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Amusement equipment safety and visitor behavior observation analysis

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2025-05-28

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Safety is paramount for every amusement park. Although occasional incidents in theme parks don't necessarily indicate high risk, they can cause widespread public concern, jeopardizing public trust and confidence in the safety of the entire industry. Safety concerns should never be taken lightly.

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Author | Yang Jinyong

Editor-in-Chief | Yang Ming

Editor | Jing Xiangyuan

Source | Ride Story Club

Probability of Amusement Ride Accidents

Some research suggests that the probability of amusement ride accidents is even less than 1/24,000,000, but regardless, this probability is far lower than the airplane accident rate of 1/11,000,000, the lightning strike accident rate of 1/10,000,000, and the beach shark attack accident rate of 1/3,750,000.

According to a 2016 report by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, using the number of park visitors as the numerator, the probability of injury on amusement rides is 3.9/1,000,000; using the number of people participating in amusement rides as the numerator, the probability of injury is 0.8/1,000,000.

According to the annual national special equipment safety status announcement in China, in 2021, there were 25,200 large amusement facilities, with 2 accidents and no deaths reported; in 2020, there were 24,800 large amusement facilities, with 3 accidents and 1 death; in 2019, there were 24,900 large amusement facilities, with 6 accidents and 2 deaths.

Data Source: 2021 National Special Equipment Safety Status Announcement

Impact of Safety Accidents on Theme Park Operations

Although occasional incidents in theme parks don't necessarily indicate high risk, they can cause public alarm, potentially jeopardizing public trust and confidence in the safety of amusement rides.

For example, Alton Towers reported that after a tragic rollercoaster collision resulted in an amputation, park attendance dropped by more than 25%, and Thorpe Park, owned by the same company, also dropped by nearly 12%.

Similarly, a river raft accident in Australia that resulted in the death of four tourists not only reduced attendance at the accident park but also reduced attendance at other related venues in Australia.

The safety of amusement parks is closely related to public confidence and park operating revenue.

Causes of Injuries

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission categorizes the causes of amusement ride injury accidents as follows:

1. Mechanical failure. This may be due to manufacturing defects or park maintenance negligence. This could lead to things like restraints detaching during a ride, rollercoaster wheels coming off, or structural components breaking.

2. Improper operation. Operators may cause accidents by stopping at the wrong time or improperly securing seatbelts or safety restraints.

3. Passenger negligence. Due to misuse of the amusement facility or failure to follow instructions, passengers may cause injuries, injure themselves, or injure others. Intentionally shaking the vehicle, standing up mid-ride, opening safety restraints, sitting improperly, or holding a child above the safety restraints can all lead to serious accidents.

4. Passenger physical condition. Even without mechanical defects, improper operation, or passenger negligence, amusement rides can sometimes cause injury to passengers who are not fit to ride due to the expected factors such as vigorous movement. Passengers may experience symptoms such as cerebral hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, loss of consciousness, headache, and dizziness. Passengers should always read the ride warnings and avoid riding vehicles that may aggravate pre-existing conditions.

5. Unknown accidents. Also known as "freak" accidents, sometimes investigators cannot find any negligence, errors, or inherent problems at the accident scene.

Passenger Negligence and Passenger Behavior

Passenger "behavior" is often cited by industry organizations and regulatory agencies as one type, cause, or contributing event of passenger injuries.

Authoritative reports indicate that 75% of accidents in the past five years have been related to "passenger negligence," which may affect investigators' views of typical causal patterns, thus affecting causal inferences about new events and creating a self-perpetuating causal explanation.

OABA, citing Michigan regulators, suggests that "approximately 60%" of passenger injuries are due to passenger misconduct.

The North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau data claims that "most amusement rides and equipment accidents are customer and/or operator driven."

In Ontario, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) (2017) reported that 95% of reported incidents in the 10-year period up to 2017 were classified as "external factors." These factors include passenger conditions and actions, as well as other human failures, including misoperation and deviations from prescribed installation or maintenance procedures.

