Cambridge, MA, January 7, 2025 — Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the world’s largest telematics service provider, in collaboration with Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) researchers, today released a new study, “Safe Driving is Sustainable Driving,” analyzing the link between driving safety and fuel efficiency. The research finds a significant difference in fuel consumption between safe and risky drivers. On average, safe drivers are over 5% more efficient, with the gap widening to 9.9% for a fuel-powered SUV, or 63.2 gallons of gasoline. With US gas prices at $3.06 per gallon, according to AAA, that’s a potential savings of $193 per year. 

CMT and VTTI researchers also found that drivers who improved their telematics safe driving scores increased their fuel savings by 6%, 36.6 gallons of gasoline per year for a typical SUV, or $112 annually. 

The safe driving sustainability study breaks new ground in driving efficiency research. The research team applied four fuel consumption models to a large dataset of telematics trips to link specific driving behaviors to fuel consumption. The research covers vehicle types that include internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles. 

The researchers also segmented the driver population, revealing unprecedented levels of new insights into the correlation between safe driving and efficient driving. They were able to study how driving risk factors like hard braking, speeding, acceleration, and distracted driving impact fuel consumption. For example, researchers found that hard braking is both the most frequent and most impactful risky behavior for all consumption models. This methodology provides a clear framework to quantify the fuel impact of specific risky driving behaviors, offering actionable insights for improving both safety and sustainability. 

The underlying data for the research includes 1.5 million trips taken by 14,000 drivers over a three-month period. Researchers analyzed each driver’s fuel efficiency during the first and third months of the study. To maintain consistency and isolate the impact of driver behavior, the analysis assumed all trips were on flat terrain. 

“This research highlights the interconnectedness of safe driving and sustainability,” said Lisa Pinals, a Principal Data Scientist for CMT, and lead researcher on the study. “By encouraging safer driving practices, we can not only reduce crashes and save lives, but also contribute to a more sustainable mobility ecosystem.” 

“This study exemplifies the power of using telematics data to gain a deeper understanding of driver behavior and its impact on sustainability,” said Dr. Hesham Rakha, Director of the Center for Sustainable Mobility at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. “By leveraging such data-driven approaches, we can develop more effective strategies to promote eco-driving and create a more sustainable transportation system.”

With gasoline consumption responsible for 22% of US carbon dioxide emissions, speeding accountable for 28% of fatalities, and crashes causing $340 billion in economic damages in 2019, these findings have important implications for policymakers, insurance providers, and drivers. Implementing usage-based insurance programs and other telematics-based driving programs like eco and fuel scores can make mobility safer and more sustainable. 

CMT is presenting the study’s findings at the Research Transportation Board annual conference today. The study is available here. 

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics 

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell Fusion®, gathers sensor data from millions of IoT devices — including smartphones, proprietary Tags, connected vehicles, dashcams, and third-party devices — and fuses them with contextual data to create a unified view of vehicle and driver behavior. Auto insurers, automakers, commercial mobility companies, and the public sector use insights from CMT’s platform to power risk assessment, safety, claims, and driver improvement programs. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb, CMT measures and protects tens of millions of drivers worldwide every day.

About The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) conducts research to save lives, time, and money and protect the environment. As one of seven premier research institutes created by Virginia Tech to answer national challenges, VTTI is continually advancing transportation through innovation and has affected public policy on national and international levels.