ATLANTA — A new study on hazardous driving examined how some smartphone apps may help reduce the risk of a fatal crash .
The research by AAA, the Auto Club Group, said that certain apps can reduce risky driving habits while making it so drivers can also save money on their auto insurance costs, based on how they drive.
“Risky driving behaviors, such as speeding and distraction, are prominent contributing factors in motor vehicle crashes. Finding ways to reduce such behaviors is paramount and will have a positive impact on traffic safety,” the study said. “One such avenue, smartphone apps, can monitor and track these behaviors as well as deliver timely and tailored feedback to drivers.”
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The study focused on how the use of insurance apps on smartphones that incentivize safer driving habits through monitoring can help improve safety while also reducing your monthly insurance bills.
AAA said the apps track behavior like hard braking, speeding and distracted driving, and provides feedback and safe driving recommendations to help drivers improve their scores.
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Once a score is finalized, customers can get potential savings on their insurance costs.
“Each year, the tragic loss of over 40,000 souls in devastating crashes is often rooted in hazardous driving practices,” Montrae Waiters, a spokeswoman for AAA, said. “Technology encouraging drivers to avoid these behaviors could be the key to reducing road injuries and fatalities.”
The study summer said researchers saw the following behavior improvements from drivers using the usage-based insurance apps:
- Up to a 13% reduction in speeding
- Up to a 21% reduction in hard braking
- Up to a 25% reduction in rapid acceleration
Looking at the incentives to adopt safer habits, AAA said their research showed participants liked having the potential to earn extra money, receiving weekly driving feedback via text message and having access to a weekly dashboard with driving information all helped encourage better driving behavior.
Even after stopping use of a monitoring app for driving habits, the AAA study found that participants who spent 12 weeks using apps were still driving safely another six weeks after the apps were turned off, despite the lack of feedback or incentives.
“The sustained improvements will be of special interest to insurance companies concerned about the potential moral hazard of awarding discounts to drivers who, after an initial rating period of ‘being on their best behavior,’ revert to their typical less-safe behavior when no longer monitored,” the study said.
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