A study of 182 publicly reported amusement park accidents found that passenger personality, behavior, or reaction led to 34 accidents, accounting for 18.8% of the accidents. The report explains that not all accidents can be classified as "misconduct": 12 accidents (7%) were failures of reasonable behavior (such as tripping while getting on or off, or unexpected landing postures when jumping in a trampoline foam pit), 11 (6%) were medical reactions or illnesses. Only 11 cases (6%) involved self-ejection or standing on a moving roller coaster, and only one of the latter resulted in a fatality.

Data Source: global incidence of theme park and amusement ride accidents

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission's 2019 report stated that there were 1294 accidents in North America in 2019, of which 82 were serious accidents requiring hospitalization, 26 of which involved passenger behavior, accounting for 2% of the total and 33.3% of serious accidents; the total number of accidents involving passenger behavior was 528, accounting for 42% of the total accidents.

Among these accidents, accidents involving children should be of particular concern. Accidents caused by children's behavior far exceed those caused by the equipment itself, nearly double. Among the 1294 accidents in North America in 2019, there were 107 accidents related to children's behavior, accounting for 8%; and 50 accidents related to amusement equipment, accounting for 4%.

Data Source: IAAPA RIDE SAFETY REPORT – NORTH AMERICA – 2019

Bias in Accident Investigation

The media provides a convenient and compelling narrative of "innocent victims harmed by poorly maintained equipment," while other narratives may be more difficult to report, and reporters are reluctant to report accidents caused by the tourists themselves, which may be considered "kicking someone when they're down."

Causal attribution centered on "tourist behavior" may also be influenced by conscious or unconscious and self-perpetuating biases of the researchers.

In addition, while "tourist behavior"-centered incidents may indeed dominate, they are more likely to be low- or moderate-severity incidents, while high-severity incidents that attract media attention are more likely to involve malfunctions or design flaws in the rides themselves or hazards that arise during operation. It is also possible that "tourist behavior"-centered incidents are assessed as less newsworthy.

Most people are likely to be very concerned about the risk of fatal injury, and they are unlikely to refuse to ride a ride because of a scrape, abrasion, strain, or motion sickness. The results reflected in media reports may be more worrying to the public than the comprehensive serious injury statistics of regulatory agencies.

It is likely this environment that leads to insufficient attention to "tourist behavior," which is very important to the cause of accidents.

Purpose of Focusing on Tourist Behavior

If amusement ride designers or operators understand potential passenger behavior, they can use it in the following ways:

1. Better (or more accurate) risk assessment, i.e., predicting which behaviors passengers are more likely to exhibit when riding a ride or special facility, and then assessing the consequences of those behaviors. If the predicted consequences are considered dangerous/unsafe, operators can take measures to prevent these behaviors from occurring, or at least mitigate their severity.

2. Increased vigilance/attention to certain behaviors that may put passengers at risk. Conducting a comprehensive risk assessment may lead operators to pay more attention to passengers in order to manage their behavior. For example, if a passenger is found to be engaging in or showing signs of engaging in certain dangerous behaviors, measures can be taken such as stopping the ride, communicating with the passenger, or broadcasting a reminder.

3. Assist in appropriate design adjustments. Again, a comprehensive risk assessment of potential passenger behavior (most importantly, the consequences thereof) can control or eliminate the risks involved. For example, on high-speed roller coasters, increasing the height of the side of the seat can prevent passengers from reaching outside the restraint system. It may help designers make more reasonable considerations when designing/testing important safety components (such as facility protection systems and operating systems), and theme park experience designers when designing visitor access to and from rides or environmental design.

Types and Basic Definitions of Tourist Behavior

1. Waving one hand - Waving one hand in the air, such as waving to parents or friends watching the ride.

2. Waving both hands - Waving both hands in the air, such as raising both hands in the air when a roller coaster goes down.

