"Simon Gardner" [dot]co[dot]uk wrote in message
...
In article ,
(David) wrote:

I can't readily access this paper myself, but isn't this all about
'risk compensation' - the theory that if a driver is strapped in he
feels safer, and therefore more able and likely to drive more
dangerously (which he duly does, to the detriment of pedestrians and
cyclists)?

Yup. It's why I don't wear a seatbelt when driving.

Refs:
"Target Risk" by Prof Gerald J.S. Wilde [PDE Publications, 1994]
"Risk" by Dr John Adams [Taylor and Francis, 1995]

Just as long as you also put a notice on your car to paramedics/Police etc
to not waste the additional NHS resources on patching you up after an
accident. Though - that's assuming you survive any crash...

Oh, and make sure you turn off any air-bag that you may have fitted.
Airbags are only safe if you're using a seatbelt. Not having a seatbelt may
well blow/burn your face off in even of an accident happening and you being
thrown forward onto the wheel.

Personally, I would be less reckless and just drive safer and more
carefully. If you need to not wear a seatbelt just so that you drive more
carefully, then you're a bad driver. There's plenty of good drivers out
there who wear a belt, and also watch out for pedestrians and other
vulnerable road users.

Generally, as a whole, maybe people will drive more less carefully after
wearing belts - but that shouldn't mean that individuals who are aware of
this fact, and also try to drive safely, can't buck that trend.

You may also find that if they re-did the research now, things may be
different. Initially, maybe people did drive more dangerously after
seatbelts were required - but now, seatbelts are as much a part of driving
as checking the car's out of gear before starting or adjusting your mirrors.

Incidentally, the only people I see around here who don't wear seatbelts are
the boy racers zooming up and down the highstreet/main roads at
significantly above the speed limit. I must admit though, I have little
concern about them not wearing their belts - karma comes to mind...
Though of course - that's a wrong attitude to take and it'll be people like
my wife and her friends who will have to patch them up after any accidents.

D