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| Yes | 72% | 318 votes | Total: 444 votes | |
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Add to FavoritesIf the question is whether or not a person is guaranteed to not be injured when riding amusement park rides, then of course the answer is "No." Then again, during what activity is a person guaranteed that type of safety? Absolutely nothing. Even sleeping has its risks-just ask any parent who has lost a baby to SIDS. If you drive a car, fly in airplanes, cross streets, or buy food you didn't grow with your own two hands, you run a risk of accidents, injuries, and even death. It is a fact of life: every single thing we do has some sort of risk. You simply have to decide whether the numbers add up in the favor of what you want to do.
For example, in 2002 the "Annals of Emergency Medicine" ran a detailed report on amusement park rides. It was found that, in relation to a great many other commonly-done activities, the thrill rides have incredibly low risks of death and injury. Every year, US amusement parks see people piling onto their rides over 900 million times. Of these 900 million, about 1 in 124,000 results in a significant injury. Only about 1 in 15 million requires hospitalization and 1 in 150 million rides taken results in a death. Compare those numbers with the almost 43,000 people who die as a result of car accidents in the US every single year, and the question of safety is almost laughable.
Recently, the news has been filled with horror stories of decapitation and limb-severing accidents. What people seem to overlook is that a number of these types of accidents were the fault of the victim, not the ride itself. The young man who was killed by the Batman roller-coaster in Six Flags made the ill-advised decision to scale a fence and enter in the heavily-marked "Restricted Area" underneath the roller-coaster, to retrieve a hat he lost while on the ride himself. The elderly gentleman who was killed by the dangling foot of a roller-coaster rider in recent years had also wandered into the "Restricted Area," ignoring the numerous signs informing him of extreme danger.
While no one deserves death, if a person makes the conscious decision to enter an area that is protected, fenced, and marked as extremely dangerous and forbidden, then their fate is their fault. Common sense dictates, if you have to sneak around security, scale a fence, or pass numerous signs warning you of possible fatality, then you really shouldn't enter the area. If you do, then it is your own stupidity to blame for anything that happens to you.
Now, there are, obviously, some risks when riding thrill rides. Every time G-force is increased, the chance of neck and back injuries increases as well. The higher the G-force, the more thrilling the ride. If you want the adrenaline-pumping feeling of riding these rides, then you must accept the possible whiplash at hand. Follow the rules of the ride, and you'll get nothing more than a hoarse throat from screaming as you whiz around hills and dive toward the ground.
We accept risks every single day of our lives, in our own homes as well as out in the world. It boils down to knowing what those risks are, not exaggerating them for sensationalism's sake, and deciding whether we want to live in fear of every little risk, or educating ourselves, controlling our part in the risk, and jumping in. Frankly, I'll take a little risk, in the smartest possible way, and enjoy life.
Learn more about this author, Hope Darby.
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No
No, amusement park ride are not safe if you have a weak constitution like I do. My wife and I went to Six Flags and I nearly threw up on the Spider. She had been trying to get me to go on a roller coaster with her all day, but I wasn't having it. No way. Roller coasters are scary.
But I dry heaved three times on this Spider ride and my wife and I tried to signal to the ride operator to stop, but she just laughed at us. "You know, Spider, you're an f'in' vomiting, dry heaving little prick. You know that?" she seemed to say. She finally let us off and I felt like death until I saw a midget leaving a ride with an upset look on his face. He was with these two older people, perhaps parents, and I started following them, while my wife finally went on a roller coaster like a big girl, to see if indeed they wouldn't let him on the ride because he wasn't tall enough. How funny would that be? Poor little people! But I had to abort that mission because I suddenly had to get to a bathroom toot sweet. Afterwards a guy in the restroom looked at me and said, "Hey, Spider, that puddle of vomit on your foot is bigger than your head."
The next day we went to an engagement party and my wife is not only telling everyone what a Spider Pussy I am, but that I also like Kelly Clarkson. I pictured them all driving home asking each other, "What is with that motion sickness-having, Kelly Clarkson-loving wuss?"
I think this was karma for my laughing at the Spanish kid who cried because he was too short to ride the Spider. And I probably shouldn't have shouted, "Shut up, Pepe! Do some chin-ups!" Then, as another kid kept shouting, "Mama, look! Mama, look!" I thought to myself that that phrase should always be followed by a loud thump and crying. I think that's why I got sick on the Spider. Or perhaps it was just being adults in our late 20s/early 30s at Six Flags with no children. That's like going to Chuck E. Cheeses without children. You look like a pedophile.
But to hell with Six Flags, seriously, because $15 for parking! In addition to the $49.99 admission price! Oh, sure, they offer 2 for 1 passes everywhere you look, but, what the hell? Then they charge you for food, and water is $3.50. They have the nerve to charge $7 for an autograph book so you can get autographs from Daffy Duck and Superman. It's not the real Daffy Duck!
On the mile and a half walk from the parking lot they kept making an announcement that they are proud to tell us that Six Flags is smoke free since 2006, but that smoking is permitted in the designated smoking areas. Well, then it isn't smoke free, you tools!
Then we're standing on line to get in and they actually refer to one of the rides as "Spook-tacular." The line is filled with black people and someone thought it was a good idea to use the term "Spook-tacular." Oh, and, as we're standing in line, my wife said something funny. She said, "This is kind of how I picture the end of the world to be." It really was just a madhouse. And some voice kept wishing us a happy 45th anniversary. Why? I don't know. It's their stupid anniversary. I don't care. I didn't get you a gift.
Before I almost lost my lunch on the Spider, we went on this stupid thing called "The Houdini," or something. And they made it all scary and creepy, as if Houdini was Dracula. He was a freaking magician. Why is this a haunted house?
So I left Six Flags wishing I had thrown up everywhere.
Learn more about this author, Michael Frissore.
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