3. Large head/body turn - Turning the head and upper body significantly, such as often accompanied by waving one hand; when the ride turns, the passenger may turn to continue waving in the same direction.

4. Turning in seat - Turning from the standard central position to turning the head, body and legs, such as sitting backwards in a carousel.

5. Kneeling in seat - Turning backwards and kneeling on the seat, such as facing sideways or backwards.

6. (Head or shoulder) extending beyond restraint - Extending head or shoulder beyond restraint, such as on small roller coasters and children's rides, this behavior occurs due to excessive leaning against the lower side of the restraint.

7. (Arm) extending beyond restraint - Extending hands and arms beyond restraint, such as reaching out to touch poles or railings when passing on a roller coaster.

8. (Leg) extending beyond restraint - Extending legs and feet beyond restraint, such as hanging legs outside a pirate ship.

9. (Arm and body) significantly extending beyond restraint - Significantly or severely extending beyond restraint, such as extending chest, head, shoulders and arms beyond restraint to touch moving objects while riding a roller coaster.

10. Tampering with restraint - Attempting to open or damage part of the restraint, such as reaching forward to open the interlock lever in front of the coffee cup.

11. Improperly exiting ride during operation - Exiting or attempting to exit the ride while the ride is in operation or running at normal speed, such as exiting while the carousel is running.

12. Improperly exiting ride during stopping - Attempting to exit via a certain route or method while the ride is running slowly or stopping. And leaving prematurely when the ride is running slowly. Such as walking towards a moving ride, such as a mini jet, and walking onto the lifting arm.

13. Violent behavior - Any behavior with obvious aggression and physical violence, such as assaulting other passengers, operators or amusement equipment.

14. Noisy behavior - Excessive noisy behavior in a group of friends, such as hitting a friend on the head.

15. Standing behavior - Standing up at any time during the operation of the amusement equipment, this is different from the type of improper exit behavior of passengers, as it does not mean that the passenger will continue to leave the amusement equipment.

16. Pointing behavior - Pointing to an object or person outside the restraint, such as pointing at parents with one finger.

17. Touching restraint - Actively operating the restraint rather than passively due to weight or the force of the ride, such as pulling the handrail sideways on a coffee cup.

18. Kicking behavior - Kicking legs, such as kicking legs on a drop tower like a swing.

Potential Motivations for Tourist Behavior

1. Proactive social interaction or communication—waving to friends or parents.

2. Peer inducement—being persuaded by friends to reach outside the safety device.

3. Imitating adults—children imitating the action of parents waving to other adults.

4. Aggression/competition—fighting over the use of a shared control device.

5. Showing off (self-display)—raising both hands in the air to show off.

6. Encouragement (being encouraged or encouraging others)—raising both hands in the air after hearing the announcer shout “wave your hands”.

7. Curiosity—turning around in their seat to look at things behind them.

8. Natural comfortable posture/boredom—leaning on the armrest while playing the air shuttle (making movements apathetically or pretending to pose)

9. Impatience—standing up before the small roller coaster stops.

10. Lack of information/knowledge—standing up and trying to leave when the amusement ride stops midway (e.g., an emergency stop on a small carousel).

11. Physical discomfort—leaning forward on the safety bar because of nausea.

12. Fear—trying to leave the amusement ride because of fear.

13. Proactively enhancing stimulation/increasing risk—raising both hands in the air to increase risk when the roller coaster briefly stops.

14. Discomfort—standing up after a rapid descent on a water ride to avoid sitting on a wet seat.

15、 Excitement—raising both hands in the air due to excitement.

Persistence and Repetition of Tourist Behavior

1. One-time behavior—a single dynamic action occurs throughout the operation of the amusement ride, for example, a child waving once to parents standing next to the amusement ride.

2. Repetitive dynamic behavior—the same dynamic action or behavior occurs repeatedly, for example, a child waving to their parents each time they pass by during a rotation.

3. Single sustained behavior—only one action occurs over a sustained period, for example, a passenger raising both hands in the air during a rapid descent on a water ride.

