Distracted DrivingNCT06101251
A Randomized Field Trial of Smartphone-based Feedback to Encourage Safe Driving
A study testing Driving Tips, Standard Feedback and Assigned Focus Area Feedback in people with Distracted Driving and Injury Prevention, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Distracted Driving, Injury Prevention, Behavioral Economics
- What is being tested?
- Driving Tips, Standard Feedback and Assigned Focus Area Feedback
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,449 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 25 Jan 2024to 30 Sep 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- -
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Field Trial of Smartphone-based Feedback Designed to Encourage Safe Driving: Comparing Focused and Self-chosen Goals to Standard UBI Messaging
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.
- Conditions
- Distracted Driving, Injury Prevention, Behavioral Economics
- Being tested
- Driving Tips, Standard Feedback, Assigned Focus Area Feedback, Study Dashboard (Standard), Study Dashboard (focused)
- Keywords
- Distracted Driving, Behavioral Incentives
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Driving TipsBehavioural
Each week participants will receive a safe driving tip for one of the four behaviors via text message.
Standard FeedbackBehavioural
Each week participants will receive a text message showing their overall driving score (out of 100) and subscores for distraction, hard braking, fast acceleration, and speeding (all running averages). The scoreboard will indicate whether their scores have gone up, down, or stayed the same. The message will include a link to a dashboard.
Assigned Focus Area FeedbackBehavioural
Each week feedback will focus the participant's attention on the driving behavior with the greatest opportunity for improvement based on their baseline driving behavior. Participants will be assigned a goal for the week of a score 5 points (3 points in the case of Driver Focus) better than their baseline for that area. If they meet the goal, they will be given a new goal 5 points higher; if they fall short, they will be asked to try for the same goal again. If they improve sufficiently-or if their improvement stalls out-they will be assigned a new behavior to focus on.
Study Dashboard (Standard)Behavioural
By clicking the link in the feedback text, they will be able to view a weekly dashboard that provides detailed information about their baseline, best, last, and average scores for each of the four behaviors, plus descriptions of the four behaviors.
Study Dashboard (focused)Behavioural
Same as standard study dashboard, except participants will see at the top of the dashboard how well they are doing relative to their weekly goals.
UBI-like Behavioral IncentiveBehavioural
At the end of the 12-week intervention period, their overall driving score will be translated into a $0-$100 reward amount. For example, a participant with an overall driving score of 84 at the end of the intervention period would receive $84 in compensation.
Sef-Chosen Focus Area FeedbackBehavioural
Participants will be asked to select which driving behavior they want to focus on improving, and to set a goal for the week that is above their baseline score. If they meet the goal, they will be asked to set a new, higher goal; if they fall short, they will be asked to try for the same goal again. If they improve sufficiently-or if their improvement stalls out-they will be asked if they want to focus on a new behavior.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | 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 | 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 Receives: Behavioral: Driving Tips; Behavioral: Standard Feedback; Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard); Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive | Active comparator | 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 Receives: Behavioral: Driving Tips; Behavioral: Assigned Focus Area Feedback; Behavioral: Study Dashboard (focused); Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive | Active comparator | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Driving Tips; Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard); Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive; Behavioral: Sef-Chosen Focus Area Feedback |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Overall Driving Score
This is the mean of the four behavior scores for the intervention period (and, in a follow-up analysis of effect sustainability, the post-intervention period). Scores can range from 0 -100, 100 being the safest driving score.
Measured: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Secondary outcomes (4)
Distraction score
A proprietary CMT score based on participant phone use-especially handheld phone use-while driving on a scale of 0-100, 100 being no phone use while driving (safest).
Measured: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Speeding score
A proprietary CMT score based on the amount of time the participant drove over the speed limit on a scale from 0 -100, 100 being no incidences of driving over the speed limit.
Measured: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Braking score
A proprietary CMT score based on the frequency of a participant's hard brakes on a scale of 0-100, 100 meaning no hard brakes.
Measured: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Acceleration Score
A proprietary CMT score based on the frequency of a participant's fast accelerations on a scale of 0-100. 100, being no fast accelerations.
