Ride of Your Life: Thrill rides and the battle for safety

by Kaitlin | December 4, 2007 at 05:54 pm | 1720 views | 18 comments

A new Washington Post feature on the safety of amusement park rides entitled "On Thrill Rides, Safety is Optional," details the largely unregulated and unchecked world of the thrill ride. In the article, writer Elizabeth Williamson paints a picture of disconnect and intrigue: lack of federal (and in some cases, state) regulation of thrill rides has created a world where lobbying, perks and campaign funding keep government interference at bay. It's also a world where--in the wake of injury and death--undereportage of injury and disappearing rides take the place of inspection.

In the meantime, high profile injuries, like that of Kaitlyn Lassiter, who lost her feet on Six Flags' Tower of Power last year, are increasingly calling into question an industry that--according to Williamson--seems to operate in a world resembling the wild west. Read her extraordinary expose by clicking the links below.

The CPSC has no employee whose full-time job is to ensure the safety of such rides. The agency's 90 field investigators -- who oversee 15,000 products, work from their homes and live mostly on the East Coast -- are so overstretched that they frequently arrive at carnival accident scenes after rides have been dismantled.

As a result, critics say, supermarket shopping carts feature a more standardized child-restraint system than do amusement rides, which can travel as fast as 100 mph and, according to federal estimates, cause an average of four deaths and thousands of injuries every year.

Randy Lasitter, Kaitlyn's father, said he was shocked to learn that state agriculture inspectors would be looking into the accident. "We thought there must be somebody they're reporting to in Washington, or working with in Washington . . . but it wasn't," he said. "People who go to those parks have this illusion of safety. It's an illusion, we know that."

Although the CPSC regulates children's toys, strollers, bicycles and car seats, it has no jurisdiction over rides at fixed amusement parks, such as those run by Walt Disney Co., Six Flags, Universal and Anheuser-Busch Entertainment that host an estimated 300 million people on 1.84 billion rides annually.

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Just-Us-3

at 18:30 on December 4th, 2007

Taken at the Great Falls Balloon Festival 2007, in downtown Lewiston, Maine.

mod_complex

at 19:09 on December 4th, 2007

Sizzler ride sign at the Butler County Fair in Hamilton, Ohio.

cahcat

at 19:19 on December 4th, 2007

The Sizzler was at the San Mateo County Fair in San Mateo, CA.

CARLOS62

at 20:27 on December 4th, 2007

good stuff:

Kaitlin,

This is such a great subject to bring to light and I thank you for making people more Aware of the Dangers of Fast Rides that can so often cost a life, While these rides can be great fun for Adults and Children alike` safety is often placed After getting " bums on seats " as the saying goes.

Many people fail to allow for those members of the Family with poor health or a weak Heart.

Safety should Always come First.

Great story and Good Stuff for sure

lukee

at 20:34 on December 4th, 2007

Passenger Seat Photography

at 21:53 on December 4th, 2007

I am a roller coaster enthuses, along with my cousin. Being a photographer I try to take as many pictures of roller coasters as possible and send them to my cousin for his roller coaster wall of fame.

JCtheOT

at 21:59 on December 4th, 2007

This is the Steel Eel, in Sea World San Antonio on November 23, 2007. I've always assumed that roller coasters were highly regulated due to their high risk, but now I will think twice before jumping on another one!

hwayoungjung

at 23:13 on December 4th, 2007

"Manhatten Express" roller coaster ride outside New York-New York in Las Vegas, Nevada

Blizarre

at 04:46 on December 5th, 2007

Funfair in rouen, France...

bea2.0

at 05:31 on December 5th, 2007

Abandoned amusement park in Limbiate (Italy).

naynac

at 05:44 on December 5th, 2007

I was at Six Flags few months ago... yelled my lungs out, on every ride. Guess that day was my lucky day.

Professor D

at 10:55 on December 5th, 2007

Each year a traveling carnival sets up in a parking lot down the street from where I live for a couple of weeks. Locals come to enjoy the rides, games, and socializing. Pictured here is the "Sizzler."

Hazy Fon

at 12:07 on December 5th, 2007

ron_jon

at 13:12 on December 5th, 2007

Grabby Walls

at 20:07 on December 5th, 2007

The Vortex at Great America Amusement Park in California

MATTHEW STRONG

at 08:34 on December 6th, 2007

This is the famous Coney Island's Cyclone
wooden roller coaster. its very old, very fast, and is featured in a few feature films.
It's also due for closure this year..2007.

MATTHEW STRONG

at 08:35 on December 6th, 2007

This is the famous Coney Island's Cyclone
wooden roller coaster. its very old, very fast, and is featured in a few feature films.
It's also due for closure this year..2007.

snapic

at 01:03 on December 24th, 2007

Interesting topic! If the aviation industry thinks few crashes are okay as in cost of doing business in that case I am not surprised that in majority of countries checks and balances are out of order within the amusement industry. Ever wondered what happens inside your body in event of sudden acceleration and jerks? Trust me you don’t get NASA’s quality of technology nor in-depth research from the healthcare industry in your mega rides. In the end everything boils down to statistics where 0.1% can either end up in some sort of mental disorder (as in fear of flying) or internal organ damage. But who cares since name of the game is fun where theme is profitability!

snapic has contributed a photo to this story.