Risk Compensation

Risk compensation is a theory holding that people adjust their behavior in response to the level of risk they perceive, becoming more careful when they sense greater danger and less careful when they feel more protected, an effect that can reduce or even reverse the benefit of a safety measure. Researchers have observed the effect in motorists who drove closer to the vehicle ahead once their own vehicles were fitted with anti-lock brakes, and evidence suggests it may partly explain why condom distribution programs have sometimes failed to reduce HIV prevalence, since condoms can foster a sense of disinhibition that leads to more risk-taking with and without them. By contrast, the shared space approach to urban street design deliberately increases perceived risk and uncertainty in order to slow traffic and reduce the number and severity of injuries.