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The Federal Government Does Not Set Safety Standards for Thrill Rides
There are no federal safety standards for amusement rides. Portable rides are subject to some oversight by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, but rides at permanent amusement parks have been exempt from all federal safety oversight since 1981. The arbitrary split in jurisdiction has hampered the federal government's ability to encourage or mandate improvements in safety standards for amusement rides, whether in the area of child safety or any other issue. Some states have inspection programs for rides operated within their borders, but state authorities cannot set national standards and almost half the states still lack government ride safety officials.
Current U.S. Industry Standards Do Not Require that Restraints Fit Child Riders
The American Society for Testing and Materials oversees a volunteer committee that drafts, debates, and adopts consensus safety standards for amusement rides. Most of the 400+ members of the ASTM F-24 committee work for the industry in some capacity. The F-24 executive committee has empowered a task group to assess the need for new requirements to ensure the safe containment of young child riders.
What does this mean to parents? Are rides approved for children really safe for children?
The level of safety-by-design provided to child riders varies widely depending on the age and type of ride, the manufacturer, the company operating the ride, and the regulating agency (if one exists).
- Parents should take a cold, sober look at the large machine and their small child before deciding whether to allowing him or her on board.
- Add a healthy margin of safety on top of the posted height limit, and make sure an informed adult rides with children unless you're sure the child really will be securely contained and can handle unexpected situations without panicking.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Kiddie rides designed after 2003 are required to have some kind of restraint, such as a strap or lap bar, and it must fit closely against at least one of the riders in each seat, but that may leave smaller riders underprotected. Rides designed before 2003 are exempt from this requirement. There is no requirement that rides be labeled to indicate the date of design or whether they meet this minimal restraint requirement.
- Full-sized rides are not required to have a restraint at all unless the ride was designed after 2003 and the ride's accelerations exceed certain criteria. Restraints in full-sized rides are expected to work reliably for mid-range riders, but are not required to fit riders who are significantly smaller, even if posted patron limits allow small children on board. There is no requirement that rides be labeled to indicate how strong the accelerations are, how well or poorly the restraints fit small children, or whether negative x- or z-axis accelerations exist that might propel a smaller rider out of the car.
- There are no standards or nationwide regulations requiring that children be securely restrained in elevated rides, even if the cars are open and the heights excessive.
- Where bracing points are provided to assist patrons in keeping themselves safely positioned, those points do not have to be reachable by smaller riders (i.e., children) allowed on board.
