US government taking roller coaster ride
Is the US government about to get into the safety business at theme parks?
Very possibly, as Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) continues to introduce legislation that would require federal safety oversight for rides at fixed-site theme parks. He has proposed such legislation five times now.
“The roller coaster journey of the National Amusement Park Rides Safety Act may be gaining momentum,” said the Orlando Business Journal.
As a stand alone bill, the measure has failed to garner support, so Mr Markey wants to attach it to House Resolution 4040, aimed at overhauling and modernizing the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the wake of multiple recalls of toys made in China.
Traveling carnivals, fairs and other mobile-site ride operators already are regulated by the safety commission, as were theme park operators until Congress changed the regulations in 1981, said the newspaper.
Mr Markey’s amendment would close what the congressman calls a “roller coaster loophole” and require safety commission oversight for the major theme parks across the nation.
The bill, without Markey’s amendment, passed the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. It now moves on to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where Markey intends to add oversight language, says his spokeswoman, Jessica Schafer.
“Congressman Markey thinks it’s ridiculous that the CPSC is required to monitor the safety of everything from balls to bicycle helmets but not a roller coaster that goes 80 miles per hour at a 45-degree incline,” Ms Schafer says.
What’s ridiculous, says Charles Bray, president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), is Mr Markey’s insistence on spending millions of dollars on oversight in anticipation the federal government can improve on theme park safety.
A study by the National Safety Council says 300.4 million visitors rode 1.8 billion rides in 2005. The study, paid for by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, reports that 1,783 people were injured on theme park rides that year — about one injury for every 1 million rides.
“Our rides are far safer than the drive to the park,” said Fred Jacobs, corporate vice president of communication for Busch Entertainment Corp.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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