Gamification gets drivers to put down their phones
A study by Progressive Insurance found that gamification and financial incentives significantly reduced handheld phone use while driving, with the most effective strategy achieving a 27.6% reduction among participants.
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A recent study by Progressive Insurance explored strategies to reduce handheld phone use while driving, a significant contributor to distracted driving. The study involved 1,653 participants from the Progressive Snapshot program, who initially averaged over 6.4 minutes of phone use per hour while driving. Participants were divided into five groups, each receiving varying levels of intervention. The first three groups received educational materials, phone mounts, and commitments to reduce phone use, but these did not lead to significant reductions. The fourth group, which included competitive gamification, saw a 20.5% reduction in phone use during the study, with a sustained 16.2% reduction afterward. The fifth group, which combined gamification with financial incentives, achieved the highest reduction of 27.6%, maintaining this level post-intervention. The findings suggest that gamification and financial rewards can effectively encourage safer driving behaviors, potentially leading to broader applications in insurance and automotive industries to promote safer driving practices.
- Gamification and financial incentives significantly reduce phone use while driving.
- The study involved 1,653 participants from the Progressive Snapshot program.
- The most effective intervention combined competitive gamification with cash prizes.
- Participants in the fifth group reduced handheld usage by 27.6% during the study.
- The results indicate potential for insurance companies to incentivize safer driving behaviors.
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1 comments Before the start of the trial, the participants all averaged more than 6.4
minutes per hour of handheld use while driving...
Paying drivers on top of competitive gamification was the most effective way
to get them to put down their phones. This group reduced its handheld usage by
27.6 percent, or 89 seconds/hour, compared to the control.
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