Interestingly, there was a study done on bike helmet laws. I read it several years ago and don't have the link or reference. You can use google scholar just as easily as me to find it. It found that the number of injuries did not decline with mandatory use. The theory behind it was that kids were taking bigger and/or more risks due to the security they felt from the helmet. It had a few holes as some things were not accounted for, such as severity of the accidents, reporting of low speed crashes and possible correlations with increased bicycle use. But still, there was evidence of that mindset. Not necessarily the same as a FA course. But the theory has been recognized. Now I doubt a FA course provides a sufficient tool to make people think differently with their decision making. "Dude, we can try that gnarly route now. I know CPR." I would think that mindset would be more aligned with an avi-course, two newbie partners taking a leader's course, or even a rescue/bail course. And I wonder if the study that was referenced earlier showed increased involvement in accidents by people with medical training or in increased likelihood. For instance, does the course really cause a change in decision making, or are the individuals now more likely to help out and get involved in the event of an accident. Sometimes subtle word choice can get really twisted around when reading these studies.
