Risk homeostasis.

[Swoop]

Interesting.
Comparing the effort of authorities to lower the road toll in NZ, speeding campaigns, etc, etc. All that effort for what result?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22risk_homeostasis%22
Have a good read - it is only one page.

[Hitcher]

An interesting theory. I was aware of the Munich taxi experiment but hadn't seen it in this context before.

[The Pastor]

Its says it has critisim, gee I wonder who from? Maybe the people who work for the man....

[MisterD]

Very v. interesting. I also remember hearing about an experiment in the Netherlands where road markings had been removed and they had seen a subsequent increase in driving standards...

[doc]

Interesting.
Comparing the effort of authorities to lower the road toll in NZ, speeding campaigns, etc, etc. All that effort for what result?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22risk_homeostasis%22
Have a good read - it is only one page.

You know what they mean by homeostasis don't you ?. Don't butt in here Speedy.

[xwhatsit]

You know what they mean by homeostasis don't you ?. Don't butt in here Speedy.

I do (thank-you buxom Biology teacher), what are you getting at?

[doc]

I do (thank-you buxom Biology teacher), what are you getting at?

Most of the comments will be from those with no understanding of what "Homeostasis" is. It's sort of word Paul Holmes would drop into the conversation.

[xwhatsit]

Perhaps we should provide them with a definition.

In a layman's terms, homeostasis (properly called homoeostasis, but US spelling seems to have squashed that entirely) is the tendency for something to work towards a set level. Body temperature is a classic example; when it drops, the systems of homeostasis work towards raising it (shivering, goosebumps etc); when it is too high, you see homeostasis at work when you sweat and turn red.

So this `risk homeostasis' is supposedly how you continually maintain a constant level of risk. If risk decreases in one part of your life (you just bought some nice new leathers), then you will increase risk in another part of your life (corner harder, brake later, lanesplit more often).

[yungatart]

It's just what I have been saying for years about teenagers, without the fancy language. We "protect" them from so many risks, but they just go out and find more risky behaviour to participate in....stuff that hadn't even been invented when I was that age, usually.