Paper Example on Adults Take More Risks When Wearing Protective Gear: Study

Introduction

Wearing a Bicycle Helmet Can Increase Risk-Taking and Sensation Seeking in Adults is a study done by Tim Gamble and Ian Walker in 2016 which advances how human beings adopt risk-taking behavior when safety is almost certain. The study shows how people take increased risks when a protective equipment is worn. It demonstrates that the risk-taking process is high when a person is not aware that a piece of protective equipment has been worn, especially for those behaviors that are not made safer by protective equipment. The study uses three theories to justify its findings: Risk Allostasis Theory (Lewis-Evans & Rothengatter, 2009), Risk Homeostasis Theory (Wilde, 1998), and Risk Compensation Theory (RCT) (Adams & Hillman, 2001). RCT, for instance, states that individuals can adjust their behaviors in response to a certain level of risk perceived, and become more cautious when they sense an elevated risk but are less vigilant if there is a sense of protection. This assertion is in line with the tenets of the study because Gamble and Walker (2016) argued that risk-taking is influenced by an individual’s perception of safety.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Objectives

The objectives of the study were to establish if wearing a bicycle helmet is a significant factor in increased sensation-seeking and risk-taking among adults. According to RCT, an individual reacts to safety regulation or law by being less cautious. Wearing helmets would reduce the risk to facial, brain, and head injuries for an individual if involved in a crash hence wearing one makes one take a risk because of the safety measure provided by the protective equipment. Additionally, the behavior of the cyclist is influenced by wearing a helmet, thus affects the probability of one being involved in an incident. Individuals wearing helmets are likely to ride a bicycle less cautiously because they feel they are entitled to protection.

The authors also wanted to disapprove of the previous studies which have assumed that individuals only respond to safety measures that they have a hint of their existence. For instance, Hedlund (2000) states that an individual cannot compensate for a safety measure that a person is not aware it exists. After conducting the study, the authors found out that there is a change in behavior among individuals who wear helmets because it increases risk-taking. Also, the findings of the study dismiss Fyhri and Phillips (2013) who found out in their experiment that when in downhill bicycling with helmets on, risk-taking did not increase but cyclists who went downhill with helmets took fewer risks as compared to one without. According to Fyhri and Phillips (2013), participants who were not habitual users of helmets did not react to helmet wearing with elevated risk-taking as Gamble and Walker (2016) found out in their study. Moreover, the participants in Fyhri and Phillips (2013) were informed of riding a bicycle with and without a helmet which meant a change in behavior through mechanisms that are absent in Gamble and Walker (2016).

Variables

While conducting research, there must be clarity of variables as this offers a guide on the application of techniques for analyzing the data and the subsequent answering of research questions. In this study, the authors focus on both independent and dependent variables. The independent variable in the study is wearing of bicycle helmets as this affects risk-taking and sensation-seeking among adults. On the other hand, the dependent variable is risk-taking and sensation-seeking which is impacted by the changes in the independent variable. For example, if helmets are worn by people, there is a notable change in behavior towards risk-taking and sensation seeking, the same way there is a low risk taken when no helmets are worn. Generally, dependent and independent variables have a cause and effect relationship, where the dependent variable is an effect while the independent variable is the cause.

Methods

The sample for the study included 80 participants between 17 and 56 years, who were divided into two groups. One group wore baseball caps while the other wore bicycle helmets while on a computer screen blowing up virtual balloons. Specifically, 24 females and 15 males wore helmets while 22 females and 19 males wore caps. The participants were made to wear a bicycle helmet but were not informed that they were safety equipment. However, they were informed that they were in an eye-tracking study for easy exploitation of the fact that an eye-tracking device mounted on the head was attached to the baseball cap and bicycle helmet in the production line as ordinary mounting solutions. The participants were given the task of inflating an animated balloon on the computer screen. With every inflation, participants earned fictional points and were informed that they could redeem them at any stage of the study, but the earning could be lost if the balloons burst. Every participant was subjected to over 30 tests of a tendency to inflate the balloon unceasingly as a measure of their ability to take a risk while comparing cap and helmet wearers.

The study used State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure the state anxiety among participants where 40 questions were given to measure the chronic level of anxiety and the feeling of anxiety of the participants at the optimum response moment. Also, the participants were exposed to a measure of risk-taking in the laboratory called Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and sensation seeking measure advanced by Zuckerman et al. (1978).

