Safety Bar Compliance on Ski Lifts: Factors of Age and Lift Bar Type Impact Risk Taking Behavior

During the 2013/14 season, 32 fatalities were reported comprising 25 males and 5 females, a slight increase from the previous year of 25 fatalities.1 In comparison, according to the national Injury Council, in 2012, 36,300 Americans died in automobile accidents, 3,782 died by drowning, and 793 died while riding bicycles.1 The reduction in fatalities might be attributed to the National Ski Area Association's efforts to educate the public on the inherent dangers of skiing and snowboarding as well as promoting safety programs, such as the "HEADS UP" campaign and the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Responsibility Code.1 There are seven components to the "HEADS UP" campaign and the Responsibility Code: always stay in control; people ahead of you have the right of way; stop in a safe place for you and others; whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield; use devices to help prevent runaway equipment; observe signs and warnings and keep off closed trails; and know how to use the lifts safely. The best data for falls from ski lifts come from Colorado, where the industry must report all falls to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board.2 During the 2001/02 to the 2011/12 ski season, 227 falls where reported.2 Of those falls 196 where reported as human error, 19 unknown, eight medical, and four operator/mechanical error.2 In analysis, this meant that 86 per cent were a result of human error2 Comparing chair lifts with and without safety bars, 71 per cent had safety bars in place.2 According to the skier's responsibility code, skiers must know how to use the lift safely. [...]many of them did not even realize that signage existed.