A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows behavioral interventions and financial incentives effectively reduce distracted driving by limiting handheld phone use.
By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Aug 4 2024 A recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study evaluates the effectiveness of behavioral interventions to reduce distracted driving.
Naturalistic studies have shown that all phone use is not equally risky. Although both handheld and hands-free phone use promotes cognitive distraction, handheld phone use is associated with greater visual and physical distraction. Researchers estimate that handheld phone use increases the risk of accidents by 2-12%, whereas hand-free phone use does not appear to increase the risk of a crash.
Thus, UBI provides an incentive to drivers to reduce their use of handheld phones while driving. In fact, one recent study revealed that UBI promoted 23% less hand-held phone use; however, this change in behavior was not sustained for a prolonged period. The control group only received information about how handheld phone use makes driving less safe, whereas arm two received a free phone mount. Arm three received an additional commitment exercise and habit formation tips three times each week for the first two weeks and once every week for the remaining eight weeks.
Study findings A total of 1,653 eligible participants were randomly assigned to the five study arms. Of these, 1,436 completed a survey questionnaire. The mean age of the study cohort was 32.8 years, and 66.5% of them were female.
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