Perceived risks and driving behavior.

Claims have been made that safer cars result in drivers who take more risks. However, there are two basic design changes that make cars safer: the first reduces the likelihood of a crash; the second reduces the chance of injury during a crash. Because design changes that reduce the likelihood of a crash also often provide direct and immediate feedback, drivers may change their behavior, although there is no evidence that the change offsets the benefits of the increased crash avoidance capability. Design changes that increase occupant protection usually provide no direct and immediate feedback and, therefore, should have no effect on driving behavior. The data are consistent with this hypothesis and contradict the hypothesis of risk compensation.

[1]  Leonard Evans,et al.  Note on Driver Adaptation to Modified Vehicle Starting Acceleration , 1976 .

[2]  John D. Graham,et al.  Evaluating the Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation , 1984 .

[3]  Brian O'Neill,et al.  Mandatory Belt Use and Driver Risk Taking: An Empirical Evaluation of the Risk-Compensation Hypothesis , 1985 .

[4]  John D. Graham,et al.  Technology, behavior, and safety: An empirical study of automobile occupant-protection regulation , 1984 .

[5]  L S Robertson,et al.  Automobile safety regulations and death reductions in the United States. , 1981, American journal of public health.

[6]  M. Becker,et al.  Health Belief Model and Personal Health Behavior , 1976 .

[7]  S. Peltzman.  The Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation , 1975, Journal of Political Economy.

[8]  L D Orr,et al.  The effectiveness of automobile safety regulation: evidence from the FARS data. , 1984, American journal of public health.

[9]  Leonard Evans,et al.  SEAT BELT USAGE AND RISK TAKING IN DRIVING BEHAVIOR , 1980 .

[10]  Paul L. Zador,et al.  Mandatory Belt Use and Driver Risk Taking , 1984 .

[11]  L S Robertson,et al.  Automobile safety regulation: rebuttal and new data. , 1984, American journal of public health.

[12]  A K Lund,et al.  Children's health beliefs and acceptance of a dental preventive activity. , 1980, Journal of health and social behavior.

[13]  Leon S. Robertson,et al.  A Critical Analysis of Peltzman's "The Effects of Automobile Safety Regulation" , 1977 .

[14]  H. C. Joksch,et al.  Critique of Sam Peltzman's study: The effects of automobile safety regulation , 1976 .

[15]  L Evans,et al.  Risk homeostasis theory and traffic accident data. , 1986, Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis.

[16]  John G.U. Adams,et al.  The efficacy of seat belt legislation , 1982 .

[17]  Kåre Rumar,et al.  Driver Reaction to a Technical Safety Measure—Studded Tires , 1976 .

[18]  Gerald J.S. Wilde,et al.  The Theory of Risk Homeostasis: Implications for Safety and Health , 1982 .