Gasoline conservation: a procedure for measuring and reducing the driving of college students.

Twelve college students joined a four-week driving game. Each morning they reported their car's odometer reading. The researchers turned miles saved into points. More miles cut meant bigger prizes. The plan flipped on and off twice to be sure the prizes, not luck, caused any change.

When prizes were active, daily mileage dropped about one-fifth. Mileage bounced back each time prizes stopped. A no-prize control group kept driving the same amount. The token link, not the weather or gas prices, did the work.

Davol et al. (1977) ran an almost twin study the same year. They also used prize tokens and an ABAB reversal with neurotypical adults. Instead of miles, they raised journal reshelving. Both projects show a simple token board can push low-frequency adult behavior up or down.

Fritz et al. (2017) later swapped tokens for effort. They removed classroom trash cans so recycling took less walking than trashing. Recycling rose and trash litter vanished after a brief spike. Tokens and effort tweaks both work; the best pick depends on which is easier to arrange.

Thompson et al. (1974) tested contracts with college students two years earlier. Study time rose for everyone, yet grades only improved for below-average students. The new mileage study found a cleaner win: prizes helped every driver cut miles, not just the worst ones.

You can shrink car use without lectures or fines. Pick a behavior you can track daily, like miles, idling minutes, or parking lot loops. Link savings to a prize menu and show each person their score. Flip the intervention on and off a few times to prove it works. The same frame fits staff car pools, van routes, or client travel training.