Law enforcement agencies have cracked down on motorists who don’t use seatbelts in recent years with a “Click it or Ticket it” campaign. But, would a “carrot” rather than a “stick” approach be more effective?
Research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that rewarding drivers for seatbelt compliance significantly reduced instances of driving without a seatbelt, both during and after the incentive program.
Lead author Jeff Ebert, director of Applied Behavioral Science at the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit, said using a “nudge” instead of penalties, combined with incentives, could lead to a substantial reduction in driving without seatbelts.