ObjectiveCollege students are at risk of drinking and driving. The current study examines the use of immersive stories to prevent college students from drinking and driving.Participants107 college students participated in the study.MethodsParticipants were randomly assigned to watch an immersive 360° video, which featured a story of a young female driver who caused a fatal car crash due to impaired driving, either in head-mounted displays (HMDs) or in tablets.ResultsThe story viewed through HMDs (vs. tablets) led to lower intentions to drink and drive only among female participants. Moreover, female participants' perceived similarity to the protagonist mediated the effect of modality on their intentions to drink and drive.Conclusions360° video stories experienced through high immersion (via HMDs) have the potential to prevent risky behavior. It is important to consider the protagonist's gender when adopting immersive stories in alcohol education programs on college campuses.
Keywords: 360° video; Drinking and driving; Immersive storytelling; risky behavior prevention; virtual reality.