Database / Note About the Data

Users Should Remain Aware of the Limitations Inherent in this Data

The Saferparks Ride Incident Database is a collection of safety-related information from various sources and perspectives compiled into a centralized, searchable database.  The aggregate data from the Saferparks Database provides insight into the causes and patterns of ride-related injury, but it should not be taken as a statistically-robust data source.

• The accident records included in this sampling vary widely in terms of content and consistency. Less than half of the U.S. states have provided accident data in response to Saferparks' FOIA requests. The types of devices covered under reporting laws and the types of incidents required to be publicly reported change from state to state and, sometimes, year to year.
• The ride-related injury records provided by the CPSC's NEISS program are drawn from only two percent of U.S. emergency rooms, and those hospitals are not generally located near large amusement parks. Information is medically correct, but most records do not clearly identify a particular ride.
  
• The relative frequencies of certain types of accidents on certain types of equipment may not accurately reflect the aggregate safety records of all amusement devices in the United States. For example:
• State laws require that go-kart accidents be reported in Florida, but not in California.  Thrill ride accidents at theme parks must be reported in California, but not in Florida.  Therefore, records from the Florida Dept. of Agriculture will tend to show a higher percentage of go-kart accidents and a lower percentage of roller coaster accidents than is accurate for that state.  California's records are skewed in the opposite direction.
• Some states supplied records dating back a decade or more, while other states' records cover only a year or two.  Although New Jersey sent only three years' worth of records, their data accounts for almost half of the total records, due to far more inclusive reporting laws.
• Neck/back/head injuries associated with the normal motion of aggressive thrill rides are likely to be under-reported to state safety agencies because of the way in which those injuries generally present (i.e., there may not be obvious visual evidence of the injury immediately following the event, and medical aid is often delayed until the pain persists for several days). NEISS hospital ER records tend to skew in the opposite direction, showing relatively more motion-related injuries compared to acute trauma resulting from machinery accidents.
• The tables and graphs provided tend to highlight safety issues that occur most frequently, but there may be failure categories that deserve more urgent attention in terms of prevention.  For example, serious passenger containment failures (i.e., ejection/falls or hands/feet outside during ride cycle) occur far less frequently than whiplash or slide-and-bang injuries, but the potential consequences of falling out of a moving amusement ride can be catastrophic.