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Young Children Are At Highest Risk for Ride-Related Injury
According to accident records from state safety agencies, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school-aged children account for half of all ride-related accidents and three quarters of accidents where a rider falls or is forcefully ejected from an amusement ride.
Why Are Children Vulnerable on Amusement Rides?
Amusement rides are not required to be child safe, not even those designed specifically for toddlers and preschoolers. Accidents involving children typically stem from "The Circle of Misplaced Trust". Industry counts on parents to protect children from ride-related hazards, and parents count on industry to design child-safe rides. The only way to prevent those accidents is to break the circle.
What Can Parents Do to Keep Kids Safe?
A little information can go a long way toward reducing risks for for your children. Amusement ride safety isn't really all that different than traffic safety or water safety. Those environments present hazards to children, as do amusement parks and carnivals. By learning how and why children get into dangerous situations on amusement rides, parents can guide their children safely through.
In Summary ...
Amusement Parks, water parks, and carnivals offer families excitement, adventure, and fun. They also offer inherent dangers to young children. The ride operators and other staff members work very hard to keep the rides operating safely. As parents, it's your job to keep your children safe around the rides.
Your Children Are Priceless. Watch Them Carefully.
