Your Ticket to Amusement Park Safety

The number of injuries linked to accidents at amusement parks, carnivals, and county fairs is rising.  In 1998, about 9,200 people were treated in emergency rooms for ride-related injuries, a 25% jump from 1994.  Unfortunately, even the kiddie rides are potentially dangerous.  It's shocking but true: No federally regulated inspection programs exist for amusement parks, inspection laws vary from state to state and even from county to county, and some states (including Missouri, the District of Columbia and Utah) require no inspection at all.

As a parent, you must be proactive in keeping your child safe.  Always follow these savvy steps before letting your child board any ride:

1. Perform your own inspection. 

If you can't visit the park before taking the entire family, closely examine the appearance of the rides as soon as you arrive, says Mark Mooney, assistant chief of inspections for the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety.  "If a ride doesn't have fresh paint, or has torn seats or significantly rusty parts, you can bet that the more detailed components are not kept up," he says.

2. Explain to your child the concept of "inappropriate behavior".

Risk-taking behavior is the number one cause of all accidents that occur at parks, says Richard Brown, Ph.D, an orthopedic researcher and amusement park safety consultant in Huntington Beach, CA. Rider negligence has turned into such a serious concern that 17 states now have enforced rider responsibility legislation, which places full responsibility for any accidents that may occur with the rider (or, in the case of a child, with the rider's parents).

"Children have to understand that misbehavior can result in an accident," says Dr. Brown.  Review safety rules before you get to the park, not when your child is inside, overwhelmed by all the activity.  Explain that she must listen to the operator, keep her hands and legs inside the vehicle at all times, never move the safety harness, never rock a ride, and never stand while a ride is moving, or exit before she is told to do so.  Before each ride, explain which motions and sensations she can expect, and what is expected of her.

3. Observe the ride operator. 

Watch a round of the ride before you let your child on it-and walk away if you don't see the operator keeping a close eye on the children.  Also, "if the ride operator is not helpful with your questions, you should consider not having your child go on the ride," advises Steven Elliott, a certified ride inspector from the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials in Madison, WI.

4. Obey the height restrictions. 

Even if your child comes this close to meeting the height requirement, never try to convince the operator that he should be allowed to ride.  "The height requirement ensures that a child has the muscle and postural control to ride safely," says Dr. Brown.

Even if your child meets the requirement, it doesn't mean he can handle the ride.  Watch for the reactions of the younger children exiting the ride.  If they seem comfortable and happy, then your son may enjoy it, too.

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-Kim Simonovitch

Your Ticket to Amusement Park Safety was originally published in Child Magazine, August, 2000.