Why Is Kite Flying On A Roof Terrace Dangerous?

Flying a kite is a great hobby that can bring lots of joy and pleasure, but it is not without its downfalls if you don’t consider where you should be flying. If you cannot get to an area where you can fly a kite, and you are thinking about using the roof of your building, this article will make you think twice. 

Flying a kite on a roof terrace is dangerous, with the biggest factor being that you can easily fall over the edge because a fence does not guard a roof terrace. You can also get injured by tripping or falling into any furnishings, or you can lose control of your kite, allowing it to fall into powerlines, pedestrians, or motorists below, causing them harm. 

This article will consider what a roof terrace is, where it is found, and what you can expect to find on one. Then we will look at why flying a kite on top of a roof terrace is considered to be very dangerous, going over some obvious points and then some that are not so much. 

Why is flying a kite on a roof terrace dangerous?

You would never associate kite flying with deaths and accidents because kite flying is a pastime that prompts good fellowship and fun for the most part. It is a great time taking your kite down to the park and spending the afternoon watching it fly seamlessly in the wind while you try to let it go ever so higher. 

However, flying a kite on a rooftop and on a roof terrace can be deadly, in fact, and it’s not only for the reasons that you may think. There are numerous reasons why flying a kite on top of a roof terrace can be dangerous for the individual flying a kite and the unsuspecting civilians and motorists below. 

Roof terrace overview

Let’s discuss roof terraces in a bit of detail to figure out why flying a kite on them is considered to be so dangerous. 

The Collins English dictionary defines a roof terrace as having a garden on the roof of a building. The word “terrace” can be traced back to Latin and taken from the word meaning “earth.”.  A terrace will typically be quite large, and when built on top of a roof, it will span the entire area of the roof.

Furthermore, a terrace will usually consist of many furnishings such as chairs, tables, a garden, flowers, pot plants, and even a gazebo. Remember that a terrace will be considerably large, seeing as it will cover the entire area of the roof of a building. 

Dangers of flying a kite on a roof terrace

You can fall over the side if you fly a kite on a roof terrace

This is probably the most obvious reason out of all the ones that we will discuss. Even though some roof terraces are large and have open spaces, when you fly a kite, you are not paying attention to your surroundings and how far you move when you are trying to maneuver your kite. 

Your attention is fixated on the kite, and this can be detrimental if trying to fly one on a rooftop. A large gust of wind can take your kite past the edge without you realizing it, and without you paying attention to how far past the edge it has gone, you can easily wander past the ledge and fall. 

You have to consider that a terrace does not have a fence surrounding it. Typically, it will be built with a very pleasing aesthetic appeal and will have a beautiful view. For this reason, they will usually not have a fence surrounding them because this would take away from what a roof terrace is trying to achieve. Thus it may have small wooden railings in place but nothing that could stop you from falling over. 

You may get injured running into something on a roof terrace

We slightly touched on what a terrace will have with regards to furnishings such as pot plants, tables, chairs, a garden, and in some cases, even a gazebo. Understand that when you fly a kite in a park or large garden, there are no objects that can get in your way. 

A roof terrace is littered with furnishings to provide that pleasing aesthetic look. Due to all these furnishings, there won’t be that much space available for you to move freely, and coupled with the fact that a roof won’t be as large as an open field or park, you are more likely to run into something and injure yourself. 

Again, this is due to you paying attention to your kite and not your surroundings. It doesn’t take much to trip and fall over an object like a pot plant or trip and fall for you to injure yourself severely.   

Kites can fly off and fall onto power lines

This can be a severe problem with flying kites on a roof terrace. Remember that a roof terrace is located on top of a building. Hence the building will most probably be found in an urban area. This means that there will be many power lines, unlike that of a park or open field. 

There have been many instances where individuals have lost control of their kites, and they have flown away only to land on a power line. You may think that if you are using string, it might not be such a big deal, but in India, they tend to coat their strings with metal or crushed glass mixed with glue because it helps them cut their rivals’ kite strings. 

You can easily be electrocuted if you are using a kite with this type of string, and furthermore, you can damage the powerlines causing short circuits and power outages. 

Kites can fly off and fall onto passing pedestrians and motorists

We said that a roof terrace would be situated on top of a building located in an urban area because, typically, they are found there. This means you have passing pedestrians and motorists below going about their day. 

There have been a few attributed deaths in India where someone has lost control of their kite atop a building roof, and the kite has fallen to the street below. How? You may ask. Well, due to the strings being coated in metal or glass, they were able to slit the throats of the people below. Two children who died in Delhi fell victim to this as they were looking out the sunroof of their cars. 

Another factor to consider is that the kite itself can fall onto a motorist (be it a car or motorcycle) and obstruct the motorist’s view causing them to have an accident. 

Where is the best place to fly a kite rather than a roof terrace?

You may be wondering if you shouldn’t fly your kite on a roof terrace, then where can you fly them? Perhaps there is no park nearby, or maybe you just can’t think of any places. Well, besides a park, some of the best places to fly a kite will be an open field, a large garden, a beach, and any other area that does not have large trees, powerlines, buildings, or roads close by.  

Conclusion

We discovered that a roof terrace is an area that is built on top of a roof and functions in a similar way to a patio. It is meant to be a place to go and relax or have some form of a gathering. It will typically have a garden of sorts and be furnished with chairs, pot plants, tables, and even a gazebo. 

This means that it would make it difficult and dangerous to fly a kite there, not even considering that it is on top of a roof. 

The dangers of flying a kite on a roof terrace can come in many forms. These include getting injured by tripping or falling into one of the furnishings and falling off the roof. In other instances, the kite can get away from you, which can cause harm to the motorists and pedestrians below. 

Hence, if you plan to fly a kite, make sure you do it in an open area away from buildings, trees, and roads. Parks, open fields, beaches, and the like are all excellent choices and much safer than a roof terrace.