UNITED STATES · THEME PARK SAFETY · EXPLAINER
After a rider’s death on the Goliath roller coaster, this guide explains who inspects roller coasters in the United States, what the rules say and what visitors can expect.
Key Facts
- —What changed Six Flags will add seat belts to Goliath and similar coasters.
- —Federal gap The US product-safety agency does not cover rides permanently fixed to a park.
- —Who inspects State agencies with ride programs, such as Georgia’s safety fire office, permit and inspect parks.
- —After a death In Georgia a ride is shut and secured until the state investigates.
- —Standards ASTM International’s F24 committee writes ride design, operation and inspection standards.
Six Flags is adding seat belts to its Goliath roller coaster in Georgia and to similar rides after a man fell from Goliath and died on Monday 12 October 2026, as our report on Six Flags adding seat belts describes. This guide explains the Six Flags safety rules in plain terms: who inspects roller coasters in the United States, what a park must do after a death and what visitors can expect.
The short answer is that federal consumer-product law excludes rides that are permanently fixed to a site, so permanent theme parks answer to state ride programs where a state has one. In Georgia, where the accident happened, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire permits, inspects and investigates the rides, while the park’s own rules, insurers and industry standards add further layers.
In Plain English
- Fixed-site ride: a ride built permanently in one place, such as a theme-park roller coaster, as opposed to a carnival ride that travels from town to town.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission: the federal agency that polices the safety of products sold to consumers; its law covers rides that are not permanently fixed to a site.
- ASTM F24: the committee of ASTM International, a standards body, that writes technical standards for amusement rides and devices.
- IAAPA: the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the industry’s trade group, whose figures in this article are its own.
What Changes for Visitors Now
Six Flags says it will add seat belts to Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint, and chief executive John Reilly wrote on Friday 23 October that independent engineers and ride inspection specialists are reviewing safety procedures at all of its parks. NBC News reported that three rides, Goliath in Georgia, Nitro in New Jersey and Raging Bull in Illinois, will get the belts.
Reilly’s message announces no new rules for riders, so the existing ones stand: each ride has its own height, weight and health requirements, and Six Flags tells guests to follow posted requirements, listen to operators, use all restraints and stay seated. In Georgia these duties are also law, because the state’s rules oblige riders to obey signs and operators and to use the safety equipment, with a civil penalty of up to US$100 per infraction.
Goliath and eight other coasters at five more parks remain closed, and Six Flags has given no reopening dates. The company says its parks stay open through Halloween weekend with more than 220 coasters operating, so visitors should check each park’s website for closed rides before they go.
Who Regulates Roller Coasters in the United States
Federal law treats a mechanical device that carries passengers for amusement as a consumer product only if it is “not permanently fixed to a site,” and it states that the term “does not include such a device which is permanently fixed to a site.” On that wording, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s product-safety law covers rides that are not permanently fixed, such as traveling carnival rides, but not permanent roller coasters.
The industry group IAAPA says Congress concluded in 1981 that the park buys the product while the visitor buys the experience, and it says 44 of the 50 states regulate amusement parks. It names Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming and Utah as the six that do not, claims we could not check state by state.
The result is a patchwork, in which a Georgia park answers to Georgia’s ride rules, and IAAPA adds that parks also face local codes and inspections by insurance companies. Six Flags’ own ride-safety page lists independent inspection firms and “state ride inspectors, where applicable” among its layers of review.
Who Checks a Permanent Park’s Rides
- Park teams: daily inspections and tests before a ride opens, which Georgia’s rules also require.
- Independent firms: third-party inspectors and company engineers, as Six Flags describes its program.
- State inspectors: in states with a ride program, such as Georgia.
- Insurers: Georgia requires US$1 million in liability insurance, or an equal bond or accepted security.
- Industry standards: ASTM F24 documents on design, operation and inspection.
How Georgia Regulates Its Rides
Georgia’s ride-safety rules, Chapter 120-3-27 of its administrative code, require a state permit that must be displayed at the park entrance, and they require stationary rides to be inspected before opening and at least once a year. The owner must carry liability insurance of at least US$1 million, or an equal bond or other security the state accepts, keep maintenance records, and have each ride inspected and tested on every day it is used.
Operators must be at least 16 years old, properly trained and stationed at the controls, and the owner must run each ride according to the manufacturer’s manual. State inspectors may inspect without notice, and the rules bar the use of any ride that does not comply.
Serious violations, including those that cause death, can bring a civil penalty of up to US$5,000 for each violation and a referral to prosecutors, and each day of a violation counts as a separate offense. The rules also tie warning signs to ASTM or American National Standards Institute standards, which shows how industry standards become part of state law.
“Georgia’s safety laws exist for a reason, and we expect them to be followed to the letter.”
John F. King, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, 15 October 2026
Six Flags Safety Rules for Riders and Staff
Six Flags says every ride is inspected daily by park teams and reviewed regularly by independent inspection firms, state ride inspectors where they apply, its own corporate engineers and safety staff, and outside evaluators of operator training. Reilly’s message adds that operators complete a multi-stage program of classroom instruction, hands-on training and supervised on-the-job experience.
For riders, the company says restraints must fit properly, which is why each ride has its own height, weight and physical requirements, and that guests should use every restraint and remain seated. Georgia’s rules back the height limits by telling operators to refuse any passenger who cannot meet a ride’s height or guardian restriction.
