorail Supply Co posted a TikTok video explaining how Disney plans ahead for injuries and preventing “limbs from being chopped off”:
Have you ever worried about this? #disneyfacts #disneysecrets #disneytiktok #disneyap #dvcmember #disneycouple #disneyadult #disneyhistory #wdw50
@monorailsupplyco Have you ever worried about this? #disneyfacts #disneysecrets #disneytiktok #disneyap #dvcmember #disneycouple #disneyadult #disneyhistory #wdw50
The video explains how Disney Parks use a device designed to ensure health and safety on most attractions in the theme parks:
Have you ever worried about a limb being chopped off while riding Space Mountain? Thsi device is how Disney ensures that doesn’t happen.
It simulates the furthest possible point even the tallest human could muster. All attractions since 1965 are designed to ensure the human body can’t reach out and touch anything. Disney refers to it as the ‘Envelope of Protection’. If the device can make it through the ride, you probably can too.”

The “Envelope of Protection” is a fancy mechanism that allows Disney to test the engineering of a ride before Guests ever enter. It lets Disney see where the furthest possible reach is if a Guest ignores the rules about “keeping arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times”.
It makes sense after seeing this why Disney Parks banned Selfie Sticks a few years ago. The “Envelope of Protection” does not account for the dangers of Park Guests holding a 3-foot stick in a speeding vehicle.

What do you think about this “Envelope of Protection”? Have you ever seen an injury occur at a Disney attraction?