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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Roller coasters and other rides at permanent amusement parks have a low, but not zero, estimated injury rate in the latest located North American report. For 2024, the report estimated 0.78 injuries per million rides across covered fixed-site attractions and 1.27 per million roller-coaster rides. These are survey-based estimates, not guarantees for an individual rider or rates for every ride setting worldwide.
What do the latest ride-safety figures show?
The National Safety Council (NSC), under contract to IAAPA, published its 2024 update in 2025. It estimates ridership, attendance and injuries using an operator survey of permanent amusement and theme parks, tourist attractions and family entertainment centers in the United States and Canada. It is not a census of every ride or incident.
The survey invited 485 contacts representing 443 facilities; 227 facilities responded. NSC weighted the results to estimate the 443-facility population. Facilities represented in the ridership analysis accounted for an estimated 65% of total ridership. Water parks and traveling fairgrounds are outside the report’s scope. IAAPA’s annual safety reports and fact sheets provide access to the report materials.
| Measure | 2024 North American fixed-site estimate | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| All covered rides | 0.78 estimated injuries per million rides | Compared with 0.71 in 2023 and a 10-year average of 0.75. |
| Roller coasters | 1.27 estimated injuries per million coaster rides | Compared with 0.88 in 2023. The report describes coaster rates as variable year to year and the longer-term trend as slightly upward; one year’s change does not establish a cause or predict future rates. |
| Park attendance | 2.86 estimated injuries per million attendees | A visit-based rate, not a per-ride rate; it answers a different exposure question. |
NSC says it focuses primarily on ridership-based estimates because rides taken are a more appropriate measure of exposure to ride risk than park attendance. Use the per-ride rate to discuss the risk associated with taking rides, and the per-attendee rate to discuss a park visit. Neither figure should be presented without its denominator and North American fixed-site scope.
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What does “serious injury” mean in the report?
For the 2024 North American fixed-site estimate, 8% of estimated injuries met the report’s definition of serious: immediate admission and hospitalization for more than 24 hours, excluding medical observation, or a fatality. The remaining 92% were classified as reportable/other injuries requiring medical treatment beyond ordinary first aid. “Serious” here is a specific severity category, not a synonym for every injury.
Which rides and circumstances account for reported injuries?
These percentages describe shares of estimated injuries, not the chance of injury on any one ride. Without accounting for how often people use each category, injury shares cannot establish which ride has the greatest per-ride risk.
| Report category or circumstance | Share of 2024 estimated injuries |
|---|---|
| Roller coasters | 44% |
| Family/adult rides | 48% |
| Children’s rides | 8% |
| During ride motion | 69% |
| Getting on or off | 31% |
Family/adult rides represented the largest share over the prior decade, although the coaster share rose in 2024. That shift in shares is not a direct comparison of per-ride danger.
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The report also included an optional perceived-cause question. Respondents attributed 66% of estimated injuries to guest behavior, 9% to operational factors and 15% to technical factors. This item received responses from 54 people representing 160 facilities, so these are respondent-attributed contributions, not independently established causes. Guest-behavior and medical-condition subcategories may overlap.
How do standards, inspections and oversight help?
IAAPA describes a safety system that combines standards, jurisdictional rules, manufacturer procedures and park inspections. ASTM International’s F24 Committee develops amusement-ride standards for design and manufacture, testing, operation, maintenance, inspection and quality assurance. In the United States, state and local codes also apply; IAAPA describes inspection routines that can include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly checks. The exact requirements and oversight vary by jurisdiction. IAAPA’s safety fact sheets describe its account of these practices.
Ontario’s regulator-specific example
Ontario’s Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) says it regulates devices including roller coasters, issues operating permits annually, inspects new devices before startup and at the start of each new season, and investigates when necessary. Its 2025 public-safety page reports 923 permitted rides and an 83% compliance rate for FY25. Those figures describe Ontario’s program only; they are not a North American or worldwide rate. TSSA’s amusement-device safety information explains the regulator’s role.
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What can riders do to reduce avoidable risk?
Follow the instructions for the specific ride and tell staff if you notice unsafe behavior or a concerning condition. IAAPA’s guest guidance recommends:
- Obey posted age, height, weight and health restrictions, as well as spoken instructions and recorded announcements.
- Keep hands, arms, legs and feet inside the ride. Secure loose items such as phones, sunglasses, hats, wallets and coins.
- Do not board while impaired. Stay seated until the ride stops and staff direct you to exit.
- Use the provided safety equipment; do not loosen or try to escape from restraints.
- Make sure children can understand and follow the rules, and do not force anyone to ride.
- Report unsafe behavior or a concerning condition to a supervisor or manager.
These precautions do not replace the operator’s procedures or make a ride risk-free. IAAPA’s guest safety guidance lists restrictions and rider conduct expectations.
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Are rides safe for people with health conditions?
General injury statistics cannot determine whether a particular ride is appropriate for a particular person. Read and follow ride-specific health warnings. The American Heart Association advises people with heart conditions to discuss thrill-seeking activities with a healthcare professional before participating. Its article discusses limited evidence and a study involving adults with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; it is not a universal medical clearance for all people, conditions or rides. The American Heart Association’s heart-condition guidance provides that context.
What these numbers do—and do not—tell you
The estimates are useful for describing injury frequency in the surveyed North American fixed-site setting, but they cannot answer every safety comparison. The report excludes traveling fairgrounds and water parks, and the evidence here does not establish a single current worldwide rate covering coasters, fairs, water slides and all other attractions. A regulator’s local compliance or incident figures should not be blended with the NSC survey estimates as though they measured the same thing.
Quick Recap
- Check the denominator: per ride and per attendee measure different exposures.
- Check whether a percentage is an injury share or a rate per ride.
- Check the severity definition before interpreting “serious.”
- Check the ride category, geography and setting, as well as whether a figure comes from an operator survey estimate or a regulator’s program data.
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