Novice Teen Driver Training
Conditions
Keywords
Teen driving, Behind the wheel practice driving, Parent supervision
Brief summary
The long-term goal of this research is to increase safe driving among novice teen drivers by increasing the quantity, quality and diversity of driving practice while accompanied by an adult. In order to achieve the long term goal of the study, the investigators have developed a web-based intervention program known as Teen Driving Plan (TDP) intended to support high quality driving practice.
Detailed description
Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among teens in the United States. Teen drivers (ages 16 to 19) are four times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than adult drivers (ages 25 to 69). Inexperience is a fundamental factor in the high crash rate for novice teens. Safe and skilled driving is a complex task that involves behaviors (e.g., skills and actions) that vary and become increasingly challenging with increasing speed, unsafe road conditions and other hazards of the driving environment. Because teens are at their lowest lifetime risk of crashing when accompanied by an adult, adult-supervised practice provides a safe way for teens to gain needed experience under a variety of driving conditions. Unfortunately, few teens receive sufficient quantity, quality and diversity of adult-supervised practice prior to licensure. The objective of the proposed research is to compare how the driving training process and the results of that training process differ between a group of young learning permit holders in families that have access to TDP (the intervention group) from the training process and the results of that process in an otherwise similar group of teens in families with no TDP access (the control group). The investigators hypothesize that teens given access to TDP will demonstrate greater competence and safety in a standardized on-road driving assessment than teens with no TDP access.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTeen driving plan
Web-based intervention designed to facilitate parent supervised practice driving with novice teen driver.
Sponsors
State Farm Insurance Co.
Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital
GFK Knowledge Networks
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Teen 16 or 17 years of age who holds a Pennsylvania (PA) learner permit, or plans to obtain a learner permit in \< 1 month. * Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of a teen with his or her learner permit. * Internet connection at home and other technical requirements to launch web program if needed.
Exclusion criteria
* Non-English speaking. * Teen has practiced more than 5 hours behind the wheel or has taken more than 5 practice drives with a supervising adult prior to enrollment. * Teen has received formal behind-the-wheel driver education instruction prior to enrollment with a certified driving instructor at a professional driver education company or in his/her school. * Pregnant female teen subjects. * Teen requires handicapped placard or license plate in order to drive.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Late Driving Performance in On-road Assessment (ODA) Test | 24 weeks after enrollment | The primary outcome was driving performance as measured by the teens completion of the standardized and validated ODA 24 weeks after enrollment. Certified professional driving evaluators blinded to randomization status terminated the ODA if they determined that the teen could not safely complete it. Criteria for termination included: (1) a driver action or inaction requiring evaluator intervention to prevent a collision; (2) a driving task requiring assistance from the evaluator to be performed safely; (3) violation of a traffic law; (4) evasive action needed by another vehicle or a pedestrian to avoid a collision; or (5) a subjective assessment by the evaluator that the teenager could not continue safely. We examined the teens ability to complete the ODA as measured by the number of terminations. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Recruitment details
From December 2011 to August 2012, participants were recruited from 5 sources: (1) local high schools; (2) The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) primary care practices; (3) local licensing centers; (4) community events; and (5) targeted ads in online venues. Fliers, letters, and ads describing the study were distributed via these channels.
Pre-assignment details
A subset of the teens were assigned to complete the On Road Driving (ODA) assessment. Study participation lasted from 6-36 months based on licensure status - all dyads participated in the study for 6 months, after which participation continued until teens obtained their junior driver's license (up to a max of 36 months from enrollment).
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Teen Driving Plan Access to web-based driving intervention
Teen driving plan: Web-based intervention designed to facilitate parent supervised practice driving with novice teen driver. | 610 |
| Usual Practice Use of typical supervised practice driving resources | 414 |
| Total | 1,024 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On the Road Driving Assessment (ODA) | Protocol Violation | 23 | 18 |
| On the Road Driving Assessment (ODA) | Withdrawal by Subject | 19 | 6 |
| Overall Sample | Withdrawal by Subject | 60 | 14 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Teen Driving Plan | Usual Practice | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Customized Parents (n=295, 204) | 48.4 years | 48.9 years | 48.5 years |
| Age, Customized Teens (n=315, 210) | 16.2 years | 16.3 years | 16.2 years |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 14 Participants | 9 Participants | 23 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 591 Participants | 402 Participants | 993 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 5 Participants | 3 Participants | 8 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 11 Participants | 17 Participants | 28 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 68 Participants | 46 Participants | 114 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 5 Participants | 4 Participants | 9 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 9 Participants | 4 Participants | 13 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 516 Participants | 342 Participants | 858 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 385 Participants | 278 Participants | 663 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 225 Participants | 136 Participants | 361 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 610 | 0 / 414 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 610 | 0 / 414 |
Outcome results
Primary
Late Driving Performance in On-road Assessment (ODA) Test
The primary outcome was driving performance as measured by the teens completion of the standardized and validated ODA 24 weeks after enrollment. Certified professional driving evaluators blinded to randomization status terminated the ODA if they determined that the teen could not safely complete it. Criteria for termination included: (1) a driver action or inaction requiring evaluator intervention to prevent a collision; (2) a driving task requiring assistance from the evaluator to be performed safely; (3) violation of a traffic law; (4) evasive action needed by another vehicle or a pedestrian to avoid a collision; or (5) a subjective assessment by the evaluator that the teenager could not continue safely. We examined the teens ability to complete the ODA as measured by the number of terminations.
Time frame: 24 weeks after enrollment
Population: 512 teen-parent dyads were eligible and agreed to participate. Of these, 217 teens were scheduled to complete the ODA (128 were randomized to Teen Driving Plan (TDP), 89 to Usual Practice). Participant attrition over the time of the study resulted in 151 teens (86 TDP and 65 control) completing the 24-week ODA.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Teen Driving Plan (TDP) | Late Driving Performance in On-road Assessment (ODA) Test | 5 Participants |
| Usual Practice (Control) | Late Driving Performance in On-road Assessment (ODA) Test | 10 Participants |