Unintended consequences from well-meaning programs highlighted

reason.com

A series highlights unintended consequences of well-meaning initiatives. In 2022, a gun buyback program in Utica, New York, led a man to profit $21,000 by turning in 3D-printed firearms, exploiting the program's rules. In Jakarta, a 2003 traffic regulation requiring three passengers per vehicle resulted in the rise of "car jockeys," who dropped out of school to earn money. The rule was scrapped in 2016, but traffic worsened. In 1987, Baltimore Gas & Electric sent scratch-and-sniff stickers to help identify gas leaks. The unsealed envelopes caused 300,000 false alarms, prompting an apology and the program's cancellation.


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