There is currently no state law requiring the inspection of carnival rides in South Dakota. House Bill 1168 seeks to ensure amusement rides that move location more than once a year are properly inspected by insurance agencies annually, and that the inspection documents are available to the cities they operate in. Representative Steve Hickey says the bill is meant to give peace of mind to parents.
“All we have is an insurance requirement so that if something goes wrong, God forbid, there’s some money that can make up for the damage. The parents are expecting that there’s been some sort of (inspection). We do this with our highways, we don’t let trucks go down the highway without someone walking around them,” Hickey says.
Hickey says some accidents are also caused by riders behaving irresponsibly, so the legislation also takes rider behavior into account. Representative Stace Nelson spoke against the bill, claiming it’s an overreaction to a single incident. The majority of the House supports House Bill 1168 and it now moves to the Senate for consideration.