Risk compensation theory and bicycle helmets - Results from an experiment of cycling speed and short-term effects of habituation

摘要

It has been suggested that the safety benefits of bicycle helmets are limited by risk compensation. The current study contributes to explaining whether the potential safety effects of bicycle helmets are reduced by cyclists' tendency to cycle faster when wearing them (as a result of risk compensation), and if this potential reduction can be associated with a change in perceived risk. A previous study (Fyhri & Phillips, 2013) showed that non routine helmet users did not increase their speed immediately after being given a helmet to wear, while routine helmet users cycled more slowly. The current study tests whether the previously found reduction in speed in response to helmet removal - as an indirect indicator of risk compensation - could be established in non-routine helmet users, after a period of habituation while cycling with a helmet.