Within a few days, there were two accidents on roller coasters in German amusement parks. A woman dies, dozens of passengers are injured. But amusement parks and roller coaster manufacturers point to high safety standards – but also to an uncontrollable factor.
After two roller coaster accidents with one dead and several injured within a few days in Germany, amusement parks and manufacturers refer to the rarity of such incidents. “Corresponding incidents since the turn of the millennium in stationary leisure facilities can be counted on one hand,” said Jürgen Gevers, Managing Director of the Association of German Leisure Parks and Leisure Companies (VDFU). Statistically, roller coasters are “one of the safest means of transportation”.
Neither the TÜV nor the General Association of the German Insurance Industry keep accident or defect statistics for roller coasters in Germany. Because compared to the large number of traffic, work and home accidents, roller coasters only play an extremely minor role.
However, a spokeswoman for the international amusement park umbrella organization IAAPA said that in Europe in 2020 there were an average of 4.4 injuries in rides per million visitors to the parks. Of these, only 16 percent took place on roller coasters. “In Germany, this number is even lower,” said VDFU Managing Director Gevers. “The safety standards here are much higher than in other countries.”
The Association of German Amusement Park Manufacturers (VDV) made a similar statement. “The German safety regulations are so high that they were taken as a model for European standards,” said association spokeswoman Petra Probst. “Roller coasters in German amusement parks are safe.”
According to the VDFU, fixed roller coasters must be inspected at least once a year by an independent body. Before the daily start-up, it is “industry standard that technical personnel check the systems”. According to the German Showmen’s Association, roller coasters that showmen set up at folk festivals may only be operated with a special permit, which must be renewed every year. Experts, for example from TÜV, checked the tracks each time they were set up. After twelve years there is also a special test.
Roller coaster accidents are rare in Germany, but they happen again and again – most recently twice within a few days. On August 6, a 57-year-old woman fell from a roller coaster at an amusement park in Klotten on the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate and died. Five days later, 31 people were injured at Legoland in Günzburg, Swabia, when a train from the “Feuerdrache” roller coaster crashed into a train ahead.
But there have also been roller coaster accidents at folk festivals in recent years. Four people were injured in Würzburg in 2018 when their car ran into waiting cars without braking. In Mannheim, parts of the lighting on a roller coaster came loose in 2019 and fell on three passengers, who were slightly injured. In the same year, a man died in Berlin when he was run over by a roller coaster car.
“Of course, roller coaster accidents also happen at folk festivals,” said the general manager of the German Showmen’s Association, Frank Hakelberg. “But they are extremely rare – and in recent years they have almost exclusively been accidents at work.”
In principle, human error often plays a role in accidents on roller coasters, according to the associations of amusement parks and German manufacturers. “It’s an element of uncertainty,” said VDV spokeswoman Probst. “Anyone who rides a roller coaster should also make sure that, for example, the safety bar closes tightly.” In addition, passengers should follow the rules. “For example, don’t stretch out your arms,” ??said Probst. “The fun is still not lost.”
