Originally Posted by Geof  That reminds me about an article I read on automobile safety and how anti-lock brakes and some other 'safety' features did not have any significant impact on accidents and deaths because people rely on them and drive more aggressively than they did without them; then when something did go wrong it went wrong faster.
I predict if this device went into common use the impact would be similar. |
In god we trust, everyone else bring data. What you recall is not very close to the truth at all, and a cursory glance at something like the NHTSA website will affirm my statement. Risk compensation is a real phenomenon, but it doesn't mean that compensation due to a change in technology or procedure results in a net risk greater than without the change. Similarly, the compensation may result in even greater net risk than before. It depends, it is hard to develop good experiments to test for the effect, and I'm going to need far more data to make any comment on this saw situation.
Further, even in situations where compensating behavior is a serious concern, it is completely unclear what relationship this should have to public policy.
I don't see it working with a band saw because the blade is not rigid enough and probably not strong enough to stop like that. |
I can think of several mechanisms to stop a moving band in ~1ms. The band is in some ways easier than the circular blade. Lower mass per unit of length, existing containment structure, etc. Mind's eye suggests a few solutions, one or more of which could add additional value via automagical blade tensioning.
On safety in general, it seems to me the best safety features are unknown and seamless to the end user and required by some combination of engineering best practice, insurance companies, and government regulation. Innovative safety features often must be sold to the end-user, which creates many opportunities for them to do less good than they could, or even net harm. Features that are deemed worthwhile in the latter category eventually make it to the former.
The economics of safety aren't pretty or efficient. The failures of the legal system have an awful lot to do with that. See: Therac-25.