risk compensation

Risk compensation is the idea that when people feel safer due to safety measures or regulations, they may take more or riskier actions because they believe they're protected. For example, drivers might drive faster wearing seat belts because they feel safer, potentially offsetting some safety benefits. Essentially, improved safety can sometimes lead individuals to adjust their behavior in ways that partly counteract the expected reduction in risk. This concept helps explain why safety improvements don’t always lead to proportional decreases in accidents or injuries.