You're in a metal box, hanging over a ten-story drop.
- So it hangs from six steel ropes, and any one could hold the car alone.
- But a full car is heavy, and hauling it up takes a huge motor.
- So the ropes run over a wheel to a counterweight, so the motor only lifts the difference.
- But what if the car ever ran too fast?
- So a governor trips a clamp, and the safety gear jams wedges against the guide rails until the car stops.
- And buffers wait in the pit, and door interlocks won't let it move until every door is locked.
You're not hanging by a thread. You're hanging by six.