The Broad Impacts of Disposable Lighter Safety Regulations

Abstract

The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s regulation of disposable lighters was targeted at preventing injuries due to use of lighters by children not over 4 years of age. Based on a difference-in-differences analysis of national data for 1990–2019, this article estimates that the regulation reduced all injuries to the target population by 71%, burn injuries by 74%, and injuries severe enough to warrant admission to the hospital by 85% overall and by 84% for burn injuries. Unlike the counterproductive performance of safety cap regulations, this safety device enhanced safety levels in the target population group. The safety improvements from lighter safety devices outweigh any lulling effect of viewing products as being “childproof.” The regulation had a broader safety impact beyond the target population group, as it also reduced all types of injuries by at least 50% for children in the 5–17 age groups. Total annual risk reduction benefits were $940–$1465 million. A benefit-cost analysis based on a retrospective assessment of the regulation finds a more favorable impact than was anticipated.

Comparing closure compliance and ease of use for consumer product packs designed to reduce access to children

“…If designs like “Press & Lift” were widely adopted, critics may be concerned that it would lead to the so-called “lulling effect”: users may assume their child is safe and risk is low, so complementary safety-promoting activities like supervision and childproofing decrease, sometimes called risk compensation or risk homeostasis [ 19 , 20 ]. We believe that to be unlikely, as evidenced by parallel findings with safety modifications to products like disposable lighters [ 21 ] and use of bicycle helmets [ 22 ].…”