Amusement Park Ride Safety Tips
I avoid amusement park rides like the plague. Seriously, who thinks these things are safe?
OK, statistically, we’re not talking Russian Roulette here. I know. For the number of successful rides, particularly at big, established parks, compared to the number of incidents (overwhelmingly at local/traveling events) you have a pretty good chance of not getting injured riding these rides.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t be injured. The above article talks about a woman and child being injured when a ride flipped over. The whole ride flipped over! Would you want to take that little jaunt? Not me.
Tons of stuff can go wrong on these things. Belts slip, bolts loosen, carnies are carnies, so you never really no for sure if the ride you’re on is safe. There are organizations that provide tips for ride safety:
http://www.iaapa.org/safety-and-advocacy/safety/amusement-ride-safety/amusement-ride-safety-tips
But most of those tips deal with obeying rules. Sure, do that. But that’s your minimum standard. I have my own set of rules:
1. Just don’t ride ’em. There. You’re safe.
2. If you must ride an amusement park ride, considering the following:
a) If it’s mobile (meaning the ride itself can be picked up and moved to the next county), don’t ride it.
b) But if you must ride it, look at who is in charge of it. If you’d trust him/her to help you on the side of the road, OK. If not, trust your gut.
There’s a great chance that you’re going to be fine riding any carnival or amusement park ride. But just remember to obey the rules and trust your gut.