A new study by the Travelers Institute has found that three quarters of drivers on Philadelphia-area roads use mobile devices while at the wheel, writes Justine McDaniel for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Reducing that habit has proven difficult. Advocates have already tried effecting change through public information campaigns and promoting legislation that bans phones in cars.

With little success thus far, however, researchers are turning to technology to find a solution.

Some options are already available, such as the “do not disturb while driving” function on most mobile phones. There are also apps by insurers that track the behavior of the driver and offer discounts as rewards for safe driving.

“How can we make people think twice about picking up the phone?” said Kit Delgado, who researches the topic as an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Penn.

Delgado is trying to find ways to “gamify” safe driving or to create incentives. These and other options were presented during a recent symposium on safe driving at Penn.

Read more about distracted driving in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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