UC San Diego Study Reveals Positive Reinforcement Coaching Techniques Alone Won’t Improve Driver Performance
Path to safer driving behaviors lies in having blended coaching options and intelligent integration, supported by advanced safety technologies such as Lytx’s video safety solution
SAN DIEGO — Lytx® Inc., the industry pioneer of video and safety-driven efficiency, today shared an important fleet safety study from the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego). The new report from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering Department of Computer Science and Design Lab suggests that a strategic blend of in-person manager-led feedback, self-directed learning, AI-powered coaching, and structured recognition will be required to create lasting safe driving practices for commercial drivers.
The research paper, Evaluating and Optimizing Coaching Methodologies for Fleet Safety and Performance, provides the most comprehensive academic review to date of coaching models used across commercial fleets. It concludes that while personalized, manager-led coaching remains the most effective method for sustained behavior change, scalable results are best achieved when human feedback is strategically augmented with automated in-cab alerts and self-review systems such as those offered by Lytx.
“Approximately 92.6% of all motor vehicle crashes are attributed to human factors—including speeding, distraction, fatigue, and judgment errors—underscoring the urgent necessity of robust driver education and behavior modification strategies,” said Dr. Nadir Weibel, principal investigator and professor at UC San Diego’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering and Design Lab. “The evidence presented in this report demonstrates that manager-led and personalized coaching approaches, complemented with the strengths of in-cabin and self-directed coaching, can deliver greater long-term effectiveness.”
This report outlines key findings from existing literature that support the use of manager-led coaching for optimal safety:
- 24% improvement in driving behavior when manager-led coaching is used compared to passive methods
- 50% reduction in hazardous incidents after a single 10-minute self-coaching review session in a field test
- Significant improvements in 7 out of 12 directly observed driving behaviors following manager-led coaching
While the study advocates for targeted structured positive recognition, it warns against overreliance on praise in driver feedback systems, particularly for the riskiest drivers.
"Too much positive recognition can negatively impact driver performance, particularly for the riskiest drivers,” said Weibel. “And the absence of real-time human interaction may result in decreased engagement, reduced trust in the system, and ultimately, compromised safety outcomes."
The study recommends:
- Brief regular face-to-face coaching sessions for maximum driver engagement
- Positive recognition to be thoughtfully layered into risk coaching programs
- Coaching models that are sufficiently flexible and varied to serve both high-risk and high-performing drivers, as well as new and experienced drivers
- AI-driven systems to triage, escalate, and personalize coaching sessions
“This report, which Lytx sponsored with a grant to better understand the research behind coaching methods, validates what we’ve seen in the field for years,” said Rajesh Rudraradhya, Chief Technology Officer at Lytx. “Effective coaching isn’t about choosing between humans or machines—it’s about making each smarter together.”
The full report is available to industry stakeholders and fleet safety professionals here.
About Lytx
Every day, companies send their most valuable assets into the world. Their people. Their equipment. Their reputations. For nearly three decades, Lytx has given fleets the tools to manage and protect all the assets they have in motion – helping them stay connected with their field operations so they can focus on delivering value and growing their businesses. Using proprietary machine vision and artificial intelligence technology to power our video safety and video telematics solutions, Lytx helps protect and connect more than 5.5 million drivers and thousands of fleets, including more than half of the 10 largest carriers in North America. Lytx's powerful network of partners and resellers further extends the reach and impact of our technologies across more than 90 countries. For more information about Lytx or to connect with us, visit www.lytx.com, LinkedIn, @lytx on X, Facebook or YouTube.
###