Does Safety Gear Increase Risk?

It may sound counterintuitive, but some people argue that safety devices actually increase risk. The shorthand version is that it leads to overconfidence, and in turn stupid actions.

Recently I had a discussion on this topic with an economist on his blog. Here’s what he said about risk and safety equipment:

The Peltzman Effect – The Good and The Bad

Each year there is a bicycle safety rally held here in Mankato. Festivities include a bicycle obstacle course as well as other activities, and folks can buy discounted helmets. If the past is a good indication, the helmets will be of standard quality – nothing very fancy. But what do you expect to get for a bike helmet that costs less than $10?

Absent will be a discussion about the Peltzman Effect. For those unfamiliar with the Peltzman effect, Sam Peltzman taught us that when people take safety precautions such as wearing seat belts and bicycle helmets, they take more risks. Absent as well will be a discussion about evidence that shows that drivers are less careful around cyclists with helmets. The policy implication is that mandating the use of safety equipment will be self-defeating, at least in part.

The Peltzman effect can be used positively, though. One of my goals this summer is to learn how to rollerblade. I have never skateboarded, roller-skated, skied, or done any such activity – until now. But there are other things I like to do, and I don’t want to get myself all smashed up in the process of learning a new skill. Since I play guitar, I bought wrist guards. Since I sometimes use my head for useful stuff, I bought a helmet. Since I sustained a severe knee injury 8 years ago which left my right knee sore, stiff, and tender, I bought knee guards. But since I’m just learning to rollerblade, the added padding allows me to take more risks while I learn. Maybe by the end of the weekend I’ll have learned to propel myself for a distance longer than 15 feet (the width of my driveway).

————–

I left a detailed comment, which was reproduced and commented upon in a subsequent post.

A Modified Peltzman Effect?
In response to my earlier post on the Peltzman Effect, “Grays on Trays” writes:

Ride a bike or motorcycle, and you’ll find that it’s hard to make a corner and stand upright if you’re going very, very slowly.

You might think, on a snowboard, that the thing that a novice needs to do is to go very slowly, and on very flat ground.

Wrong! Both situations dispose a novice to the nasty experience that we call “catching an edge,” which results in either a “butt plant” or a “face plant,” a slam to the ground.

So how to avoid catching an edge AND deal with the fear of going too fast? That’s where the protective gear comes in. It just may give the snowboarder the extra confidence required to travel a little bit faster, on a little steeper terrain, and thus enter a situation wherein the probability of catching an edge is REDUCED.

I probably have not explained this as well as I should have, but the phenomenon is real. I’ve lived it. Gear that in one situation might lead to excessive risk taking can lead to “risk taking” that is actually more prudent than the alternative.

————
Perhaps we can call it the GraysOnTrays effect, but the Peltzman Effect seems to be at play in some way shape or form: wearing safety equipment changes the behavior of people. But in this case, the snowboarder is looser and more relaxed when padded up, leading to more safety rather than less.

In my case, the PowerMom has remarked that I look stiff when I try to scoot around on my rollerblades. I’m padded to the gills – although I could try the bubble wrap to protect the PowerBooty*. Part of the stiffness is that I have chronic lower back pain. Part is fear of getting hurt, I admit. But how do I gain the confidence to loosen up**, short of wrapping myself in Sertas?

*I know I’d look ridiculous wearing bubble wrap. But I’m 42 years old, married, and have two kids. Who do I have to impress?

**My first job was working as a bus boy at Bishop’s Cafeteria in downtown Sioux City. We used trays to carry the dishes from the floor to the dishroom. The trays had very short sides and it seemed that the piles of dishes would easily crash to the floor. So I started out carrying the full trays very cautiously. My boss told me to loosen up and he showed me how I could move when I was relaxed. He took a tray full of dishes and spun around, shoving the tray of dishes back and forth. Nothing budged. I relaxed after that.

========
That’s right! Use your age as a leverage for trying new things.