A Randomized Field Trial of Smartphone-based Feedback to Encourage Safe Driving

University of Pennsylvania

Status: Completed

Conditions: Distracted Driving; Injury Prevention; Behavioral Economics

Treatments: Behavioral: Driving Tips; Behavioral: Sef-Chosen Focus Area Feedback; Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive; Behavioral: Standard Feedback; Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard); Behavioral: Study Dashboard (focused); Behavioral: Assigned Focus Area Feedback

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06101251

853761

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study team are proposing to conduct a randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of focused feedback vs standard feedback and self-chosen vs assigned goals on driving behaviors targeted by behavior-based insurance apps: hard braking, fast acceleration, handheld phone use, and speeding. The interventions arms will receive feedback on their driving behaviors, tips for safe driving, and a UBI-like financial incentive. The Penn research team will use Meta advertisements to recruit for the study and determine eligibility via an online survey. Those who enroll will undergo a 6-week run-in period during which their driving trips will be monitored by a mobile app. Individuals with a sufficient number of trips during this period will be randomly assigned to one of four arms for the intervention period. Target enrollment is 1,300 participants (325 per trial arm). The power analysis assumed an attrition rate of 20% over the course of the study.

Enrollment: 1,449 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years of age or older
• Has an Apple or Android smartphone (iPhone iOS 12 or later or Android OS 7 or later)
• Drives at least 2 days per week
• English reading ability
• Passes an attention check
• Provides valid email address, cell number, name, address, and date of birth

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,449 participants in 4 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants will have the Way to Drive app monitoring in the background throughout the intervention period for overall driving score, handheld phone use, speeding, hard braking, and fast acceleration. They will not receive feedback, driving tips or UBI-like behavioral incentives. Participants will also receive payment or non-adherence messages as needed for having the app functioning.

Standard Feedback + UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will have the Way to Drive app monitoring in the background, and will receive payment or non-adherence messages as needed, but will also receive, Standard Feedback, Study Dashboard, Driving Tips, and UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Treatment:

Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard)

Behavioral: Standard Feedback

Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Behavioral: Driving Tips

Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will have the Way to Drive app monitoring in the background, and will receive payment or non-adherence messages as needed, but will also receive Assigned Focus Area Feedback, Driving Tips, a Study Dashboard, and UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Treatment:

Behavioral: Assigned Focus Area Feedback

Behavioral: Study Dashboard (focused)

Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Behavioral: Driving Tips

Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will have the Way to Drive app monitoring in the background, and will receive payment or non-adherence messages as needed, but will also receive Self-Chosen Focus Area Feedback, Driving Tips, Study Dashboard, and UBI-like Behavioral Incentive.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard)

Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive

Behavioral: Sef-Chosen Focus Area Feedback

Behavioral: Driving Tips