4. Long-lasting behavior—an action occurs for most of the running time, for example, a passenger raising both hands in the air for two and a half minutes during a three-minute roller coaster ride.

5. Sustained and repetitive behavior—the same sustained action occurs repeatedly, for example, a passenger raising both hands in the air each time the roller coaster goes down.

Tourist Behavior Observation Analysis

The types and frequency of passenger behavior observed vary greatly across different amusement rides.

In general, for fast-paced amusement rides such as coffee cups, lotus cups, super bowls, rotating roller coasters, and sunny thunder, as well as, to a lesser extent, rotating swings, the overall types of behavior observed are relatively few, mainly waving one hand and waving both hands.

In fast-paced amusement rides, many passengers may be timid due to the ride's motion pattern, or feel physically unable to perform other actions.

For slower rotating amusement rides, such as traditional carousels, toy swings, junior race tracks, and small airplanes, the frequency of waving one hand is higher than other types of behavior, as young passengers wave to adults (such as parents) standing on either side of the amusement ride.

Data shows that in passengers aged 0 to 10, the number of times one hand and both hands are waved is almost the same. However, in passengers aged 11 to 15, the number of times both hands are waved is three times that of one hand. The main motives for waving both hands are to enhance stimulation and self-display, while the main motive for waving one hand is communication. In the three youngest age groups, the proportion of the four main behavioral motives accounts for 82% of the observed behaviors.

Young passengers tend to focus on things outside the amusement ride (possibly because many passengers in this age group are accompanied by elders), and they want to maintain contact with their parents or siblings. Young passengers may also exhibit behaviors such as leaving the amusement ride early and standing up during a stop.

Given the design and motion pattern of these slower rotating amusement rides, passengers naturally wave to people outside the amusement ride, mostly in younger age groups, and most of the turning/turning behavior is a continuation of the waving action. For example, as the ride moves, passengers turn with the ride to continue waving in the same direction.

The relatively high number of turning/turning around, turning in their seats, and kneeling in their seats among young people is related to curiosity. This also supports the view that younger children over the age of 10 focus their attention on things or people outside the amusement ride, and they change their position to get a better view. In this process, young children may not pay attention to their own safety due to the shift in attention, thus putting themselves in danger. Or when the ride makes a sudden movement, such as a sudden start or stop, passengers realize they are in danger, such as kneeling in their seats and leaning on their backs, during which they may be unable to maintain balance or feel scared, and further inappropriate behaviors may occur. For example, trying to climb out of the amusement ride.

In older children, adolescents, and young adults, the proportion of self-display and enhanced stimulation is relatively high. This supports a common impression of people aged 11 to 15 and 16 to 21, that they pay more attention to their own experiences or play experiences, and show themselves in front of their peers in ways they deem appropriate or socially beneficial.

The changes in motivation and different types of behavior exhibited by people aged 11 to 21 may have three main reasons:

1. No parental or adult supervision. Most children in this age group (13 or 14 years old and above) are with friends or siblings, not adults.

2. Peer presence. This may be a potential factor that encourages or guides passengers in this age group to exhibit more behaviors for self-display and enhanced thrill-seeking. However, in this age group, the proportion of replication motivation is not high.

3. Potential developmental factors. Older children, adolescents, and young adults may increase their own motivation and desire to fully enjoy the experience provided by amusement rides.

That is to say, they will use amusement rides as a way of self-display and enhancing physical and mental experience. Among adults' behavioral motivations, the proportion of communication increases (46% in the 22-30 age group, 65% in the 31-50 age group, and 75% in the over 50 age group), while the proportion of thrill-seeking decreases (17% in the 22-30 age group, 15% in the 31-50 age group, and no related behavior observed in the over 50 age group).

The reason why the proportion of these "responsible" behaviors increases among adults may be because their number is relatively small compared to the total number of passengers. In this situation, adults may be more inclined to set an example for others, or focus on the comfort of their own children, etc. Without these underlying factors, adults might also exhibit the same degree of self-display and thrill-seeking behavior.

