Peltzman effect

19/Feb/2006

– the inverse effect of an act. Inspired by the economist Sam Peltzman, who in 1975 published a paper demonstrating that drivers drive more dangerously after mandatory seat belt laws were introduced in the United States. Drivers evidently drive more dangerously leading to rises in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. (Think about times when your car is not working properly and how you tend to drive more cautious as a result.)