Just How Safe Are Carnival Rides?

[Spirit Scribe]

My uncle used to work on these roadside carnivals that set up all over the country. Mind you, this was years ago, and things have most likely changed... this was back in the days before inspections and whatnot. Most of his job was setting up and tearing down rides. He told us never to ride the ferris wheel, because it was all held together with little wooden pegs. He said there wasn't enough money in the world to get him to ride one of those things.