What are the latest statistics on amusement ride injuries?
The following are statistics taken by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on amusement park injuries (Click here for more information) and published in 2003:
· In 2002, mobile amusement rides accounting for an estimated 3000 injuries treated by the emergency rooms;
· Based on hospitals in the NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System) for the period 1997-2002, there is no statistically significant trend, positive or negative, for mobile amusement ride injuries over that same period;
· In 2002, inflatable rides, such as inflatable slides and bounces accounted for an estimated 2,500 hospital emergency room trips;
· From 1987 to 2000, for mobile and fixed-site amusement rides combined, there were an estimated 4.5 amusement-ride fatalities per year. At the time of preparing the report, CPSC had reports of 3 amusement ride fatalities in 2003, 2 in 2002 and 3 in 2001.
In an earlier report ((Click here for more information)), the CPSC also noted the hazard patterns associated with amusement related incidents, such as:
(1) mechanical failures: missing safety pins, broken welds or structural components, exposed electrical wires, malfunctioning lap bars or other safety restraints, failure to shutoff, etc.
(2) operator behavior: abruptly stopping the ride, improperly assembling or maintaining the ride;
(3) consumer behavior: intentionally rocking cars, standing up, defeating safety restraints, sitting improperly, holding child above the safety restraint,
(4) other: rides that injure people while apparently functioning normally, without any unusual behavior on the part of the consumer or operator. For example, eye hemorrhage and
(5) combination: operator suddenly stopping a ride when he heard an unusual thumping sound due to a bent rail. |
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