Death by Pokémon GO: The Economic and Human Cost of Using Apps While Driving

56 Pages Posted: 21 Nov 2017 Last revised: 5 Dec 2022

See all articles by Mara Faccio

Mara Faccio

Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, Purdue University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

John J. McConnell

Purdue University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 2, 2018

Abstract

Using police accident reports for Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and exploiting the introduction of the augmented reality game Pokémon GO as a natural experiment, we document a disproportionate increase in crashes and associated vehicular damage, injuries, and fatalities in the vicinity of locations where users can play the game while driving. We estimate the incremental county-wide cost of users playing Pokémon GO while driving to be in the range of $5.2 to $25.5 million over the 148 days following the introduction of the game. Extrapolating these estimates to nation-wide levels yields a total ranging from $2.0 to $7.3 billion.

Keywords: Vehicular Crashes, Cost of Users Playing Pokémon GO While Driving

JEL Classification: D60, K32, R40, R41, O33

Suggested Citation

Faccio, Mara and McConnell, John J., Death by Pokémon GO: The Economic and Human Cost of Using Apps While Driving (February 2, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3073723 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3073723

Mara Faccio (Contact Author)

Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, Purdue University ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

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John J. McConnell

Purdue University ( email )

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