Introduction to bungee jumping
Bungee jumping is one of the most extreme sports people practice in all over the world. The first attempt at this extreme sport was in 1979 when a ‘dangerous sports’ team from England came up with the bungee device that is still used today. The first bungee jump was successfully performed from the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
In 1986, a man named AJ Hackett made his first jump in New Zealand. He then jumped off several important buildings, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Not long after this, bungee jumping really became an extreme sport and is now a popular activity around the world for extreme sports enthusiasts. But how safe is it really? And what are the chances of dying in a bungee jumping accident?
Bungee ropes
Due to the high risk element associated with sport, chemists and physicists are constantly striving to make improvements to the composition of the bungee cord. The elastic rope that is used today is mainly made of rubber and synthetic materials. When creating the team, the height and weight of different people are taken into account to ensure survival. Different cables are used for different weight people to ensure maximum safety. It is up to scientists to ensure that a flexible to rigid medium is used for the extreme athlete to enjoy the sport and keep it alive.
Safety
Before even thinking about bungee jumping, 99.9% of people will want to be completely sure that they will be safe from harm. Statistics show that there is only a two in a million chance of dying from this sport, which makes it quite safe, especially compared to other extreme sports such as diving and rock climbing. Added to this, it may (or may not) be reassuring to know that nearly all of the accidents that have occurred have not occurred due to the actual bungee, but rather to the operators not holding the cable to the person or building properly. Bungee cord producers are more than efficient at their job.
Perceptions
Compared to other sports, it is not uncommon for many people to believe that bungee jumping is more dangerous. Take skydiving for example: Due to the large number of “ordinary” people who participate in this sport, many people believe that it is relatively safe. It is generally a safe sport, but compared to bungee jumping, the chances of dying are much higher. The same can be said for parachute jumping and scuba diving. If you have thought about doing a bungee jump, why not do more research? The chances of dying are very small!
