General and specific information in deterring traffic violations: Evidence from a randomized experiment

•Cell phone text messages were randomly sent to car owners in Tsingtao, China.•Three general-message treatments do not reduce subsequent traffic violations.•Specific messages informing drivers of own traffic tickets deter future recidivism.•The deterrence effect is short-lived and lasts for six weeks only.•This effect is not due to the message being personalized but to new information.