Incentives Matter, Football Helmet Edition
11 November 2009 at 5:56 pm Peter G. Klein 5 comments
| Peter Klein |
Latest example of the Peltzman Effect, courtesy of the WSJ: “Is It Time to Retire the Football Helmet?” E.g.: “[W]hile [hard-shell] helmets reduced the chances of death on the field, they also created a sense of invulnerability that encouraged players to collide more forcefully and more often.” Economics teachers, if you’re tired of using the seat-belt example, or the one about airplane child-safety seats — or Dwight Lee’s slightly more risqué version — try this one instead.
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Cliff Grammich | 11 November 2009 at 6:31 pm
Isn’t there some similar evidence regarding boxing gloves, that is, that boxing without gloves is less likely to lead to brain injury (if possibly more broken hands) than boxing with them?
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Peter Klein | 11 November 2009 at 6:32 pm
Indeed, yes, I should have mentioned that.
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Cliff Grammich | 11 November 2009 at 10:42 pm
I also recall research (summarized at http://bit.ly/b8Wtn) that motorists give less room to bicyclists wearing helmets–bicyclists who may therefore be in more danger than bicyclists without helmets. (Nevertheless, the missus still insists I wear one, apparently unconvinced by the research or even the thickness of my skull.)
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Gynnas fotgängarna av ny airbag? « Nonicoclolasos | 16 November 2009 at 11:40 pm
[…] Se även Peter Kleins inlägg ”Incentives Matter, Football Helmet Edition”. […]
5. Back to Some Economic Basics: Football vs. Rugby | Austrian Economics Blog | 18 November 2009 at 1:30 pm
[…] Peter Klein now reports the incentives do indeed matter in all walks of life and football is no exception. He doesn't discuss the comparison, so I think an energetic and enterprising graduate student can pursue the football v rugby study if they wanted. Follow the links Peter provides for some other entertaining examples. […]