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?
The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 100,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to mechanical amusement rides, inflatable amusement devices, and waterslides between 1997 and 2004, an average of 12,500 injuries per year.
- 60% of the injuries were related to the use of amusement rides.
- 20% of the injuries involved inflatables.
- 20% of the injuries were related to the use of public waterslides.
The CPSC estimates are based on a probabilistic sampling of approximately 100 hospital emergency rooms around the country. There has been legitimate controversy over its use for products with non-uniform distribution, such as amusement rides. In 2005, after years of political battles with the theme park lobby over sampling data that showed rising injury rates for fixed-site rides, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ceased publication of statistical data on injuries associated with amusement rides. The CPSC's last published report discusses the industry's criticisms and provides estimates of ride-related injuries for years 1997-2004. Water slide injury estimates are drawn from a separate category (public water slides, product code 3295) and can be accessed through the CPSC's NEISS query page.
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?
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?
