Iconic operator mocked for ‘no bumping’ bumper car rule
Saturday, 26 Apr, 2011
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Butlins has been getting it in the neck this morning after it has been revealed that it has taken the bumping out of its bumper car rides.
The operator has told staff at its three resorts in Minehead, Skegness and Bognor Regis that they must ban people on bumper cars from actually bashing into any other cars for health and safety reasons.
Instead, customers must drive around in their electric cars, fitted with bumpers, in the same direction, carefully avoiding anyone else until the ride stops.
Jeremy Pardey
Butlins resort director Jeremy Pardey put the ban down to past injuries sustained by guests but said the ride was still a lot of fun. He said: “The point of our Dodgems is to dodge people, not to run into people.”
The ruling came to light after a Daily Telegraph columnist spent part of his Easter break at one of the resorts. The journalist subsequently ran a story deriding the fact that all the fun had been taken out of the ride.
Butlins founder Sir Billy Butlins actually imported the idea of the bumper car ride back in the 1920s when he bought the UK franchise of Dodgem Cars from the US.
Dinah
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