A mechanical ride safety system for automatically disabling a mechanical ride in response to a rider losing his/her grip on the ride. The mechanical ride safety system generally includes a gripping member that is grasped by a rider when the ride in in use. The gripping member includes a sensing member which is adapted to sense whether the gripping member is being grasped or has been released. A processing unit and transmitter are communicatively interconnected with the sensing member so that a signal may be transmitted when the gripping member is released. A receiver is communicatively interconnected with the control unit of the mechanical ride such that, upon receiving a signal indicating that the gripping member has been released, the control unit will automatically disable the mechanical ride to prevent injury to the rider.