Please bookmark the new URL: https://rrrr.blog.torontomu.ca
Ride Report Recaps (RRRR) compiles headlines about amusement ride accidents from public sources. Reports are linked and tabulated using a simple coding system to provide a broad overview.
The RRRR uses media reports as the only available source. Regulatory oversight and reporting thresholds vary from jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and accident reports to regulators are rarely available to the public. Internal reports collected by the owner/operator organization are treated as confidential. Self-reported data from consumers are limited by consumer awareness of the self-reporting platform and language access. Media reports are publicly available, but they are limited.
The presence of a report depends on the news media editor learning of an occurrence and determining it to be newsworthy. As a result, some occurrences may be excluded entirely. The information captured on RRRR is vulnerable to the comprehensiveness of information obtained in reporting, and the accuracy of the terminology used in the story. As such, RRRR has quantitative and qualitative limitations as a metric of ride safety.
RRRR scans news headline compilations from major industry clipping services, and other headlines linked from these reports. Each occurrence is tallied once, and related follow-up reports are linked to the first record. RRRR will provide a means for users to submit new follow-up reports and headlines for occurrences not yet collected.
News reports capture events that capture the attention of a reporter and pass the “newsworthiness” assessment by an editor, and then come to the attention of the clipping service sources, or related-news link sidebars on those articles. These reports do not account for many minor injuries or exposures in parks, as well as more serious occurrences that are not reported in the media. Some venues attract more attention than others because reporters and editors are already interested in them, and coverage of those venues will reflect more occurrences than neglected venues. Occurrence should be put in perspective of the amount of participation. A respected source for attendance at major attractions is the Theme Index published by the Themed Entertainment Association.
Journalists seeking produce more comprehensive news coverage of specific accidents may use the template provided here.
This blog is maintained by the THRILL Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada, directed by Dr. Kathryn Woodcock CCPE ICAE P.Eng.
Blog development was reduced in frequency due to pandemic, and database and submission form are not accessible at this time. We will endeavour to maintain monthly recaps.
Blog staff:
- Daniel Huynh, Class of 2020, Occupational Health and Safety