The most important objective of the Department of Transport (DOT) in the Netherlands is to make Dutch freeways safer and less congested. To achieve these objectives, standard practice has been to influence the behavior of road users through punitive measures. To investigate the feasibility of doing the opposite, namely, influencing behavior by offering rewards, and of its usefulness if it worked, the DOT launched the Belonitor trial. Each year, tailgating and speeding cause much irritation on roadways. Moreover, these violations often play a role in accidents and congestion. The Belonitor trial therefore focuses on two preferred modes of behavior: maintaining sufficient distance and maintaining the applicable maximum speed. The lease company LeasePlan Nederland N.V. (LPNL) fitted 62 lease cars with equipment that recorded whether drivers maintained sufficient distance from the car ahead and drove within the posted speed limit. The equipment included a display that continuously showed drivers their following distance and speed. LPNL rewarded lease-car drivers for good driving behavior over a 16-week period. The data obtained from surveys, interviews, and the in-car system indicate that feedback and rewards have a strong positive effect on safe driving behavior. The trial results also indicated differences in how drivers handle speed and following distance. In the Belonitor trial, DOT traffic safety objectives were successfully combined with profit goals of the lease company. (Author/publisher)
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