International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)

Response to Tuesday, December 4, 2007 Washington Post Article

Alexandria Va. (USA)- Today’s Washington Post article confirms that the CPSC is an agency ill-equipped in expertise and resources to regulate fixed-site amusement rides. Under state regulation, these rides are one of the safest forms of recreation for families and children.

Indeed, as the Post article points out, the CPSC is struggling mightily to perform its long-standing oversight responsibilities in general, and specifically with respect to mobile rides. There is no likelihood that consumer safety will be improved by expanding the focus of an under-funded agency’s jurisdiction on top of an already established state-based regulatory system that is in place and working.

Well into the article lies the important fact that an estimated 300 million people take 1.84 billion rides annually. While this industry takes every injury seriously, it is important to note that only 5.2 injuries occur for every 1,000,000 people who attend an amusement park, and the annual number of injuries that occur on all fixed-site rides has varied little over the years.

Contrary to the inferences in the article, the fixed-site amusement park industry is already well regulated. States that have a significant park presence regulate their amusement parks. Most states require incident reporting, inspection by the state, or a state-approved inspector, and carriage of insurance. The companies underwriting this insurance provide an additional layer of inspection and safety criteria for the amusement rides they insure.

For nearly three decades, industry experts, along with government officials and consumer advocates, have worked to develop exacting amusement ride safety standards through the processes established by ASTM International, a well-respected standards organization. As a result, standards have been established on design and manufacture, testing, operation, maintenance, inspection, and quality assurance, which further enhance the safety of the industry. The ASTM standards undergo regular review and revision and have been or are now in the process of being widely adopted by the states.

It is important to keep in mind that amusement rides are unlike the consumer products regulated by CPSC. No consumer buys a roller coaster. CPSC should focus its financial and staff resources on the areas where it has expertise – the over 15,000 consumer products for which it is currently responsible. It is seriously under funded in this effort. The Washington Post article makes clear that the attempt to have CPSC regulate mobile rides has not worked, so there is little indication that expanding jurisdiction over fixed-site rides would achieve better results.

Expanding the agency’s jurisdiction over fixed-site amusement park rides would shift scarce agency resources away from its core mission of regulating traditional consumer products. A struggling, under-funded CPSC should not be given responsibility for regulating an industry that has an excellent safety record, is well regulated, and is inspected at the state level. There is no evidence that federal regulation would make any improvements.