Safer Driving Habits Could Be Encouraged with Smartphone Apps, Similar to Usage-Based Insurance Programs: AAA

Study shows that apps similar to those used by insurance companies to monitor driving behavior could reduce risky habits that lead to accidents.

New research suggests that smartphone apps that monitor driving behaviors, similar to those used by insurance companies to offer premium discounts, could help drivers identify and reduce risky behaviors or habits, potentially lowering the number of car accidents nationwide.

Recent data shows that more than 40,000 people died in auto accidents in the United States in 2023, with many of those deaths attributed to speeding, impaired driving and distracted behaviors such as texting behind the wheel.

In an effort to reduce these dangerous driving habits, insurance companies have introduced usage-based insurance (UBI) programs, which rely on smartphone apps or in-vehicle devices to monitor driving behavior. These apps track factors like speed, hard braking, phone use and time of travel, allowing insurers to assess risk and reward safe drivers with potential discounts or other incentives.

To explore whether this technology may help reduce these risks for all drivers, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a new study examining the impact of providing drivers with real-time feedback and incentives, which are core features of usage-based insurance programs.

While it’s difficult to measure the full effectiveness of UBI programs since participation is voluntary and self-selecting, the AAA study focused on what actually motivates drivers to change unsafe habits. The findings suggest that even outside of insurance incentives, personalized feedback alone may be enough to encourage safer driving, offering a potential public health benefit if adopted more widely.

The research team, led by Jeffrey Ebhert, examined the use of handheld cell phones, speeding, hard braking and rapid acceleration over a 12-week period.

Participants were divided into four groups:

• Observation Group, which received no feedback or bonus incentive
• Standard Feedback Group, which received weekly feedback and advice via text messages on monitored behaviors and was offered an incentive
• Assigned Goal Group, which received weekly feedback and advice on one specific behavior assigned to them via text messages and was offered an incentive
• Chosen Goal Group, where participants chose one behavior to focus on, set a goal for improvement, and received weekly feedback and advice on their chosen behavior via text, along with an incentive

Among the groups that received feedback, researchers observed speeding reductions of up to 13%, hard braking reductions of up to 21%, and rapid acceleration reductions of up to 25%. The use of handheld phones did not change

When asked which tactic influenced their behavior the most, 64.7% of participants reported that the potential to earn extra money had an impact, 53.9% found weekly driving feedback beneficial, and 45.8% said the most effective tactic was a weekly dashboard, which provided detailed driving information for the week.

The “Assigned Goal” and “Chosen Goal” groups showed higher engagement with the dashboard and were associated with improvements in risky driving behavior.

After the study period, participants were monitored for an additional six weeks without any feedback or incentives to determine whether their habits would persist. Researchers found that, generally, they continued to drive more safely.

“This trial experimentally demonstrated, for the first time, that the kinds of feedback and incentives offered by UBI programs can improve driver safety across a range of behaviors. It also showed that these safety improvements may persist beyond a driver’s rating period, lessening concerns that UBI discounts reward risky drivers who only drive safely when monitored,” the study stated.