How to Overcome the Fear of Roller Coasters

Never Coerce People or be Coerced

His first tip isn't so much of a tip; it is more of a rule. If someone is not quite ready to tackle the towering thrill ride at your local park, don't pressure them. It typically turns out bad. I feel that some gentle nudging and encouragement can't hurt as I've converted three of my good friends this way over the years, but I'd stop there.

Start with Smaller Roller Coasters

To me, this is a pretty obvious tip, but I have been shocked by how many people have intense roller coasters as their very first ride. I just met a girl at Sea World whose first roller coaster was a flying roller coaster at another park. Try a smaller, slower roller coaster for your first time out or even if you're rusty and haven't ridden in a while. The recently mentioned mine train roller coasters are great for gearing up for the bigger rides. They have short drops and relatively short heights. These junior roller coasters are maybe just a bit taller than your house.

Learn the Layout of the Roller Coaster

How many times have you been in the queue and heard someone asking, “Does this classic amusement  ride go upside-down?” As a novices you may feel more comfortable and mentally prepared if you can get someone to explain to you in detail what to expect. Even better, if you can see the ride's entire layout and study it, it might make you feel more up to the task. This was always a problem with terrain roller coasters like Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Europe. I could never get my brother to ride because he couldn't see the layout.

Brace Yourself

Roller coaster enthusiasts loathe being stapled into a coaster by lap bars and over-the-shoulder restraints. We want to be free to feel that sought-after airtime and floating sensation. Newbies probably aren't ready for this and will likely want to feel as safe and secure as possible. So lower that lap bar as low as possible (while still being comfortable). You're not going to fall out of the roller coaster regardless, but a tighter lap bar may help convince your worried mind.

Breathe & Scream!

Breathing and screaming can keep the blood flow in your upper body. This can decrease the chances of blacking out. Maybe I should've tried this on Magic Mountain's Goliath. Pete Trabucco is a seasoned pilot, his recommendation is one that pilots use to as they experience heavy g-forces just as we coaster riders do. So yes, screaming is not only fun, but it's recommended.

Roller Coasters Are Safer than “Fill in the Blank” 

For me, knowing that I'm not going to die and that roller coasters are much safer than driving a car is enough. It's the perceived danger that makes riding roller coasters fun. But remember that the danger is only perceived. In a car chances of death are 1 in 18,000 and in a plane chances of death are 1 in 350,000. You even have a better chance of dying from parts falling off an airplane than on a roller coaster (1 in 10,000,000). In comparison, you have a 1 in 1.5 billion chance of being fatally injured on a coaster. Those kids in Final Destination 3 really had some bad luck, huh? I understand that fears aren’t always rational, but these numbers might put you at ease.
Source from: http://www.coastercritic.com/2009/06/how-to-overcome-a-fear-of-roller-coasters/