Major Findings

The study found out that the participants in bicycle helmets took more risks as balloons would burst as compared to those wearing baseball caps. This conclusion is based on the fact that people take increased risks if they are not openly aware that they have their protective equipment, and seen in behaviors that the protective equipment could not make it safe. Additionally, the results of the study show that in a controlled environment when an eye tracker is mounted on the head of a helmet instead of a baseball cap, the participants scored expressively higher on laboratory measures of sensation-seeking and risk-taking. This result is seen in the study even though there is no risk attributed to helmet amelioration despite its introduction as an eye tracker.

The suggestion from this is that safety-related concepts unconsciously activated peaks that amplified risk propensity. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that wearing a bicycle helmet can contribute to unintended and complex consequences on the decision making and judgment of the wearer. Helmet wearing could make zero difference to the result, but if a person wears one, there is a high possibility of such a person engaging in more risks as compared to one without a helmet.

Application

Developmental Applications of the Research

The findings of this study put into perspective the practicality of certain safety advice pertaining to helmets use for cycling in sports and leisure. The researchers’ findings suggest an application in real life that have wide-reaching implications in different contexts not only in cycling but also in decision making on battlefronts. For example, one practical implication is the suggestion of more unintentional outcomes of equipment safety in hazardous encounters than previously thought. If these ideas are replicated in real-life situations, it will make users of protective equipment take risks that the equipment may not necessarily guarantee safety.

The results of the study will be useful among cyclists during competitions to endeavor to take risks and compete knowing that helmets are an important protection device which, in case of an accident, it can protect one from the face and head injuries. According to Dodds et al. (2019), there was a notable reduction of neurological intervention, intensive care unit requirement, and severed traumatic brain injuries among cyclists who wore helmets. Also, the helmeted cyclists had a significant increase in the lower limb, spinal, and chest injuries (Dodds et al., 2019). This indicates that a cyclist with a helmet should not worry about face and head injuries thus should compete favorably with others because protection is almost assured.

Secondly, this study will have a practical implication among military and police personnel who are engaged in battles with terrorists and unlawful individuals. The findings will impact how soldiers make tactical choices when wearing body armor for battle. These personnel will likely take more risks after wearing safety equipment and contribute to their positive mindset while facing the enemy. Wearing a helmet makes one change behavior and combat the enemy heavily because of the protection; hence may likely neutralize them with fewer injuries or causalities.

The finding of the study will impact the building, manufacturing, and production industries positively. In a construction site, workers wear helmets to protect them against falling objects. These workers wear protective equipment which assures them security hence can engage in risky activities in the construction site to deliver quality finished products that attract potential customers. This is because the workers could see a notable change in behavior than envisaged previously, because of the impact of the protective equipment.

Another possible developmental application of the findings of this research is an informed public policy. Different programs in society are potentially efficacious in the promotion of helmet usage among children. Such programs include educational programs that enhance the legislation that mandates helmet use and reduction of helmet costs. These programs have carried an important message of wearing helmets and are circulated widely to people in different settings. The finding calls out to governments, non-governmental organizations, retailers, and manufacturers to work together in helmet cost reduction through bulk purchases to schools to prevent children from the head and facial injuries. Also, this could be done through helmet legislation that makes it mandatory for people to wear helmets and have a policy that protects the people from unscrupulous helmet distributors.

Furthermore, the findings could lead to an increase in the number of bicycle users since helmet-wearing makes it a safe and an everyday activity. The plan here should be that cyclists are important users in the road and hence governments should provide a good road environment which includes bicycle crossings just like pedestrians, bicycle lanes, paths, and bicycle traffic lights. These initiatives are meant to counter Walker’s (2007) assertion that helmet-wearing could make drivers careless in that vehicle traffic gets closer to the rider significantly when overtaking while large vehicle professional drivers leave narrow safety margins for cyclists with helmets. This notion calls for the enhancement of safe cycling facilities for adult cyclists and children through parents who are becoming more aware of the protective capability of helmets among cycling children. Also, it could lead to retailers offering bicycle helmets to children during purchase and increased campaigns in the media and schools to promote the establishment of a favorable road environment for cyclists, helmet use, and more caution among drivers. Helmets could also become popular among mountain bikers and skaters, which is a result of the spin-off effect on helmet use on road traffic.