Teen Drivers, Motor Vehicle Accident
Conditions
Keywords
Driving, Teens, Texting, Cellphone, DriveID, Motor vehicle accident
Brief summary
Research participants will be recruited to take part in a randomized control trial. Participants' cellphone use will be observed during an initial baseline period. Participants will then be randomly assigned to one of four conditions: education only (control), opt-in blocking, opt-out blocking, and opt-out blocking with parental notification.
Detailed description
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in teens in the United State and for drivers aged 15-19 involved in fatal crashes, 21% of distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cellphones. Nearly 90% of teens expect a response to a text message within 5 minutes, and the compulsion to respond is stronger for messages from close social contacts. This suggests that behavioral-economic interventions such as immediate and frequent incentives are needed to offset the disutility caused by not being able to communicate by cellphone while driving. If proven to be effective, incentives could be scaled up via auto insurance discount contributions, school programs, and parental contributions.
Interventions
DEVICECellcontrol DriveID
Technology that blocks incoming and outgoing calls and texts.
OTHEREducation Only
No active intervention, educational materials will be provided
Sponsors
University of Pennsylvania
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. High school student 2. 16 or 17 at start of the study 3. Have a valid driver's license 4. Lives in parent's/guardian's home 5. Drives to school 6. Primarily drive one car 7. Has their own iPhone 4S or newer or Android 4.3 or newer smartphone with data plan 8. Parent/guardian is willing to assist with installation 9. Admit to texting while driving \>1 time in the last 30 days
Exclusion criteria
1\. Already uses a smartphone app or hardware device to limit cellphone use while driving
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks | 6 weeks | Change in number of phone unlocks per hour of drive time between intervention period (last 3 weeks) vs. baseline period (last 3 weeks) |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Education Only (Control) The Cellcontrol DriveID device will run completely in the background with no observable changes to cellphone functions while driving. During Week Four, participants will be presented educational materials on the dangers of distracted driving.
Education Only: No active intervention, educational materials will be provided | 8 |
| Opt-in Blocking Participants will have to initiate Cellcontrol DriveID device when entering the vehicle; the blocking settings will be pre-set to block all calls and text messages when the car is in motion.
Cellcontrol DriveID: Technology that blocks incoming and outgoing calls and texts. | 9 |
| Opt-out Blocking Cellcontrol DriveID device will automatically turn on when the teen begins driving and will be pre-set to block all calls and text messages when the car is in motion.
Cellcontrol DriveID: Technology that blocks incoming and outgoing calls and texts. | 8 |
| Opt-out Blocking With Notification Cellcontrol DriveID device will automatically turn on when the teen begins driving and will be pre-set to block all calls and text messages when the car is in motion. If a participant overrides the blocking function, an email will be sent to a parent/guardian.
Cellcontrol DriveID: Technology that blocks incoming and outgoing calls and texts. | 10 |
| Total | 35 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Total | Education Only (Control) | Opt-in Blocking | Opt-out Blocking | Opt-out Blocking With Notification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 35 Participants | 8 Participants | 9 Participants | 8 Participants | 10 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 34 Participants | 8 Participants | 9 Participants | 8 Participants | 9 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 1 Participants | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 3 Participants | 1 Participants | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 30 Participants | 6 Participants | 7 Participants | 8 Participants | 9 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 35 Participants | 8 Participants | 9 Participants | 8 Participants | 10 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 25 Participants | 6 Participants | 7 Participants | 6 Participants | 6 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 10 Participants | 2 Participants | 2 Participants | 2 Participants | 4 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk | EG002 affected / at risk | EG003 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 8 | 0 / 9 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 10 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 8 | 0 / 9 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 10 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 8 | 0 / 9 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 10 |
Outcome results
Primary
Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks
Change in number of phone unlocks per hour of drive time between intervention period (last 3 weeks) vs. baseline period (last 3 weeks)
Time frame: 6 weeks
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) |
|---|---|---|
| Education Only (Control) | Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks | 0.26 Phone unlocks per hour |
| Opt-in Blocking | Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks | 0.52 Phone unlocks per hour |
| Opt-out Blocking | Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks | -0.95 Phone unlocks per hour |
| Opt-out Blocking With Notification | Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks | 1.08 Phone unlocks per hour |
p-value: 0.1295% CI: [-0.18, 1.51]Mixed Models Analysis
p-value: 0.4995% CI: [-1.17, 0.57]Mixed Models Analysis
p-value: 0.795% CI: [-1, 0.69]Mixed Models Analysis