![handle is hein.journals/pittjtlp4 and id is 1 raw text is: Volume IV - Article 1
High Tech Hunks of Steel: Fixed-Site Amusement Rides and
Safety Under State Regulation
Jennifer Kingsley*
Summer 2003
Copyright C 2003 University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Journal of Technology Law and Policy
Introduction
Tomorrow is the big day! Little Bobby Missoula is going to turn ten tomorrow and
his parents have promised to take him to Outlandish Adventures, an amusement park that
Bobby has seen advertised on television. As Bobby drifts off to sleep, he begins to dream
about the fun that he will have on his birthday. He dreams about the smell of cotton candy
and the yells of carnies soliciting people in to play their games, but most of all, he dreams
about the Lightning Bolt - the tallest, fastest, and scariest roller coaster that little Bobby has
ever seen. In his dream, the Lightning Bolt whips Bobby around sharp angles, through upside
down loops so close to water that Bobby's hair and face get wet, down vertical descents at
speeds over 100 miles per hour, and finally to an abrupt stop where Bobby rushes to the end
of the line to do it all over again.
As Bobby walks into the kitchen the next morning, he sees his parents watching a
news report on the television. He hears the reporter say, This just in! A new statistical report
suggests that 1 in 25 million people are seriously injured while riding roller coasters.
Legislative initiatives blame state regulation for what at least one representative considers a
dangerously high risk of injury and call for the federal government to take control. Bobby's
parents consider the report, but realize that many activities, like riding in a car or on a bicycle,
present some risk of injury. As long as they could make sure the rides have undergone recent
inspections and Bobby knows how to ride responsibly, a 1 in 25 million chance of injury
would not be enough to deter them from taking Bobby to Outlandish Adventures for a ride on
the Lightning Bolt.
The statistics weren't enough to deter Bobby's parents from taking their child to enjoy
the immense speed and scary maneuvers of the Lightning Bolt, but are they enough to deter
you?
Injuries do occur, but keep in mind that this is an industry that sees over 320 million
visitors per year and estimates that only 1 in 25 million people have a chance of being
seriously injured on an amusement park ride.[1] Do these statistics show that safety is a huge
concern, or does a 1 in 25 million chance of getting hurt sound like a pretty good risk to take?](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/pittjtlp4&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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