As Americans gear up to enjoy this weekend with sizzling backyard BBQs and sales galore, ranks of revelers will travel to amusement parks all over the country — eager to kick off the unofficial start of summer with a day of outdoor thrills and fun.
But before your family races toward the ever-taller and faster roller coasters or shoots down those waterslides just yet, Brian D. Avery, a University of Florida professor with 35 years of experience in the amusement/attractions/tourism industries, advised that it's a good idea to brush up on amusement park safety tips before your trip.
Avery told The Post that while theme parks and rides are designed for entertainment, they are still "complex operating environments" that have the potential to be the sites of tragedy, whether through machine malfunction or rider error.
And as coasters soar to higher heights and park visitors are pushed to the limit with increasing G-forces, awareness of risks involved is important for even the most adventurous of thrillseekers.
"Rides combine machinery, speed, height, forces, restraints, human behavior, weather, crowds and operator decisions," said Avery, who himself has visited over 100 theme parks and ridden "several hundred" roller coasters. "Most visits are safe, and serious injuries are rare, but rare does not mean impossible."
Indeed, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), over 385 million people safely enjoy the 1.7 billion rides at approximately 400 fixed-site facilities in North America in a typical year.
The chance of being seriously injured on one of these rides is minimal — one in 15.5 million rides taken.
While Avery agreed that the chance of injury is comparatively low, he emphasized that park staff still hold the responsibility to ensure that all rides are always inspected, maintained and operated in accordance with industry best practices — and that guests must make sure they understand basic safety expectations to have the best time possible.
"The goal is not to scare people — the goal is to help them make better decisions," said Avery. "Read the posted signs; know your own medical limitations; listen to operators; secure loose articles; do not force a child onto a ride they are not ready for; do not ignore height, weight, health, or behavior restrictions."
"Those rules are not decorations," he continued. "They are there because someone, somewhere, learned the hard way."