Yes to Safer Theme Parks

Recent accidents at Knott’s Berry Farm and at Paramount’s Great America Theme Park in Santa Clara provide fresh incentive for strong legislation to require independent inspection of amusement parks in California. The Legislature, which has been considering the issue for months, should resist the persistent efforts of the theme park industry to water down oversight. The current legislation contains some needed provisions, including annual inspections of rides, accident reports and training records by state inspectors. It requires parks to report all serious accidents and injuries. With these key provisions, a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) would bring in state oversight of permanent parks that is closer to regulation of traveling carnivals.

While the new provisions would not guarantee safety, a series of accidents at California theme parks since last December underscores the fact that safety oversight cannot be left to park operators alone. The industry in California for years has argued against tougher regulation, even as other states moved in that direction. Apologists point to the parks’ safety record as a whole, the burden of additional bureaucracy, and the responsibility of the customer. But the fatal Christmas Eve accident at Disneyland, when a mooring cleat tore loose from the Columbia sailing ship and killed a tourist, provided fresh impetus for reform. That accident focused on the adequacy of worker training and maintenance, and thus on whether parks will do enough on their own.

Continuing legislative efforts to overcome industry opposition to outside review cleared a Senate committee this week, following another horrible accident: the death Sunday of a boy who apparently slipped out of a safety harness at Great America. The bill, which now goes before the full Senate and then to the Assembly, should be enacted without any weakening.

For the public, the issue is who attests to the safety of rides. Independent review will not guarantee that no accidents occur. Monday’s mishap aboard a roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm happened on an 8-month-old ride that the park says is inspected daily.

However, an additional layer of scrutiny is warranted. This will bolster public confidence, provide needed information on safety and increase the chance that a problem will be identified before tragedy occurs.