The latest possible moment

What is it about that particular moment that people so often try to push each and every decision until it is reached? In some very hairy issues it might be useful, I suppose, because you need to know more about your situation to get a better estimate. However, in daily life, it does not seem to pay off that well, especially if it results to postponing and accumulating things that have to be done nevertheless. Additionally, this phenomenon becomes even more frustrating the more people are involved. Even though there might be a common goal to be achieved, noone seems willing to decide and passes around responsibility, sometimes even despite knowing more than others. So I just wonder what it is that makes people so scared on making even the smallest decisions that would maybe cause a temporal loss of complete freedom for about 5 minutes..