Although relatively few young passengers (10 or 11 years old) attempt to exit the ride before it stops, a subjective impression formed from all observations is that children aged 11 and above are most likely to exhibit this behavior, possibly because the ride is no longer suitable for their participation. They often give the impression of being overly familiar with or bored by the ride, leading them to choose to stand up and exit.

Incorrect exit from amusement rides (related to egress)

The main differences between incorrect exit from amusement rides and incorrect exit related to egress are as follows:

"Related to egress" refers to inappropriate passenger behavior of leaving the ride before it slows down or comes to a complete stop.

"Related to egress" also refers to inappropriate passenger behavior of forcibly opening or disengaging restraint devices such as seats, lap bars, handrails, or shoulder harnesses on rides to exit the facility.

Behaviors with significant injury risk

1. Extending legs outside the pirate ship. This behavior is also occasionally mentioned in NAFLIC Technical Bulletin (105). The bulletin states that if tests show safety hazards, operators should consider adjusting the ride/platform/guardrail. Simply put, guardrails can be lowered after all passengers are seated, the pirate ship's boarding platform can be retracted after boarding, a gate can be installed at the entrance of the pirate ship, and additional visible and legible signs can be added to remind passengers to keep their bodies within the pirate ship's cabin at all times.

2. Climbing on a carousel horse. A young male passenger exhibited this behavior: he climbed and stood on the horse's back, then reached for an adjacent railing, placed one foot on the adjacent horse's back, and then jumped over, landing with both feet on the horse's back. Given the height, rotational speed, and vertical motion of the carousel, there is a risk of falling and sustained injury when passengers move between mounts in this manner. NAFLIC Technical Bulletin (078) mentions an incident where an elderly man fell while attempting to switch mounts. The bulletin stated that the aforementioned climbing behavior was not originally expected; however, it has been proven that switching mounts occurs in almost all age groups (except for infants accompanied by parents), and passengers switch mounts in different ways, each bringing different levels of risk. There is also a lower-risk way of doing this, which is to move on adjacent footrests (rather than the horse's back). Although this behavior was not observed to occur in this way, it is also considered a potential behavior.

3. Lying on a carousel horse. Two young female passengers were observed lying down with their feet raised to the head of the carousel horse. Although both passengers appeared to be holding onto vertical bars, this behavior (or similar behavior by others) could also lead to falling off the horse's back, almost inevitably resulting in head or neck injuries. This behavior, which could lead to a head-first landing, combined with the height of the fall, could cause severe injuries. Although both passengers were young females, anyone could exhibit the same behavior if they wished. We subjectively believe that this behavior primarily occurs among young passengers (16 or 17 years old and above); however, older passengers (especially parents with young children or teenagers) may also imitate these children's behavior.

4. Leaning forward or leaning on controls in small planes/children's helicopters. It was observed on small planes that some young passengers in the back row would stand up and attempt to operate the controls in the front seats. This behavior occurs because young children often choose to sit in the back seats (possibly because they are accustomed to and suited for sitting in the back of a car). When they are seated in the back and the ride begins, if children discover that they can change the plane's altitude via the controls, they will try to operate the controls in front. Operators should try to arrange for children to sit alone or in pairs in the front seats, which can prevent them from standing up to operate the control system. Operators should also pay attention to passengers who stand up, or even climb into the front seats during the main operation of the facility. If these behaviors occur, operators should remind passengers to remain seated and, if necessary, stop the facility.

5. Standing on small track-based carousels (figure-eight track with connecting bridge). There are two main reasons for standing: to stand straddling a small motorcycle, and to exit the facility during a mid-ride stop. If standing on a motorcycle during the carousel's ascent, combined with waving, there is a certain risk. If the passenger falls off the motorcycle and to the ground at that point, injury is certain. There was one instance of incorrect exit from an amusement ride (including standing behavior) occurring during a mid-ride stop. This passenger, unaware that the ride was about to resume, prepared to leave. Fortunately, the passenger's parents were nearby, and it was not during the ascent phase of the ride. If a passenger stands during the ride's ascent and is out of the operator's line of sight, this passenger is highly likely to be trapped when the ride restarts, potentially leading to injury or falling off the ride.

