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Andrew Campanella, IAAPA media relations manager
Providing additional rider behavior education and augmenting “safety partnerships” with guests may be the most effective way for parks and attractions to enhance the amusement industry’s already-exceptional ride safety record, experts say.
Rider misbehavior—not mechanical, operator, or restraint issues—causes approximately 75 percent of injuries and fatalities on amusement rides, according to several U.S. and Canadian regional surveys. The statistics have prompted several parks and industry organizations to add pre-visit education, as well as on-site reinforcement, to communicate safe ride behavior to amusement consumers.
“A lot of guests, if they have heard and understand the rules before they enter a park, tend to follow the rules,” says Jerry Aldrich, an amusement ride safety expert and consultant. “The parks that have safety education programs have seen a lot of success.”
Not all campaigns classify as public education programs. Safety education programs are most effective when they are carefully designed to be understood by their key audiences, says Kathy Cripps, a public relations expert and president of the Council of Public Relations Firms. “We live in a world where we are bombarded with messages and images, and we tend to self-select what we need to hear and see.”
Cripps also emphasized that messages in safety education campaigns must be age appropriate and tailored to reach young audiences.
The Walt Disney Company’s Wild About Safety program meets these criteria almost exactly. Launched in May of 2003 and featuring popular Lion King characters Timon and Pumbaa, the campaign is attractive to both children and parents. Wild About Safety utilizes an educational web site, children’s activity books, brochures, trading pins, and safety tip cards to emphasize the importance of safe ride behavior.
“With this program, children often become the leaders in educating their parents and older siblings about safe behaviors,” explains Greg Hale, chief safety officer for the Walt Disney Company. “Wild About Safety doesn’t replace signage at rides and information to adults, but it supplements this information by reaching a younger audience.”
Hale says that extensive research with operators, guests, and experts led to the development of the character-based campaign, which maximizes “Disney’s storytelling ability to reach audiences.” Parents even helped pick the messages that appear in the campaign.
In addition to providing an opportunity to amplify guest/park partnerships, public education programs are often a good basis for developing public/private partnerships. In 2003, the New Jersey State Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Amusement Association worked together to develop a rider safety brochure. The Ready to Ride: A Guide to Carnival and Amusement Safety pamphlet is displayed at the ticket counters of all major New Jersey amusement parks and includes a message from New Jersey Governor James McGreevy stressing that amusement ride safety is “everyone’s responsibility.”
“Last year, parents welcomed this program because they saw it was for their benefit,” said Denise Putlock, executive director of the New Jersey Amusement Association. “We continued this program in 2004 because we feel it is our responsibility to educate the public on how they can work with us to prevent accidents.”
This year, IAAPA developed a consumer web site, www.TicketForFun.com— and included sections called “Tips for Visiting Amusement Parks, Attractions, and Waterparks,” and “Questions and Answers on Park and Ride Safety”—on the site. IAAPA recently distributed suggestions to park officials, as well, recommending the use of marketing approaches and visual images that promote safe rider behavior and reinforce the industry’s “safety first” stance.
IAAPA is also encouraging its member parks and attractions to develop safety partnerships with guests through community outreach initiatives and public education programs.
“Parks can engage in a range of activities, from developing a comprehensive campaign, to reaching out to schools, to partnering with the media to promote safe rider behavior,” says Beth Robertson, IAAPA’s vice president of communications.
To ensure maximum impact and desired results, Cripps advises that any public education messages should be researched and tested before the program is implemented.
“Parks can develop targeted messages and test them out with key audiences, Cripps says.
For more information about forging safety partnerships, look for upcoming articles in Funworld, IAAPA Connect, and on www.iaapa.org.
