Will NASCAR's Increased Safety Efforts Increase Accidents?

Yes. There will be increased accidents in NASCAR, despite increased safety efforts--at least according to two college economics professor who produced a study in 2006 that explored how drivers react to having cars so safe that they can generally walk away with no injuries after crashing into a concrete wall or another car at a very high rate of speed.

Based on the results of the study, Todd Nesbit, Assistant Professor of Economics at Penn State Behrend and an avid NASCAR fan, projects that drivers will drive more recklessly and take more risks while driving the Car of Tomorrow:

"Initially, there will be a learning curve for everyone, which will likely increase the number of accidents as drivers and crews get used to the vehicles. Once the learning curve has passed, we predict that the new normal rate of crashes will be higher than it is currently because of the response to additional safety features on the Car of Tomorrow."

The study, "Automobile safety regulation and the incentive to drive recklessly: Evidence from NASCAR," shows that NASCAR drivers, in fact, do drive more recklessly in response to the increased safety of their vehicles. However, even with an increase in accidents, there is a reduction in total injuries-because the increase in riskier driving is not enough to offset the benefits from an increase in safety features.

Nesbit also noted that while NASCAR promises the COT will save the teams money, profitability could be offset by the cost of repairs due to increased accidents.

So ... let me get this straight. NASCAR exhausts all of this effort to improve safety just so the drivers can drive more recklessly?

Hell yeah! You wouldn't expect 'em to get off the gas, would you?