Gamification of Driver Distraction Feedback: A Simulator Study with Younger Drivers

Providing personalized behavioral information as feedback to drivers can lead to safer practices. However, feedback efficacy is likely moderated by the driver's level of motivation towards behavioral change. Gamification of feedback, which is the incorporation of game design elements intended to motivate drivers toward safe behaviors, could potentially reduce unsafe behaviors in the long term. This article assesses a gamified driver feedback design in mitigating driver distraction and enhancing driving performance among younger drivers. A driving simulator study was conducted with 42 drivers, 21-30 years old, comparing: 1) no feedback; 2) real-time feedback; 3) real-time feedback + postdrive feedback; and 4) real-time feedback + postdrive feedback + game design elements to examine their impact on distraction engagement (manual-visual interactions with an in-vehicle display) and driving performance. Groups that received postdrive feedback, both with and without gamification elements, showed reduced distraction engagement and enhanced driving performance compared to no feedback. Between the two types of postdrive feedback, the nongamified feedback provided more benefits in reducing the 95th percentile glance duration to the in-vehicle display, and the one with gamification provided more benefits in reducing the rate of manual interactions with the in-vehicle display. Meanwhile, no benefits were observed with the real-time feedback only condition over no feedback. Despite minor differences in efficacy, both postdrive and gamification feedback appear to be effective countermeasures for distracted driving in the short term. Future research should investigate other game designs for driver feedback and assess the impact of feedback gamification over longer-term exposure.