What makes people chose to ignore the warnings?????   Thats the question,, be it air, sea, road,, indaily life not extreme sport. You get told, you have signs, barriers etc etc why do people ignore the obvious ?                                                                                                                                                                             

For the same reason they all slow down on the motorway as the gantry sign is telling them to, then it says "END" and there is nothing there and neither have they passed anything.
 
My point.... I can't see it so there isn't any danger.... 

                                                                                                                                                                             

With regards to red flags and swimming, most people just know fk all about the sea/ocean to even realise that just "maybe" the red flag does ACTUALLY mean that it really IS dangerous today. To most people the sea is this fun, cool, wet thing to take a dip in on nice days during the summer when they're getting too hot. In the red flag/swimming I'd say it's mostly ignorance...
Other stuff? Well, can think of loads of reasons.   Recklessness, they've thought about it and decided they're good enough to safely ignore it.   Thoughtlessness, their eye has passed over the sign/warning without invoking any response from what passes for the brain.Myopia, despite plenty of signs and warnings their eyes are fixed on whatever is currently occupying the space a couple of metres in front of them. Idiocy, for some reason chancing it in the almost certain knowledge that the outcome will be death just seems like a good idea today.                                                                                                                                                                             

Just popped into town and stopped for liquid lunch, on the other side of the road, men have put down some concrete, they prob did it this morning, but so far I've seen three people move the barriers and walk across it rather than wait for the rest of the pavement to clear,,, daft , what for just seconds they'd have waited...rowi

  I read the title of this thread and thought 'Brrr it's too cold for swimming' LOL   I didn't read the sign properly.                                                                                                                                                                              

I know oner BMer that been in the sea already, rather her than me,,,