May 15, 2007...7:51 am
Professor: Safer stock cars mean more accidents
A West Virginia University professor has released a study claiming that as NASCAR has implemented more safety regulations in an effort to prevent injuries, it has had the reverse the result of causing more accidents.
Russ Sobel, an economics professor, examined 21 years of data from the stock car industry and found that accidents have increased as well safety measures were implemented. This is increasingly relevant now as NASCAR has begun to implement, this year, the Car of Tomorrow concept - a new stock car designed aimed at reducing costs for teams as well as to provide more safety for the drivers.
Sobel’s paper will be released in the Southern Economic Journal and will be entitled “Automobile Safety Regulation and the Incentive to Drive Recklessly: Evidence from NASCAR.” The reason for the increase in accidents is that drivers are more willing to take risks driving with a car, they believe, to be safer.
Sobel, in a press release, said the same can be translated to regular driving.
“Obviously NASCAR drivers are different from regular motorists,” Sobel said. “On the other hand ask yourself this question: Would you drive more carefully if your car was less safe, say it had no seatbelts and a dagger protruding toward your heart from the steering wheel?”
3 Comments
May 15, 2007 at 9:25 am
It would be interesting to see a bit of a breakdown on the stats behind this study too (I’m in a study-busting mood here lately). I would venute a guess that crashes have increased on restrictor plate tracks more so than on others. I think the prof may be getting his causalities mixed up. Restrictor plates have served to slow the cars down and therefore bunch them up more, leading to more accidents. Not so much that safety device have made drivers more brazen. That seems like a bit of a stretch. granted, I do feel that the overall mood and attitude of the drivers has changed but I think that can be owed to the changing dynamic of the driver’s backgrounds.
Sorry for the buzz-kill…you should probably censor my comments!
May 15, 2007 at 9:29 am
On the restrictor plates, there are drivers who believe the plate causes more harm than good, which would lead to what Professor Sobel was discussing. The safety enhancement leading to more accidents.
As far as what tracks cause the most damage, or accidents, your 1.5 mile tracks - which are the typical stop for NASCAR - have just as many accidents if not more than other stops, primarily because of spin outs.
What Sobel is getting at is the premise that over aggressive driving can lead to increase accidents. He finds that over aggressive driving is a result of safer cars.
Take a look at the quote that I took from the press release. If you had a spike on your steering wheel column, you would drive a little slower.
You might even be able to catch up with me on I-40.
May 15, 2007 at 9:41 am
Oh yeah…I guess the restrictor plates would be considered safety devices huh? I’ll keep quiet now…
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