Young Drivers’ Preferences for Gamification Schemes Toward Safer Driving Behaviors: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Young drivers are over-represented in motor vehicle crashes, and how to improve the risky behaviors of young drivers has been a critical issue around the world. In contrast to penalty programs to improve safety, incentive programs are usually less controversial and more politically feasible. This study used a stated preference survey to investigate the preferences of young drivers for four incentive programs, including two gamified schemes, an insurance fee discount scheme, and a license fee discount scheme, and how these programs may change driving behaviors. A pilot study was conducted on 500 young drivers in Queensland, Australia. The estimation results using a latent class logit model showed the sample of young drivers could be naturally categorized into three groups with more or less equal preference for each scheme. Less than 5% of young drivers were not interested in joining any one of these schemes, suggesting that most of the sample of young drivers could be motivated in the future to have better driving behavior via one of these incentive schemes.