NCT01624597

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Teen Driving

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 153 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Iowa · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 14 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

• Motor Vehicle Driving

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	In-vehicle video feedback	An in-vehicle video system will record driving errors and safety behaviors. A light on the system will blink to let the participant know that a driving error has been recorded. Parents will receive a weekly report card.
BEHAVIORAL	Parent communication	Parents will receive instruction in teaching and effective communication about driving skills and driving safety. The intervention includes driving goals for teen drivers and parent communication strategies.

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-06-01
• Primary completion: 2015-05-01
• Completion: 2018-05-01
• First posted: 2012-06-20
• Last updated: 2018-08-31

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States