June 28, 2007 - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm issued
a proclamation declaring the week of July 2nd as Amusement Ride
Safety Week to bring awareness to the state's amusement industry and remind consumers
of the importance of riding responsibly.
"The safe enjoyment of amusement
rides allows Michigan's tourism industry to flourish,
bringing millions of visitors each year and adding millions of dollars to our
economy," said Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) Director Keith
W. Cooley. "The amusement riding season is on us in earnest and this year DLEG
is focusing on children and the part that parents and guardians play in their
safe amusement riding."
Amusement ride riding is among the safest of activities and
has long been a part of summer fun, but still injuries and deaths occur. The
majority of accidents are caused by the riders themselves, therefore DLEG's
Carnival-Amusement Safety Board offers tips to riders and parents of riders to
ensure safe riding and enjoyment of these rides.
"Children love amusement rides more than anyone," Cooley
said. "They ride more and may enjoy it more, but they are injured more than the
rest of us too. They need our help to be safe on amusement rides."
In Michigan last year, there were 14 amusement
ride-related injuries and no deaths among the forty million people attending Michigan's fairs and festivals and the
countless others who rode the 830 regulated rides at the state's amusement
parks, fun centers and water parks. In addition to its work with the rides, the
state licenses specially commissioned ride inspectors and regulates training of
the ride operators.
National data complied by the Saferparks organization (www.saferparks.org) indicate that most
amusement ride accidents are suffered by children under the age of 13. The five
years between ages 7 and 12 account for nearly a third of all ride accidents.
There are many reasons for this including inexperience, lack
of caution and youthful exuberance which, when coupled with large machines, can
lead to tragedy. Thankfully such tragedies are rare, but parents and guardians
can do much to ensure they are rare.
Make sure that a ride
is appropriate for the rider - Watch the ride with the potential rider and make sure
that he or she understands what the ride does, what it will feel like when they
ride and what they must do to ride. Don't encourage a child to ride a ride that
he or she is unsure about.
Stay Put - It is imperative that riders stay
seated, latched in and hold on during a ride. They need to get on and off
patiently and calmly only when the ride is stopped.
Provide Supervision - Ride with children or don't let
them ride if there is any doubt about their ability to stay put.
Children have less
understanding of risk than adults. They have been known to climb out of their seats through
panic or to better see parents or others and have fallen or been thrown from
rides as a result.
Parents and guardians
can help to prevent these accidents by making sure that riders understand that an amusement
ride is simply a large, unthinking machine with no intrinsic respect for its
riders. A careless rider can defeat safety systems and injury or death can
result.
Amusement riders need
to heed ride height/weight/medical restrictions. These are posted on all amusement
rides and are specified by the rides' designers and manufacturers. Ask the ride
operator if you have any questions about riding a ride.
There are many very good amusement ride safety resources for
kids and adults.
Two good sites are especially for kids:
More adult information can be found in these sites:
The Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth has a
staff of trained professionals who license and inspect amusement rides and work
with their operators to provide safe and exciting amusement rides, but parents
and guardians can help to ensure that children are safe while having fun on
amusement rides in Michigan this summer.
Certificate of Proclamation
Read more Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth press releases.
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