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" Just because a roller coaster has safety harnesses doesn&amp;#039;t mean the ride is safe. In fact, the federal government has no control over the safety of permanent amusement park rides. And the statistics are sobering: Each year from 1997 through 2004, an average of 7,175 riders were in accidents serious enough to land them in the emergency room, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  Help Make Rides Safer  The National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act of 2009 (H.R. 2514), proposed by Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), would give the CPSC jurisdiction over rides at permanent amusement parks and allocate $500,000 to the CPSC annually to help it improve ride safety. To support this important bill, contact your congressional representative and urge him or her to co-sponsor Rep. Markey&amp;#039;s bill.  Here&amp;#039;s more information on how to keep your kids safe: Top 10 Safety Tips for Parents from Saferparks  This nonprofit group, started by Kathy Fackler after her son was injured in an amusement-park ride accident, offers extensive information about the safety of amusement parks and traveling carnivals nationwide.  Safety Tips for Park Patrons from the Council for Amusement and Recreational Equipment Safety (CARES)  Composed of chief state inspectors and other enforcement officials, this group shares important information about rides with park industry members and with parents and riders.  Find Out How Safe Your State Is  In the absence of federal oversight, state governments are in charge of inspecting and regulating theme-park rides to ensure customers&amp;#039; safety. But some states are more diligent than others. Saferparks assesses how well each state regulates the safety of its parks. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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