Click it or… raffle ticket?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Less than half of motorists report using their seatbelt regularly. WTF!
Do we need to PAY people to care about safety? Jeffrey Ebert and team from Penn State say… yeah.
For ten weeks, eleven hundred drivers were given incentives to buckle up. Some just got seatbelt safety education. Some were offered cash prizes. Others were entered in raffles!
And? MONEY TALKS. Paid participants buckled up THE MOST. This was followed by drivers in the weekly raffle, and those only receiving safety education. The paid drivers CONTINUED their habits FIVE WEEKS after the study.
Hmm. A safe and stylish ride in a sensible, economy Sedan? Sure, IF the price IS right!
Reference: Ebert J.P., Yan R., Friday S., McDonald, C., Delgado, M.K. (2025). Behavioral interventions for increasing seat belt use and decreasing distracted driving using telematics: a national randomized trial. Am J Public Health. 115(5):758–768.