Risk compensation is the theory that people adjust their behaviour to the level of risk they perceive, becoming more careful when they sense danger and less careful when they feel protected. The effect is usually smaller than the real benefit of a safety measure, but it can cancel out some of that benefit or even increase risk. Economist Sam Peltzman studied car safety and the effect is often called the Peltzman effect. Motorists were observed driving closer to the vehicle in front when their cars had anti-lock brakes, for example. Evidence also suggests that risk compensation may help explain why condom distribution programmes did not reverse HIV prevalence in some settings, since people may take more sexual risks when they feel protected. In contrast, shared space street design deliberately raises perceived risk and uncertainty, which encourages drivers to slow down and can reduce injuries. The result is a counterintuitive lesson: a safer environment can make people behave less cautiously.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.