Search and Rescue

You are considering scaling a dangerous mountain on which you could easily get injured and stuck. If you were trapped on the mountain for a few nights, you would die of exposure. You’re not a particularly advanced mountain climber, nor are you suicidal. Should you attempt the climb? You should if you bring a cell phone and are confident that if you get trapped, a government search-and-rescue team will save you.

If this search-and-rescue team didn’t exist, you probably wouldn’t consider going up the mountain. Consequently, while the purpose of the team is to save climbers, it paradoxically might cause climbers to endanger themselves. The search-and-rescue operation is a type of insurance, and like all insurance it causes people to take on excessive risks.