I recently came across a video someone posted on YouTube a few years ago of them going to Six Flags Magic Mountain with a GoPro. The guy wearing the GoPro was using a chest harness and was asked by a ride operator to put the camera away, which he did. However, after he was told that GoPros weren't allowed, he then decided to sneak the camera on by creating a strap and holding it in his hand. There are several things wrong with this that I'll point out.
1) The rider should have clearly not taken the GoPro out again on any of the rides like the Six Flags Policy clearly states. However, he didn't which created a new problem for the ride operators having a harder time of catching him with it.
2) Should Six Flags and other parks enforce stricter security on loose articles by adding metal detectors and security wands? I would imagine it would cost a lot of money to provide the trained personnel and install security measures for loose articles at every ride. Is there a higher cost of security vs the actual cost of getting sued?
3) As GoPros become more common it may be harder for ride operators to catch everything being snuck onto a ride, which is exactly what happened in the video. When people sneak cameras on, most of them are going to hold it in their hand someway, which is clearly NOT safe. A GoPro needs to be clearly mounted using a chest harness, hand strap, or some other mount that is secure.
4) If parks adopted a GoPro policy like Busch Gardens, they would be able to enforce GoPro safety openly. Some guests may still try to sneak their cameras on, but I honestly believe that if GoPros were allowed and guests could be educated on safety, than it would be better for everyone in the long run.
Let's take a look back into history during the 1920s when the US Government issued Prohibition. During that time, alcohol was not allowed to be sold and distributed. However, that was not going to stop the general public and, as a result, created even more problems that the US Government finally revised the law.
If GoPros are allowed at every park and guests are taught proper safety, I honestly think that it will be a much more enjoyable experience for everyone. Guests won't have to be unsafe and sneak cameras on, while riders won't have to worry about something being unsecured and hitting them.
Below is an article of how Six Flags Great America gets away with using a GoPro.
After looking at the above picture, I cannot help but laugh seeing a head mount strapped to a ride dummy secured by duct tape. If Six Flags thinks that GoPros are unsafe for their guests to use, then clearly they are wrong if you look at their test dummy.