You know what you quoted is from 2013, right...?
The ride is safe aha. The reason it can sometimes be more painful/weird than other times is due to two reasons.
1. Overall weight of the boat.
2. Since it's one lap bar for the whole boat, if you have a small body frame or are tiny or skinny, and you're in a row with a very large guest, the lap bar won't come down enough on you. It's still safe, but there's more thrust since there's space between you and the bar.