Fear of roller coasters
Fear of roller coasters, also known as veloxrotaphobia, is the extreme fear of roller coasters. It can also be informally referred to as coasterphobia.
Such a fear is thought to originate from one or more of three factors: childhood trauma, fear of heights, and parental fears that “rub off” on their children. In addition, veloxrotaphobia maybe intensified by underlying fears such as claustrophobia and illygnophobia.
Remedies
The fear of roller coasters is a relatively common fear. It can be treated effectively through exposure therapy, in which the subject learns to disassociate roller coasters with danger.
Riders are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with statistics on roller coaster safety. For example, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, there is a 1 in 750 million chance of suffering a fatal injury on a fixed-location roller coaster.
Incidence
It is estimated that about five percent of the world’s population suffers from an extreme fear of heights, however, no exact data has been published on what percent of people are afraid of roller coasters.