Reducing risky driving: Assessing the impacts of an automatically-assigned, targeted web-based instruction program.

Introduction: Transportation safety research has consistently shown driver behavior is the primary cause in the majority of crashes. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an automatically-assigned, targeted web-based instruction program to reduce risky driving behavior.

Method: This quasi-experiment used a within-subjects, multiple-baseline stepwise ABC design; where "A" was the Phase I baseline, "B" was the Phase II driver awareness of program, and "C" was the Phase III WBI program.

Results: A significant reduction in rates of risky driving behaviors coincided with the implementation of the WBI program, even for those drivers who did not receive WBI but were included in the program. More specifically, excessive speeding was significantly reduced by 73.93% from baseline to intervention across all drivers. For those drivers who received WBI, the program coincided with statistically significant reductions in speeding, hard braking, and hard cornering. The first WBI course assigned and completed was the most impactful in reducing at-risk driving behavior.

Conclusions: These results show that the automatically-assigned, targeted WBI program was an effective method in reducing risky driving behaviors, not only for those drivers that received training, but for all drivers. The authors hypothesize the reduction in risky driving behaviors was not the result of the WBI, but instead from the implicit feedback of being assigned a training courses, the development of implicit, non-specific goals to reduce risky driving behaviors that result in a WBI course assignment, and the resulting increased driver accountability created by the WBI program. Practical application: Through the use of an automatically-assigned, targeted WBI program, fleets may have fewer crashes and insurance claims. This reduction in crashes and insurance claims may result in lower insurance premiums and may help to prevent injuries and save lives.