Are Fair Rides More Dangerous Than Amusement Park Rides?
Fairground rides or “mobile rides,” the simple views that travel from city to city, have a reputation for being a little sketchy. But are they really more dangerous than the rides found in a year-round amusement park?
Last week at the Ohio State Fair, a Fireball ride crashed, killing one and injuring seven . Travel inspectors said things looked unusual during the inspections, so the event is worrying. However, this is not the first time, and not the last. In fact, thousands of people are injured during the rides every year.
One study by the National Children’s Hospital and published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics found that more than 4,400 injuries occur annually to children under the age of 18, with over 70% of these injuries occurring during the summer months when amusement parks are open. crowded and fairs in the city. From May to September, about 20 children across the country are injured every single day. A report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which has jurisdiction over mobile attractions, from 1987 to 1999 actually refers to “fixed rides” that can be found in an amusement park when there were more injuries during the trip. for a year than the mobile goes. For example, in 1999, there were about 7000 injuries in stationary travel in emergency departments (23.5 injuries per million visits), and in mobile – about 3000. But given the fact that mobile attractions are only available in the summer months or less six months, it seems that they are no less dangerous, and even more dangerous.
Fortunately, whether you are traveling on a fixed or mobile road, deaths seem to be rare. The CPSC estimates that there are approximately 4.4 non-professional fatal accidents each year , and this is combined for mobile, fixed and unknown travel. Fatalities are also rare when it comes to roller coasters, considered by many to be the scariest attractions. One study, published in the journal Injury Prevention , found that they kill about four people every year, with over 1/4 of those deaths attributable to employees. And most of the riders’ deaths were caused by diseases caused or aggravated by the roller coaster ride itself.
Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the CPSC, told CNN that it is difficult for them to monitor every fair across the country, especially when many of them only open for a short period of time. This may mean that some fairs may not receive the same safety controls, possibly making travel more sketchy than usual. For this reason, the rides in mobile fairs can be a little more dangerous than the rides in stationary amusement parks, but not by much. Strange accidents happen, and when you or your kid climbs onto a wobbly, spinning thing driven by a guy named Red, you accept the opportunity.