Don't Tread on Me: Increasing Compliance with Off-Road Vehicle Regulations at Least Cost
Posted: 31 Aug 2012
Date Written: August 20, 2012
Abstract
In a world of diminished enforcement resources, how can environmental regulators get the most bang for their buck? Off-road vehicle use is the fastest growing and most contentious form of recreation on America’s public lands. Motorized recreationists have enjoyed access to National Forests and BLM land for almost a century, but regulators, property owners, and environmental groups have voiced opposition to unconstrained off-road vehicle use. Law enforcement on these lands is underfunded and ineffective, and the individualist culture of off-road vehicle users is said to foster an attitude of non-compliance — trailblazing in the literal sense. Endorsing and building upon work in law and social norms and cognate disciplines, this Article draws principally on the social psychology of effective messaging outlined in Chip and Dan Heath’s 2007 work, Made to Stick, to propose a partnership-based campaign based on the exhortatory theme, “Don’t Tread on Me.”
Keywords: public lands, social norms, off-road vehicles, cultural cognition, reciprocity, social psychology, compliance, enforcement
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