Seat belt installation first required by state laws and federal motor vehicle safety standards have reduced car occupant deaths substantially. Motorcyclist deaths have been reduced by helmet use laws. Pedestrian deaths have been unaffected by regulation. By using inappropriate aggregated fatality rates and inappropriate proxy measures in his analyses, Peltzman mistakenly claimed support for the hypothesis of increased "risky driving" in regulated vehicles. When Peltzman's model is modified to account for involvement of cars and motorcycles and to eliminate discorting proxy measures, the results support the hypothesis that regulation has reduced deaths. Data from other studies also support the hypothesis and the conclusion that there is no evidence of increased "risky driving" in regulated vehicles. (A)
Abstract