Majority Wants Laws on Theme Park Rides

Nearly nine in 10 Orange County residents want laws requiring amusement parks to report injuries on their rides to the state, with the information made available to the public.

The strong support for such a requirement, in a county that has two major amusement parks, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, holds across the lines of age, sex and politics, a Times Orange County Poll found. Even among people who regard the parks as very safe, 85% favor public disclosure of injuries.

By smaller majorities, county residents also support two California bills to regulate parks. One would require state inspections of parks; the other would have the amusement parks themselves certify that they have met safety standards. California is one of only 10 states nationwide that do not inspect permanent amusement parks.

Despite the pro-regulation sentiments, only one in 20 people think theme parks are unsafe. Indeed, half believe California’s major amusement parks are very safe, and another third believe them somewhat safe. And safety ratings rise higher still among those who have visited a big park in the past year, as more than half of county residents say they have done.

“I think Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm are pretty safe places,” said poll respondent John Mitchell of Westminster, who “used to go to Knott’s nearly every weekend” as a youngster.

“But how reasonable is it to have them monitor themselves?” Mitchell added. “If you’re going to buy a house, who do you want to inspect it for you--the owner or an outside party?”

The Christmas Eve accident that killed a tourist at Disneyland has focused attention on amusement-park safety. Cal-OSHA is investigating whether improper use of equipment or faulty training played a part in the accident. It occurred when a metal mooring device was ripped free from the Columbia sailing ship and whipped into a crowd.

Questions also were raised about Disney’s immediate cleanup of the accident scene and the three-hour delay before Anaheim police reached the dock. Disneyland since has agreed to pay for an officer to be stationed at the park, and promised to leave major accident and crime scenes undisturbed for police.

Walt Disney Co. spokesman Ray Gomez would not comment on the strong public support for disclosures about injuries, saying the company expects legislation to be proposed on the issue and wants to see it first. Gomez has said previously that the park would look into providing information on injuries voluntarily if enough visitors wanted it.

Disney officials are pleased the public believes theme parks are safe, Gomez said, which “reaffirms our efforts at making safety the No. 1 issue at Disneyland.”

The telephone poll, conducted Feb. 26-March 2 by Baldassare Associates, questioned 600 adult Orange County residents.

The poll’s director, Cheryl Katz, said the 9-to-1 ratio favoring public reporting of injuries at theme parks “is one of the highest numbers you’ll ever see.”

“There is no perception of a downside to the requirement,” Katz said. “They think it’s information people should see--and they don’t see any significant cost to the parks or taxpayers.”

The issue of whether state inspectors should examine permanent parks such as Disneyland--they already inspect traveling carnivals--produced the greatest disagreement.

Half of those who have been to a major theme park in the last year favor such inspections and a similar number of them favor having the parks instead simply fill out affidavits certifying they have met safety standards.

Older people and Republicans are less likely to favor regulations.

One respondent expressing skepticism over state inspections was Peter Kenny of Newport Beach, an entrepreneur who has owned restaurants and other businesses.

“I think less government is better,” Kenny said. “I think people like Disney and Knott’s Berry Farm, the major players in the field, know it’s in their best interests to build the safest place possible. It’s like in the food business. No one in their right mind wants to do anything that would spread [the bacteria] e coli.

“So I guess I’d lean against inspections.”

He added, however, that he favors public reporting of accidents and injuries. “You’d have to have some criteria. But if they’re serious, the answer is obviously yes,” Kenny said. “People need to be able to assess dangers.”

Mitchell, an assembly worker for a furniture company, favors state inspections of parks. He said that if the parks are allowed to inspect themselves, it should be by teams with representatives from all the amusement parks in the region to ensure a fresh perspective.

And he wants to be able to see whether people have been injured on certain rides. “When I send my kids to Disneyland I want to know it’s safe. I assume it is now, but it would be nice to see it” in writing.

He also wants that reporting to be fair to the parks by making it clear when the tourist was at fault.

“You have to say when it was someone’s fault, like standing up on a roller coaster,” Mitchell said. “You need to be fair to all parties, including the amusement parks.”

Knott’s general manager Jack Falfas, who has volunteered to work with legislators on regulation, said the vast majority of theme park injuries are caused by guest misconduct, with operator error a distant second.

Falfas said he was not surprised by the broad support for public disclosure of injuries, saying similar opinions were expressed when he worked on regulations for the industry in Ohio.

He said he has no problem reporting serious injuries so long as the process is not cumbersome. “I have nothing to hide,” he said. “And [public reporting] in and of itself should make us even more cautious, which is good.”

As for certifying ride safety, Falfas said responsible theme park operators already keep extensive internal records on maintenance and safety procedures as a defense against personal injury lawsuits.

“If you don’t document that you’ve maintained your equipment right, you’re giving that individual more ammunition than he deserves,” Falfas said.

State Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, an Antioch Democrat sponsoring legislation that would require parks to report accidents publicly, said the poll confirms what he had been hearing from constituents.

“People want to have the right to know,” he said.

Torlakson’s legislation also would require state inspections of parks.

“The public ultimately wants to hear from an independent source, not someone at the parks, who has verified that safety inspections have been made,” he said.

Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim), who supports having the parks certify their own safety inspections, said he still believes that is the best regulation. The procedure, used by the big Disney, Universal Studios and Sea World theme parks in Florida, works by intensifying liability for the parks if the rides are later shown to be unsafe, Correa said.

He said his legislation, based on the Florida model, is still being developed “and eventually we may look at” incorporating injury disclosure language as well. “But this is a work in progress, and it’s not in there yet.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

About the Poll

The Times Orange County Poll, addressing several topics in the news, was conducted by Baldassare Associates under the direction of Cheryl Katz. The random telephone survey of 600 Orange County adults was conducted Feb. 26 through March 2. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 4% at the 95% confidence level. Statistically, this means there is a 95% chance that the results would fall inside that range if every adult resident in Orange County were interviewed. For subgroups, such as residents of regions, the margin of error is larger.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Park Rides: Generally Safe

Just one Orange County resident in 20 thinks major amusement park rides are unsafe. But nine in 10 would require reporting of injuries and making that information public. Proposals for annual state inspections or parks’ self-certification of safety find much less support.

* In general, how safe do you consider the rides at California’s major amusement parks, such as Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm?

Very safe: 49%

Somewhat safe: 36%

Very/somewhat unsafe: 5%

Don’t know: 10%

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Do you favor or oppose requiring:

* California’s major amusement parks to report injuries that occur in the parks to state authorities and have the information made available to the public?

* The state to conduct annual safety inspections of the rides of California’s major amusement parks, at a cost of up to $400,000 a year?

* California’s major amusement parks to file documents showing that they have met state standards for safety but not subject them to state inspections:

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Favor Oppose Don’t know Report injuries 88% 9% 3% State inspections 51% 40% 9% Parks self-certify 50% 43% 7%

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Source: Times Orange County Poll