Re: [Paddlewise] kayaker death, equipment, safety

For anyone who hasn't already, check out:
http://pavlov.psyc.queensu.ca/target/index.html
for information on such topics as: risk, target risk, homeostasis, risk
homeostasis, "lulled into an illusion of safety", "brinkmanship",
"personality, attitude & lifestyle", etc.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Croft" <peter_at_etsgroup.co.nz>
To: <paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net>
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] kayaker death, equipment, safety


Snip
> If you want an automotive analogy to this situation, then look at ABS
> brakes. When they were first introduced on cars in the US, the number of
> fatal accidents went down.
> After a few years though, when the majority of drivers have incorporated
> this "saftey" advance into their driving style i.e. they assume they can
> ALWAYS stop safely, the number of fatals has increased. Interestingly,
these
> drivers are now successfully avoiding the original hazard that caused them
> to brake and swerve but are then coming to grief on large, solid,
immoveable
> object like trees on the side of the road-things that had not even
> registered as a safety hazard to the driver when everything was going
well.
> The same is true for better roads, tyres, airbags etc-the added safety
> margin that these things provide is eroded (generally) by higher speed and
> reduced following distance etc.
>
Snip

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