Fair rides or “mobile rides,” the simple kind that travel from town to town, have a reputation for being a little sketchy. But are they really any more dangerous than the rides you’d find in a year-round amusement park Last week, a ride called “Fire Ball” malfunctioned, killing one and injuring seven at the Ohio State Fair. Ride inspectors said nothing looked out of the ordinary during inspections, making the event a cause for concern. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, however, and it won’t be the last. In fact, thousands of people are injured on amusement rides every year. One study, from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics, found that over 4,400 injuries occur every year to children under the age of 18. And more than 70% of those injuries occur during the summer months when amusement parks are jam-packed and fairs are in town. In the months of May through September, roughly 20 kids across the country are injured every single day. A report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)—who has jurisdiction over mobile rides—for the years of 1987 to 1999 actually suggests “fixed rides,” like you’d find at an amusement park, saw more injuries over the course of a year than mobile rides. In 1999, for example, fixed rides saw about 7,000 emergency room-treated injuries (23.5 injuries per million attendance), while mobile rides saw around 3,000. But considering the fact mobile rides are only around during the summer months, or less than half the year, it seems they’re at least just as dangerous—if not more so. Fortunately, whether you’re on a fixed ride or a mobile ride, fatalities seem to be rare. The CPSC suggests there are around 4.4 non-occupational fatalities each year, and that’s for mobile, fixed-site, and unknown-site rides combined. When it comes to roller coasters, what many consider to be scariest of rides, deaths are rare as well. One study, published in the journal Injury Prevention, found they kill about four people every year—with more than a 1/4 of those deaths involving employees. And most rider deaths were caused by medical conditions caused or exacerbated by the coaster ride itself. Wolfson, a spokesman for the CPSC, told CNN that it’s tough for them to oversee every fair around the country, especially when so many of them only set up for a short period of time. That could mean some fairs may not get the same amount of safety oversight, possibly making the rides there more sketchy than usual. So, for that reason, mobile fair rides may be a little bit more dangerous than fixed amusement park rides, but not by a whole lot. Freak accidents happen, and when you or your child climbs onto a rickety, twirly, thingamajig operated by a guy named Rad, you’re accepting that possibility. Source
