Negligence, a concept from the area of law known as torts, provides a second avenue for consumers to hold producers responsible for their prod¬ucts. The distinction between contract law and tort law also calls attention to two different ways to understand ethical duties. Under a contract model, the only duties that a person owes are those that have been explicitly promised to another party. I have duties to the mortgage company, for example, because I have agreed or promised to do certain things. On a narrow contractarian view of ethics, our only duties are those that have been taken on explicitly and volun¬tarily Otherwise, I owe nothing to anyone. The ethical perspective that under¬lies tort law holds that we all owe other people certain general duties, even if we have not explicitly and voluntarily assumed them. Specifically, I owe other people a general duty not to put them at unnecessary and avoidable risk. Thus, although I have never explicitly promised anyone that I will drive carefully, I have an ethical duty not to drive recklessly down the street.