Coaster Wars

Amusement parks are building bigger, faster, more frightening roller coasters, rides designed to create the illusion of danger. But as CBS News Correspondent Russ Mitchell reports, illusion sometimes becomes reality.

The Millennium Force Roller Coaster at Cedar Point Park in Sandusky, Ohio, is the scariest thrill ride of the year. With your stomach in your throat, you fall more than 300 feet at 92-miles an hour.

This year, some 50 new coasters will open at American amusement parks.

For some, the scary part is that, as Kathy Fackler says, "There's no federal oversight of amusement rides."

Kathy Fackler's son was one of an estimated 9200 riders injured on amusement rides in 1998. He lost part of his foot on a ride at Disneyland. "I can't describe the horror of watching that happen," Kathy recalls. "And particularly when you're at an amusement park. You know, your defenses are gone completely."

Fackler started a grass roots safety campaign after she discovered that under California laws, the accident didn't have to be reported to anyone outside of Disneyland.

"I would also like to see regulators at either the state or the federal level be empowered to go out and investigate serious accidents," she says.

Last year, six people were killed in a series of accidents on carnival and park rides. With regulations varying from state to state, Congress is now considering a bill to give the federal government the power to inspect and regulate all permanent park rides.

But not everyone feels such regulations are necessary. The amusement park industry,citing rider injury odds of 1 in 25 million, says there's nothing wrong with the current system.

"The outstanding safety record in the industry is the best evidence of the fact that we're doing an outstanding job in safety," says John Graff of the Amusement Parks Association.

Kathy Fackler's efforts are paying off. California has now passed a law giving the state more power over amusement parks. And as the debate over safety heats up, so too will the contest for the biggest, baddest coaster ever.