Federal Legislation: Regulation of Ride System G-forces Versus Amusement Industry Autonomy: Designing for Human Endurance

Abstract

Millions of guests visit amusement parks to experience an immersive form of entertainment with low incidence of injury. The amusement industry is self-regulating and maintains one of the highest safety records for recreational activities according to statistical data collected by several industry sources. Despite the low accident rate, congressional members and safety advocates lobby for federal legislation for the regulation of g-force limits on ride systems. Several components encompass the biomechanics of ride systems design. The amusement industry uses voluntary consensus standards developed by industry experts, state officials, engineers, academia, and park owner-operators for ride systems design. Therefore, the intent of this paper is to compare industry data to determine if g-forces experienced on rides systems warrant federal legislation or is industry autonomy more relevant due to the ability to draw upon the expertise of industry professionals to develop standards that guide ride design and regulate an industry as it tests the boundaries of human endurance.