[mickeysgirlz]

I saw this article in the Orlando Sentinel . . . thought it would be good to post here and get everyone's feedback.

I know my DD9 was concerned and stated "I don't want to ever ride the monorail again!" I told her the history and we discussed it. She's OK with it now. DD5 was more concerned it was the PINK monorail which is her favorite. (nice to be 5 sometimes! )

Your thoughts?

Here is the article:
Orlando Sentinel - Disney monorail crash kills driver -- what are you telling your kids?

The big news today is about the monorail crash at Disney last night that killed the 21-year-old monorail driver. It's a truly horrible accident that some Disney visitors witnessed. And it has left some parents keeping their kids away from coverage and wondering what to tell their children if they ask about the accident. One mom whose family has annual Disney passes told me she doesn't want her children to hear about the accident for fear they would never ride the monorail again.

What are you telling your children about the crash, if anything? (A bit of history would help: This is apparently the first death in Disney's monorail system in its nearly 38-year existence.)

The crash also raises a question: Will Disney continue its practice of allowing up to four guests to ride in the front car with the driver?

[DisneyTeacher]

I told my son about the accident and he saw one of the pictures (NOT the video). He asked a few questions and we talked about it for a bit and that was it. He knows there's risk involved with many things we do daily and we don't stop doing those things so there's no reason to avoid the monorail.

[Soundgod]

I don't have kids, but if I did, depending on their age, I might not even tell them as long as the monorail was running when we got to WDW.
If they did find out and ask, well, I'd just have to explain the whole accident and what went wrong. Which would of course lead to a lesson in railroad accidents over the last 150 years and stressing how safe the monorail really is and has always been.

[LittleMissMagic]

Obviously, I don't have children. I am the child.

But if I did, I suppose I'd have to tell them, because if I didn't, they'd find out from some other child whose parents did tell them, and then they wouldn't have any facts to form an opinion from.

I'd definitely tell them about how the monorail system has been in operation for 38 years and has just now experienced its first fatal collision. I'd let them know that people die in automobile accidents everyday, yet we continue to drive our cars everyday. Accidents happen, and though they are unfortunate, they shouldn't prevent us from living our lives. Because of this incident, the WDW monorail operators will now be more cautious in order to prevent this from ever happening, again.

[missymouse]

My big kids know what happened, but they didn't seem to be too upset by it. I haven't let them see any pictures, though. They were very sad for the CM who lost his life, and we have prayed for all involved. DD5 is as clueless as ever! She really doesn't pay attention to anything we're talking about unless it involves fun on her part.

[missymouse]

Originally Posted by Soundgod

If they did find out and ask, well, I'd just have to explain the whole accident and what went wrong. Which would of course lead to a lesson in railroad accidents over the last 150 years and stressing how safe the monorail really is and has always been.

I think you could be my dad's long-lost brother!He never gives us the short, simple answer!

[lscjamouse]

Originally Posted by LittleMissMagic

Obviously, I don't have children. I am the child.

But if I did, I suppose I'd have to tell them, because if I didn't, they'd find out from some other child whose parents did tell them, and then they wouldn't have any facts to form an opinion from.

I'd definitely tell them about how the monorail system has been in operation for 38 years and has just now experienced its first fatal collision. I'd let them know that people die in automobile accidents everyday, yet we continue to drive our cars everyday. Accidents happen, and though they are unfortunate, they shouldn't prevent us from living our lives. Because of this incident, the WDW monorail operators will now be more cautious in order to prevent this from ever happening, again.

Very well stated!

[Campbell87]

If I had kids and was going pretty soon after the crash Id tell them and stress about safety etc etc but if a trip was a way off, I wouldn't go out of my way to tell them, especially, if the monorail was back to running, though, living in the UK, it would probably be easier to avoid as it didn't/hasn't yet hit out news headlines.

[Soundgod]

Originally Posted by missymouse

I think you could be my dad's long-lost brother!He never gives us the short, simple answer!

Be glad I didn't add the rest of my comments then!
I didn't bother when it started to look like a 5,000 word essay on train accidents.

[jenbarnwell]

These are great explanations! Thanks everyone!

[gingles]

I think it depends on the age of the child, but think:

When your kids are small, would you give them a lecture on how many car crashes there are before you take them for a ride and would you do a long talk about plane crashes before they went on their first plane trip? Probably not. As for the monorail, I'd say for teenagers who can grasp the concept of odds/statistics, yes. But for small children, they just trust you are going to keep them safe as you can. And the monorail has more than proven its safety.

[tinkerbelle24]

My DD11 knows but as she says even before the crash she never has plans to go to WDW again so she isnt scared but I wont tell my DD7 right now. I dont think its a good idea for her to know. Im not too sure if I know how to go about it or if I dont want her to be afraid of Disney. In Dec was her 1st time on RnR because she was scared and I dont think I want something like this to always be in the back of her mind while she is on a fav ride at her fav place on earth. I do think I will try to think of a way to tell her but not right now.

[beatman23]

DD(9) heard it on the news sunday morning.... I did what most of the other posters have done and explained to her it was a tragic accident and that nothing like it had never happened before at Disney. I then had to explain to DW that there have been other accidents which were all pretty minor. I am absolutely certain we will ride the monorail again. I think that my whole family would still want to ride in the front in August! I hope we will be able to. This really appears to be a very tragic and isolated accident.

[mickeysgirlz]

Some of the boards are reporting that front of the monorail riding has been suspended . . . I wonder if it will be FOREVER?

[DisneyTeacher]

Originally Posted by mickeysgirlz

Some of the boards are reporting that front of the monorail riding has been suspended . . . I wonder if it will be FOREVER?

It wouldn't surprise me but hopefully the option will be back one day when Disney feels it's safe.