Distracted Driving Research

The Problem

The proportion of U.S. drivers witnessed visibly manipulating hand-held devices while driving has doubled since 2010 (NHTSA 2014), despite the fact that 97% of Americans know this is dangerous (AT&T 2012) and texting while driving is illegal in all but four states. Current policies to curb cellphone use while driving have had limited impact because they do not address the underlying impulsivity (Hayashi, 2015) that causes drivers to continue to engage in this behavior despite knowing it is against their best interests (Delgado 2016).

Behavioral Interventions Aimed to Reduce Distracted Driving Among Usage-Based Auto Insurance Drivers

In partnership with Progressive Auto Insurance and TrueMotion, we conducted a randomized, control trial evaluating the comparative effectiveness of social comparison and financial incentive interventions with customers of Progressive’s mobile phone usage-based insurance policy.

Tailored Interventions Aimed Building Sustained Safe Driving Habits Among Drivers with Usage-Based Auto Insurance

Building on the success of the first trial's interventions, we sought to test novel interventions designed to help drivers create a lasting habit of putting down their phones when they drove. We kept many of the successful features from the first trial and added new elements to strengthen intrinsic motivation, help participants plan for obstacles to reducing use, and reward both steady, incremental improvements and episodic, big changes in behavior.

Distracted Driving Research

The Problem

Behavioral Interventions Aimed to Reduce Distracted Driving Among Usage-Based Auto Insurance Drivers

Tailored Interventions Aimed Building Sustained Safe Driving Habits Among Drivers with Usage-Based Auto Insurance

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