"As time passes without an accident, does the risk of
incident increase or
                decrease ?"

                Cuyler harks back to a pre-litigious time when people were
expected to take reasonable precautions for their own safety. Naturally,
life was more dangerous then, but maybe people were better able to recognize
and deal with the dangers. Outfitting outdoor historic sites with all the
modern safety features/warnings isn't practical, but could not doing so
invite trouble? I think specifically of the predilection of children to
leave open trap doors in historic cabins.