Effects of Pay-As-You-Drive vehicle insurance on young drivers' speed choice: Results of a Dutch field experiment

Speeding is an important cause for young drivers' involvement in traffic accidents. A reduction in driving speeds of this group could result in fewer accidents. One way of reducing driving speed is offering explicit financial incentives. In collaboration with five Dutch car insurance companies, we tested the effects of a Pay-As-You-Drive insurance fee on driving speed. A group of young drivers could save money on their monthly insurance fee by keeping the speed limit. Driving speed was monitored through GPS technology during one year. Analyses showed that, relative to pre- and post-measurement, as well as a control group, the introduction of a Pay-As-You-Drive insurance fee significantly reduced speed violations of young drivers. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.