A recurring issue in the economic analysis of risk regulation agencies is whether these efforts have had any significant favorable effect on safety. Although the existence of such an effect would not necessarily imply that these efforts were worthwhile, without an enhancement in safety there is no potential rationale for these regulations. Most of the research to date has focused on auto accidents and job risks. Motor-vehicle accidents pose the chief safety risk, accounting for one-half of all accidental fatalities.' Studies of the safety-enhancing effects of seat belts have, however, failed to indicate any clear-cut beneficial effect of this safety measure on auto fatality rates.2 One contributor to their ineffectiveness is that drivers will reduce the degree to which they exercise care as their safety protection from seat belts and other protective features increases, thus dampening and possibly even offsetting the safety improvements from seat belts. The studies of job safety have placed less emphasis on the role of individual behavior, not because worker actions are unimportant, but because Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regula-