Measured: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted26 Oct 2023
- Study start25 Jan 2024
- Primary completion30 Jul 2024
- Study completion30 Sep 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Distracted DrivingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of PennsylvaniaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- At the end of the 6-week baseline period, participants who have the app installed and collecting data, and who meet a minimum number of driver trips with trips scores, will be randomized into one of 4 arms via Way to Health: Arm 1, Control: Way to Drive app only monitors trips in the background Arm 2, Standard feedback + UBI-like Financial Incentive: Receive weekly feedback on all four behaviors and overall driver safety; safety tips on all four behaviors; up to $100 based on their overall driver safety at end of intervention. Arm 3, Assigned Goal + UBI-like Financial Incentive: Receive weekly feedback on behavior that presents greatest opportunity for improvement; safety tips on this behavior; up to $100 based on their overall driver safety at end of intervention. Arm 4, Self-Chosen Goal + UBI-like Financial Incentive: Receive weekly feedback on behavior of their own choosing; safety tips on this behavior; up to $100 based on their overall driver safety at end of intervention.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,449 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Pennsylvania
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, M. Kit Delgado, MD, University of Pennsylvania
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06101251
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 853761
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 27 Jul 2023
- Last updated
- 2 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized Field Trial of Smartphone-based Feedback Designed to Encourage Safe Driving: Comparing Focused and Self-chosen Goals to Standard UBI Messaging
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06101251
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 853761
- Conditions
- Distracted Driving, Injury Prevention, Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- Distracted Driving, Behavioral Incentives
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,449 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of PennsylvaniaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Study start
- 25 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 26 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
- Model description
- At the end of the 6-week baseline period, participants who have the app installed and collecting data, and who meet a minimum number of driver trips with trips scores, will be randomized into one of 4 arms via Way to Health: Arm 1, Control: Way to Drive app only monitors trips in the background Arm 2, Standard feedback + UBI-like Financial Incentive: Receive weekly feedback on all four behaviors and overall driver safety; safety tips on all four behaviors; up to $100 based on their overall driver safety at end of intervention. Arm 3, Assigned Goal + UBI-like Financial Incentive: Receive weekly feedback on behavior that presents greatest opportunity for improvement; safety tips on this behavior; up to $100 based on their overall driver safety at end of intervention. Arm 4, Self-Chosen Goal + UBI-like Financial Incentive: Receive weekly feedback on behavior of their own choosing; safety tips on this behavior; up to $100 based on their overall driver safety at end of intervention.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | –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 | Behavioral: Driving Tips, Behavioral: Standard Feedback, Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard), Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral IncentiveParticipants 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 |
| Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive | Active comparator | Behavioral: Driving Tips, Behavioral: Assigned Focus Area Feedback, Behavioral: Study Dashboard (focused), Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral IncentiveParticipants 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 |
| Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive | Active comparator | Behavioral: Driving Tips, Behavioral: Study Dashboard (Standard), Behavioral: UBI-like Behavioral Incentive, Behavioral: Sef-Chosen Focus Area FeedbackParticipants 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- -
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Driving TipsEach week participants will receive a safe driving tip for one of the four behaviors via text message. | Behavioural | Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive, Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive, Standard Feedback + UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Standard FeedbackEach week participants will receive a text message showing their overall driving score (out of 100) and subscores for distraction, hard braking, fast acceleration, and speeding (all running averages). The scoreboard will indicate whether their scores have gone up, down, or stayed the same. The message will include a link to a dashboard. | Behavioural | Standard Feedback + UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Assigned Focus Area FeedbackEach week feedback will focus the participant's attention on the driving behavior with the greatest opportunity for improvement based on their baseline driving behavior. Participants will be assigned a goal for the week of a score 5 points (3 points in the case of Driver Focus) better than their baseline for that area. If they meet the goal, they will be given a new goal 5 points higher; if they fall short, they will be asked to try for the same goal again. If they improve sufficiently-or if their improvement stalls out-they will be assigned a new behavior to focus on. | Behavioural | Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Study Dashboard (Standard)By clicking the link in the feedback text, they will be able to view a weekly dashboard that provides detailed information about their baseline, best, last, and average scores for each of the four behaviors, plus descriptions of the four behaviors. | Behavioural | Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive, Standard Feedback + UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Study Dashboard (focused)Same as standard study dashboard, except participants will see at the top of the dashboard how well they are doing relative to their weekly goals. | Behavioural | Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| UBI-like Behavioral IncentiveAt the end of the 12-week intervention period, their overall driving score will be translated into a $0-$100 reward amount. For example, a participant with an overall driving score of 84 at the end of the intervention period would receive $84 in compensation. | Behavioural | Assigned Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive, Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive, Standard Feedback + UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
| Sef-Chosen Focus Area FeedbackParticipants will be asked to select which driving behavior they want to focus on improving, and to set a goal for the week that is above their baseline score. If they meet the goal, they will be asked to set a new, higher goal; if they fall short, they will be asked to try for the same goal again. If they improve sufficiently-or if their improvement stalls out-they will be asked if they want to focus on a new behavior. | Behavioural | Self-Chosen Goal with UBI-like Behavioral Incentive |
Primary outcome
Overall Driving Score
Time frame: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
This is the mean of the four behavior scores for the intervention period (and, in a follow-up analysis of effect sustainability, the post-intervention period). Scores can range from 0 -100, 100 being the safest driving score.
4 secondary outcomes
Distraction score
Time frame: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Speeding score
Time frame: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Braking score
Time frame: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Acceleration Score
Time frame: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Jul 2025.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Driving Tips, Standard Feedback and Assigned Focus Area Feedback in people with Distracted Driving and Injury Prevention, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Overall Driving Score (time frame: 12 weeks of the intervention period + separate analysis of 6 week post intervention.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jul 2025.