Writer John Tierney uses Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's career threatening motorcycle accident as a springboard to discuss libertarian paternalism in his June 16, 2006 NYT's column.
Libertarian paternalism, also known as soft paternalism, brings behavioral economics to policy issues. It says that people should be able to make their own decisions (such as whether to wear a motorcycle helmet), but that government regulation can be used to present options in a way that encourages the better choice.
Law professor Cass Sunstein and economist Richard Thaler at the University of Chicago coined the term. Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economist, is mentioned as being skeptical of the concept.
According to the column, this presentation of options should be informative of the risks and cost/benefits involved in the choice, and it may involve some incentives or disinsentives as well. For example, someone wishing to ride a motorcycle without a helmet would be required to attend a one-time class about the choice and could also be required to prove that he or she had a set amount of insurance.
Ben Roethlisberger's helmetless accident is cited to illustrate what is wrong with human decision making. Roethlisberger risked tens of millions of dollars by putting himself in a position where he could have a career ending accident.
Tierney's column provides the following general problems with decision making:
1) decisions are made haphazardly
2) we are overly influenced by a recent horror story
3) we ignore statistics
4) we ignore unlikely and far-off events
5) we make decisions based not on facts, but on how they are presented
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