In message
"pg" wrote:


"Pip Luscher" wrote in
message ...
[snip]
Doesn't apply across the board though. If you're brought up to wear a
helmet as a child, it's just *what you do*. If 'risk compensation' is
the main reason in some cases for people deciding not to wear a helmet,
all the more reason for those who have kids to ensure they wear them
from the start, then this phenomenon won't happen.


Risk compensation is certainly noticeable at a population level although
there may be individual variations. If you make something appear more
dangerous than it is, then the population response is to be more
cautious, if you make it appear safer the opposite is true. There will
always be some individials who behave at the extremes, i.e. in being
either too cautious or taking high risk (and in sports like skiing, rock
climbing, mountaineering, motorsport, etc we know that some of these
individuals are killed or seriously injured).

Equally "it's just *what you do*" doesn't rule out risk compensation,
it's simply that the individuals are starting from a different point.

For example as car design has made the handling and safety for
passengers safer people at the population level have tended to drive
faster, brake later, and take corners at higher speed. In effect the
drivers are adapting to a new level at which they feel comfortable. This
effect applies to older drivers who have experience of early car designs
as well as younger drivers who only experience modern car design.
Another effect involves road design, for example studies have shown that
if you remove road markings from urban areas, particularly at junctions,
people tend to drive at lower average speeds.

The point about risk compensation is that the individual adapts to a
point where they feel comfortable which may not necessarily correlate
with a given statistical risk as assessed by an independent actuarial
analysis.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
" || _`\,_ |__\ \ | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"