Feelings of Risk Homeostasis

FIGURE 4.4 Feelings of risk homeostasis model. (From Kinnear, N. 2009. Driving as You 

Feel A Psychological Investigation of the Novice Driver Problem. PhD thesis. Transport Research Institute, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland. With permission.) 

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Feelings of risk homeostasis Risk monitor model Multiple comfort zone model DiC model... 

The importance of understanding new employee safety expectations is further reinforced if expectations are considered within the framework of risk homeostasis theory. Wilde and colleagues developed risk homeostasis theory (see Wilde et al. 2002 Simonet and Wilde 1997) which proposes that as safety feamres (expected or real) are added to a system, users tend to increase their exposure to risk because they feel better protected. For example, if a new employee expects that equipment is well maintained, they may use equipment without checking its functionality. Similarly, if a new employee expects that co-workers will remove hazards from the workplace, or not create hazards, they may not actively engage in as much monitoring for hazards. Put it another way, incorrect safety expectations can lead a new employee to take unexpected risks. 

Considering driving while impaired, some studies have showed that car drivers and motorcyclists do not behave the same way. Indeed, motorcyclists have been found to drink and drive as often as car drivers but with lower BAC [WAT 92], Moreover, when drinking heavily, motorcyclists typically leave their motorcycle and use their car so as to feel safer a car is perceived as easier to drive, does not fall over and offers more protection [SYN 01]. Motorcyclists may thus be trying to compensate for the greater vulnerabiUty of their transport mode by more cautious behavior (theory of risk homeostasis, Wilde [WIL 82], Trimpop [TRI 94]). 

The best-known motivational model - and the one that has been most frequently challenged — is the risk homeostasis theory of driving behavior. The first formulation of this model was probably Taylor s (1964) risk-speed compensation model, which postulated that drivers adjust their speeds in accordance with the perceived risk. More recently the model has been expanded by Wilde (1998,2002) to include and account for a host of driver behaviors. Because of the controversy it has generated and the research that it has spurred, it will be described here in some detail. According to Wilde, we strive not to minimize risk (or maximize safety), but to reduce (or increase) it to a non-zero level with wdiich we feel comfortable. Because different driving situations have different levels of inherent dangers, we constantly strive to adjust our behavior to maintain a relatively constant risk level. The continuous adjustment process, similar to diat of a room thermostat, is displayed in Figure 3-12. 

Risk-homeostasis motivational approach. The risk homeostasis model assumes that (a) drivers are not passive information processors who merely react to conflicts but are active in the sense that they have motives that affect their driving style, and b) a primary motive of drivers is to maintain a subjectively acceptable level of risk. This approach has intuitive appeal because most drivers feel that they adjust their speed in response to the changing demands of the... 

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