ABSTRACT
Risk compensation has been a very popular notion. It suggests that drivers act in such as way as to maintain a constant level of risk. The most influential version of this theory has been Risk Homoeostasis Theory. If the riskiness of their behavior is higher or lower than the target level of risk desired, individuals will act to try to eliminate that discrepancy. Thus the distance that drivers leave between themselves and the vehicle in front will be determined by the drivers' assessment of the risk of having an accident. Interpretation of accident statistics is complicated because the various groups differ in many ways other than in age and gender. In particular, they differ in their level of exposure to risk. If the riskiness of their behavior is higher or lower than the target level of risk desired, individuals will act to try to eliminate that discrepancy.
