Ask people to name a safe place and most will say 'home'. But every year the British Government produces its official Home Accident Survey. This shows that home can be a dangerous place. Last year 7 British citizens died while putting up their Christmas decorations. Over 1,600 needed medical help after falling off their chairs. And 70 people had fatal accidents while lying in bed. It is safe to say that no activity is without danger. Some of these accidents are just the risks of modern living. We prefer to risk having a washing hour cleaning our clothes by hand. But most fatal accidents are not the result of mechanical failure. The two most common are falling down the stairs and going to sleep in the bath. This shows that we are more at risk when we feel safe. Research into driving habits proves this. Cars adapted with driver safety features tend to be involved in more accidents. It seems that drivers who feel safe don't bother driving safely. It may well be that we need risk as a kind of mental discipline. It sharpens up the mind's decision making processes. This may date from the origins of human civilization. Our remote ancestors were laced with a choice. Leaving their cave might mean being eaten by wild animals, But staying in the cave meant starving for certain. They took the risk and society was born. Modern societies are designed to be safe. Yet this produces a desire in individuals to look for danger. 'Extreme sports' have rapidly gained in popularity throughout the 1990s, As life gets safer and more predictable, people feel the urge to ski down cliffs or throw themselves off bridges attached to elastic ropes. Psychologists call this 'self-actualization'. They mean a desire to be different and stand out from the crowd. Most people do not want to risk their lives. But they will take risks in other areas. For example, they risk failure when they go for promotion at work or start new businesses. This is a more acceptable risk than mountain climbing. Even when people fail, they are still alive. They may even get paid. It is possible to say that the whole global economy simply consists of people deciding whether to take risks or not. We all know of people who behave recklessly and lose their friends, family or even homes. The stories of those who risked everything on some enterprise and failed can be seen in any newspaper or magazine. So maybe it is safer to keep your head down at work. Perhaps now is not the time for that great business idea. Shouldn't we just play it safe? But this too is risky. If we refuse to take any risks, then we threaten our ability to think clearly. According to the Home Accident Survey, twice as many people fall from short ladders than from long ones. The author may regard risks as something______.