Amusement Ride Safety Inspectors Opinion Survey - Improper/Dangerous Patron and Operator Behaviors
From "Rider Responsibility and Amusement Ride Accidents: An Observational and Consensus Study of Rider Behaviours", Woodcock and Tsao, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 49th Annual Meeting (2005).
Methodology: NAARSO organizers grouped participating industry members so as to distribute different levels of ride inspection experience evenly among 12 groups of 15 people on average. A seminar leader asked the groups to list "the top five bad things riders do and the top five bad things operators do", grouped by ride phase (in line & while loading, during ride, while unloading, and non-riders outside ride). The groups brainstormed, reached consensus, and reported back to the whole forum. The following table shows the aggregated results of the ride inspector's opinion survey, including a tally of the number of inspector groups that mentioned the behavior in their "top five" list.
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| Patron Behaviors | Groups | Operator Behaviors | Groups | |
| In line, while loading | In line, while loading | |||
| Cheating on height requirements | 5 | Improper load or unload, not checking restraints, improper locking, not ensuring riders are in correct position | 7 | |
| Running within enclosure | 3 | Failing to make ride safety spiel/"communicate" | 4 | |
| Sitting on guardrails in queue | 2 | Not checking rider height | 2 | |
| Not reading signage | 1 | Bad attitude or rude to guests | 5 | |
| Entering through exit | 1 | Dispatches ride without ok from load platform | 1 | |
| Entering ride or exiting while in motion | 1 | Forcing kids to ride | 1 | |
| Parents, peers forcing riders to ride | 1 | |||
| During ride | During Ride | |||
| Bypassing safety devices, unlocking lap bars and restraints (e.g., fasting restraint over loose garment) | 7 | Leaving assigned station | 12 | |
| Destroying property (i.e., ride), tearing seat, restraints | 6 | Distracted by employees or guests | 10 | |
| Not following instructions | 5 | Bypassing or trying to bypass, disable, or override safety systems, jamming deadman's pedal | 8 | |
| Rider intoxicated | 4 | Operating under influence of drugs and alcohol | 5 | |
| Throwing shoes off, throwing objects, spitting out gum | 4 | Talking on cell phone while operating ride | 4 | |
| Taking unsafe objects on ride, smoking during ride, or videotaping on ride | 4 | Horseplay | 4 | |
| Horse play, showing off | 3 | Not operating to manufacturers specs | 2 | |
| Trying to change seats | 2 | Sleeping | 2 | |
| Trying to touch objects while ride is in motion | 2 | Leaning against emergency stop button | 1 | |
| Turning back to operating ride | 1 | |||
| Eating, drinking and smoking | 1 | |||
| Riding the rides | 1 | |||
| Entering restricted zone | 1 | |||
| While Unloading | Everyday duties | |||
| Jumping over fence or out of file | 6 | Not performing checks / daily inspections of the ride | 3 | |
| Not checking rider after completion | 1 | |||
| Non-riders outside ride | Not reporting maintenance issues | 1 | ||
| Parents not attending to their young children on the ride | 4 | Not reporting accidents | 1 | |
| Outside guests interacting with guests on ride, reaching over fence to touch rider | 4 |