Text-only version
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?
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?
My favorite park says they inspect their rides every day. Why should the government require additional inspections?
Layers of safety improve the odds that problems will be found and corrected before someone gets hurt. Amusement park and carnival staff are obviously the first line of defense. Industry standards require parks and carnivals to inspect each ride daily before allowing customers on board, and implement a maintenance program to ensure each ride is thoroughly inspected for cracks and wear as recommended by the manufacturer.
Additional inspections provide backup and overlap, supplementing and auditing the park's inspection program. State and local laws may require that rides be periodically inspected by someone other than the park or carnival's in-house safety staff. This provides an important double-check. Redundant inspections are a good thing when human lives hang in the balance. Laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some states/counties/cities have trained government safety officials to inspect rides. Some allow the park's insurance company to conduct the backup inspection, or allow the park to hire a 3rd party inspector.
As long as the outside inspector has sufficient training, experience, authority, and independence from the park or carnival, any of the options listed above will provide an effective double-check. The commercial relationship between rider owners and those who sell them insurance or sell them inspection/consulting services can undermine independence and authority. Laws that depend solely on 3rd party inspection have the potential to create a market that favors those who provide the cheapest, easiest-to-pass inspection. Government oversight of the process is crucial.
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?