6. In the log flume, passengers may lean out to touch the water or the side of the trough, which could lead to them getting trapped between the boat and the trough. While this is unlikely under normal circumstances, if other passengers are swaying the boat, it's possible for passengers to get stuck or scrape their arms when the boat is close to the trough.

Preventing this type of behavior by increasing operator vigilance is difficult, as the ride's path is mostly out of sight from the control panel. If visibility is low, operators may need to monitor passenger behavior via surveillance.

If operators spot any potential hazards, including passengers leaning out or swaying the boat, they can stop the ride or use the PA system to warn passengers. The boat design could also be adjusted to limit its swaying motion (and maintain a distance between the boat and track that allows for an adult male's arm width).

Some argue that widening the track might encourage more adventurous passengers to reach out to the side of the track, potentially leading to falls into the water or being ejected from the boat.

1. Standing on the log flume: There are four main reasons for this behavior: discomfort after a major drop, curiosity or looking around, showing off, and interacting (with people inside and outside the boat). Once a passenger stands up, they usually remain standing for a while, increasing the risk of falling out (especially if other passengers are swaying the boat or the ride suddenly stops).

The consequences of a passenger falling from the boat depend largely on the ride's design and the environment. The passenger could fall onto a hard surface several feet below, a shallow hard-bottomed area, or deeper water. Any of these could cause serious injury. There's also the possibility of getting trapped between the boat and the track, leading to ongoing injury if the boat continues to move. Operators should remain vigilant and use surveillance, PA systems, or communication systems to prevent incidents caused by standing. Restraint systems, such as seatbelts, appropriate railings, or barriers, could also be added to prevent falls in hazardous areas (such as near transparent acrylic).

2. Reaching out to the side of a roller coaster: Some passengers, often young men, reach out to fixed railings out of curiosity (or to imitate peers). Injury can occur if hands hit sharp edges, rings or jewelry get caught on rough protrusions, or blunt force trauma occurs due to the ride's speed.

Operators should remove sharp edges and protrusions on fixed objects that passengers can touch. If passengers can touch fixed objects during high-speed movement (such as at the end of a major drop), operators should consider removing or adjusting these objects (e.g., adding buffer barriers). Alternatively, the boat could be modified (e.g., increasing the height of the sides of the seats) to prevent passengers from reaching further out.

Response Suggestions

1. While it's difficult and economically unreasonable for ride operators to set a lower or specific age limit, they should ensure that older passengers remain under their supervision and prevent them from attempting to leave the ride unsafely.

2. The safety implications of behaviors, particularly standing and attempting to improperly exit the ride, vary depending on the ride.

3. On some rides, such as log flumes and small airplanes, standing up and falling out of the boat during operation can have serious consequences.

On other rides, such as carousels, these behaviors don't pose such a high risk. Therefore, the impact of behaviors and their consequences varies depending on the specific ride or type of ride.

1. For ride risk assessment, a catalog of behavior types and predictions of behavior frequency can serve as a starting point for assessing passenger behavior. If a behavior is deemed potentially risky, assessors can refer to the analysis of individual rides or behaviors.

2. Operator vigilance and specific signage and warnings are effective methods for preventing such behaviors.

Recommended Important Tourism Events

2025 China Family Tourism Innovation Development Forum

June 12-13, Shanghai Jinshan Crowne Plaza Hotel

Key words:

CHINA ASSOCIATION OF AMUSEMENT PARKS AND ATTRACTIONS

E-mail:cae@caapa.org

Tel:+86-010-57690332

Address: Room405 Building#5 Gucheng South Street Shijingshan District Beijing China

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