Six Flags also says its team members are empowered to put safety first and that its procedures prioritize caution before a ride goes back into service. These are company statements, not findings, and the state’s investigation of Goliath has not yet said whether any rule was broken.
What Happens After a Fatal Accident
Georgia’s Rule 120-3-27-.06 sets the first steps after a death or serious injury on a ride. The owner must shut the ride down, secure it, and report the accident to the state office by telephone at once, followed by a written report by the end of the next business day.
The Georgia Sequence, Step by Step
- The ride is shut down and taken out of service immediately.
- The ride is secured so that it cannot run until the state has investigated.
- The owner phones the state office at once and files a written report by the close of the next business day.
- State investigators examine the ride, its operation and its records, while police run their own inquiry.
- The state decides when and under what conditions the ride may reopen, and can fine the owner if it finds violations.
The rule lets the state allow a quick repair and return to service without a full investigation if the owner and a qualified technician give enough information, and the state must record that decision. For Goliath, the state office has said the ride stays closed until its full investigation is finished, and Six Flags has closed eight similar coasters “out of an abundance of caution.”
What Standards the Industry Follows
ASTM International’s Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices, formed in 1978, now has about 1,100 members and 30 standards. They include practices such as F2291 for the design of rides, F1193 for their quality, manufacture and construction, and F770 for their ownership, operation, maintenance and inspection.
The design standard has a section on patron restraint, clearance envelope and containment criteria, which is the part of the standard that deals with how riders are held in. IAAPA says the committee brings together consumer advocates, government officials, park operators, ride makers and suppliers, and that many governments have adopted its standards.
A standard does not bind a park by itself: ASTM’s operating standard says it “does not purport to address all of the safety concerns” and leaves users to check which regulations apply. Georgia’s rules refer to ASTM standards for warning signs, passenger restrictions and operator duties, which is how those documents gain legal force.
What It Means for You
Before you visit any park, check its website for closed rides, read each ride’s height and health rules at the entrance, and ask staff if you are unsure, because Six Flags and Georgia’s rules treat safety as shared between the park and the rider. In Georgia the state permit for a park’s rides must be displayed at the entrance, and the state says Goliath’s last inspection, on Monday 16 March 2026, reported no violations.
Industry Figures From IAAPA
- More than 385 million guests in a typical year.
- More than 1.7 billion rides at about 400 North American fixed-site facilities.
- A chance of serious injury of 1 in 15.5 million rides, in the group’s own calculation.
Those figures come from a trade group that argues the current system works, and they do not say what happened on Goliath. NBC News reported that Georgia’s safety office has shared Goliath inspection reports going back to 2014, and the state’s investigation, not the averages, will show whether the death on 12 October points to the ride, the restraint, the way it was operated or something else.
What Is Not Known
Georgia has not announced what caused the accident, and no source we reviewed says whether the restraint, the way it was locked or the operation of the ride was at fault. Six Flags has not said which rides beyond Goliath will get belts, apart from a news report naming three, or when any closed ride will reopen.
We found no bill in Congress or the Georgia legislature to change ride rules in the sources we reviewed, and no word from ASTM International on changing its restraint standards. Georgia’s rules, current through 8 October 2026, require belts or harnesses for go-karts and bungee jumping but do not mention seat belts on roller coasters.
IAAPA’s list of six states without ride programs is the group’s own claim, and we could not confirm each state’s law. The federal position here rests on the text of the Consumer Product Safety Act, not on any agency statement.
Connected Coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
Who inspects roller coasters at US theme parks?
Mostly state agencies: the industry group IAAPA says 44 of 50 states regulate amusement parks. In Georgia, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire permits, inspects and investigates rides.
Does the federal government regulate theme park rides?
Not for permanent parks. Federal consumer-product law excludes rides permanently fixed to a site, so the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s product rules do not reach them.
What must a Georgia park do after a death on a ride?
The ride must be shut down, secured and reported to the state by telephone at once, with a written report by the next business day. It stays out of service until the state’s investigation is complete, unless the state decides otherwise.
Are seat belts required on roller coasters?
Georgia’s ride rules, current through 8 October 2026, do not mention seat belts on roller coasters, though they require belts or harnesses for go-karts and bungee jumping. Six Flags announced the belts for Goliath itself.
Does adding seat belts mean Goliath’s restraint failed?
No investigator has said so. Georgia has not announced a cause, and Six Flags calls the belts an additional safety measure while investigations continue.
Sources: Six Flags, Update from John Reilly, President and CEO, 23 October 2026; Six Flags, Ride Safety at Six Flags; Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, press release of 15 October 2026; Georgia Administrative Code, Chapter 120-3-27, Rules and Regulations for Amusement Ride Safety (rules .04, .06, .07, .08, .09, .10, .41, .42, .51, current through 8 October 2026); 15 U.S.C. 2052, definitions (consumer product); ASTM International, Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices; ASTM F2291, design of amusement rides and devices; ASTM F770, ownership, operation, maintenance and inspection; ASTM F1193, quality, manufacture and construction; IAAPA, ride safety report page (industry trade group); NBC News, 24 and 25 October 2026. All opened on 25 October 2026.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief