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About General Safety
How safe are rides at U.S. amusement parks and carnivals?
How much control do you have over your own safety when you're on a ride?
How many accidents are caused by equipment failure?
What are some red flags that should make you re-think riding a certain ride?
Why is it important to find the ride that fits?
Are today's high acceleration rides more dangerous than slower rides?
The industry blames most accidents on rider misconduct. Is this an accurate assessment?
About Child Safety
Are children at higher risk for injury on amusement rides?
What should parents know about choosing rides for children?
What safety lessons should parents teach children before visiting parks and carnivals?
When is it safe to let my child ride alone?
If my child is too short to ride alone, is it safe for him to ride with his older brother?
Who develops child safety standards for amusement rides?
About Data and Statistics
How many people are injured on U.S. amusement rides each year?
What is the most common cause of amusement ride accidents and injuries?
What are the most common types of injuries on go-karts, waterslides, and inflatables?
Where does Saferparks get its data and statistics?
Who generates the safety statistics quoted by the amusement park industry?
Do you have any statistics on how accident rates for amusement park rides compare to accident rates for other machinery used by consumers or other recreational activities?
The potential dangers posed by thrill rides are unique; they can't be compared with any other activity. Real people don't make obscure comparisons like "should we take the kids to Six Flags for summer vacation or use the washing machine instead". We use the washing machine because we need clean clothes. We drive or fly because we need to get somewhere faster than our feet would take us. And we spend our hard earned dollars at Six Flags or the State Fair because we want to safely experience the fantasies and thrills promised by the amusement ride industry.
Families need reliable information about automobile safety and airline safety if they drive or fly. They need to know about safety issues involving home appliances, especially where young children are exposed. And they also need reliable information about amusement ride safety when planning a visit to a theme park or a carnival. Accidents can happen on amusement rides in the blink of an eye, the consequences of even a single failure can be catastrophic, and hundreds of millions of children and adults are exposed every year. That is ample justification for serious study of ride-related safety issues.
About Safety Oversight
What safety regulations apply to U.S. amusement rides?
What about the big parks like Disney World and Six Flags?
Who checks up on the carnivals that move around from place to place?
Why are amusement park rides exempt from federal safety oversight?
If signed into law, what would Congressman Markey's bill do?
If a park is already subject to state regulation, why is a federal layer of oversight important?
Why is it important that serious accidents be investigated by the government?
