AAA: Do smartphone apps hold the key to safer drivers?

In 2023, more than 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States, with risky driving behaviors such as speeding, impairment, and aggressive driving contributing significantly to the high number of fatalities, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Although the number of deaths has decreased from previous years, it remains alarmingly high when compared to pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the ongoing need for innovative solutions to improve road safety. AAA remains committed to finding effective ways to encourage safer driving habits and curb this concerning trend.

“This research, with over 1,400 study participants, helps us understand what motivates individuals to change their risky driving behaviors,” said Dr. David Yang, president and executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “By identifying methods to reduce these behaviors, we can enhance traffic safety and reduce injuries and fatalities.”

According to AAA, speeding, aggressive driving, and distracted driving continue to be major contributors to crashes. While driver education, public awareness campaigns, and legislation have made some impact, they often require significant time and resources to yield results. The persistent crash trends suggest that additional strategies may be needed.

The rise of smartphone technology has made it possible to measure dangerous driving behaviors, offering new potential solutions to help drivers improve safety. One such approach involves usage-based insurance (UBI) programs, which reward safe driving by offering incentives to participants. However, it remains unclear whether these programs effectively improve safety, as only those who voluntarily opt-in are monitored.

To further investigate, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety examined whether feedback and incentives, commonly used in UBI programs, lead to better driving habits. Researchers also explored whether setting targeted goals—whether assigned or self-selected—helps achieve greater improvements.

The trial focused on behaviors like handheld phone use, speeding, hard braking, and rapid acceleration. Participants were divided into four groups, each receiving different levels of feedback and advice over a 12-week period. All groups, except the observation group, had the opportunity to earn bonuses based on their driving performance.

• The Observation group – served as the control; their driving was monitored during this period, but they received no feedback or bonus incentive.  
• The Standard Feedback group – given weekly feedback and advice via text messages on all behaviors monitored.  
• The Assigned Goal group – focused on one specific behavior assigned to them and were given weekly feedback and advice via text messages on that one behavior. 
• The Chosen Goal group – participants selected one behavior to focus on and set a goal for improvement; were given weekly feedback and advice via text messages on that goal. 

The Results: 

Among the three feedback groups, there were clear improvements in driver behavior: 

• Up to a 13% reduction in speeding
• Up to a 21% reduction in hard braking 
• Up to a 25% reduction in rapid acceleration 

Surprisingly, the use of handheld phones remained unchanged. It is possible that the baseline safety scores provided to participants at the start of the study for this behavior led drivers to believe that they were being safer than they actually were—and therefore, there was less need for improvement.  

Participants also reported how helpful the following tactics were in changing their behaviors: 

• 67.4% – the potential to earn extra money
• 53.9% – weekly driving feedback via text message
• 45.8% – weekly dashboard (provided detailed driving information for the week) 

Participants in the “Assigned Goal” and “Chosen Goal” groups also displayed higher engagement with the dashboard, which correlated to greater improvement in risky driving behaviors. 

After the 12-week period, participants were monitored for an additional 6 weeks without any feedback or incentives to determine if their habits would persist in the absence of reinforcement. The study found that, generally, participants continued to drive more safely, indicating that they did so without receiving feedback or incentives.  

“It’s encouraging to see that many individuals stuck with safer habits even after the study,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy. “This shows that positive reinforcement, not just punitive measures, can lead to safer driving habits that can save lives.” 

AAA’s research shows that the kinds of feedback and incentives offered by UBI programs can improve driver safety across a range of behaviors. Developers of this technology can maximize the benefits of this tool by looking for ways to enhance participant engagement.