A Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Teen Driving

University of Iowa

Status: Completed

Conditions: Motor Vehicle Driving

Treatments: Behavioral: Parent communication; Behavioral: In-vehicle video feedback

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01624597

065095

R01HD065095 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate an intervention that provides parents with objective feedback about their teen's driving as well as strategies to improve communication with their teen about driving. We will recruit 180 newly-licensed teen drivers and a parent or guardian. Our main hypotheses are that: parent-teen dyads who receive feedback will have reduced driving errors and increased safety behaviors than dyads with no feedback; and, parent-teen dyads who receive instruction on communication techniques will have improved quality and quantity of communication about driving than dyads not learning these techniques.

Full description

With a long-range goal of reducing crashes and related injuries among teen drivers, this project will assess the influence of a parent-focused intervention on teens' driving and safety behaviors. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate an intervention that integrates an in-vehicle video feedback system with parent-based communication techniques to improve teen driving. This will be the first rigorous evaluation of this technology, as well as the first to integrate a parent component. The in-vehicle video system records a video clip whenever an abrupt change in speed or steering direction is detected. These event-triggered video clips will be coded to identify safety-relevant events like driving errors and safety behaviors. A randomized group of parents will receive a weekly "driving report card" that summarizes driving errors, safety behaviors, and crashes or near-crashes recorded by the in-vehicle system. A second group of randomized parents will receive the report card plus training in communication strategies specifically designed to improve parent-teen communication about safe driving (based on Motivational Interviewing). Driving errors and safety behaviors will be compared to a control group that receives no feedback from the in-vehicle video system.

The specific aims of this proposed project are:

Specific Aim 1: Identify if giving parents feedback about their teen's driving performance and skills to better communicate with their teen driver increases the quality and quantity of parental involvement in teen driving.

Hypothesis: The intervention groups will report more frequent and higher-quality communication about safe driving than the control group.

Specific Aim 2: Identify if giving parents feedback about their teen's driving performance and skills to better communicate with their teen driver decreases the frequency of driving errors, unsafe driving behaviors, crashes, and near crashes.

Hypothesis: The intervention groups will have significantly reduced risky driving events (driving errors, crashes, and near crashes) and significantly increased safety behaviors (such as safety belt use and driving without distractions) than the control group.

Enrollment: 153 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 17 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Teen will receive Intermediate Driver's license in three months
• Teen has regular access to a car
• Can provide proof of insurance
• One legal guardian will also consent to participation

Exclusion criteria

• Either parent or teen is not an English speaker
• A sibling has already participated in the study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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153 participants in 3 patient groups

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants will have a passive in-vehicle video device installed in their car to measure driving errors and safety behaviors.

In-vehicle video feedback

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive feedback from an in-vehicle video system. A light on the system will blink when a driving event has been recorded. Parents will receive a weekly report card of driving errors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: In-vehicle video feedback

Behavioral: Parent communication

In-vehicle video feedback, parent communication

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive feedback from an in-vehicle video system. A light on the system will blink when a driving event has been recorded. Parents will receive a weekly report card of driving errors. Parents will participate in an intervention that provides input on teaching and communicating about driving skills and safety behaviors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Parent communication