Translation Study of a Safe Teen Driving Intervention

Summary

Steering Teens Safe (STS) is an evidence-based and parent-focused intervention developed by the investigators, which aims to improve safe teen driving practices by enhancing parental communication skills. The objective of this translation study is to assess the effect of STS on driving outcomes among teen drivers who have committed a traffic violation, and to assess the adoption and implementation fidelity of STS in a county court setting and among these high-risk teen drivers and their parents. The investigators will test the following specific aims: Aim 1: Determine the effects of the intervention on parent-teen communications and risky driving outcomes (risky driving events, unsafe driving behaviors, and recidivism) among teen drivers with a traffic violation(s). Aim 2: Assess the adoption of the intervention and implementation fidelity We will enroll 90 parent-teen dyads, comprised a teen driver (16 to 17 years) who committed a moving violation and a parent/legal guardian, from the Ohio Franklin County Juvenile Traffic Court following the teens' mandatory court hearing. Enrolled dyads will be randomly assigned to 1 of 2 study groups (n=45/group): 1) Control, device installation only with no feedback to nor communication training for parents, or 2) Intervention, device feedback to teens and parents, and parents will also receive individualized virtual communication training. The expected outcome is to establish the effectiveness of STS augmented with driving feedback technology, and to establish the implementation fidelity of STS in a court setting.

Conditions

• Drive
• Adolescent Behavior
• Risk Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Steering Teens Safe (STS)

The goal of STS is to provide intervention parents with guidance and communication skills, which will enable parents to effectively communicate with their teens about specific driving safety topics (e.g., speeding, seatbelt use, distracted driving). Our proposed parent training has two components: an individualized virtual communication training (provided to parents via Skype by a trained research team member) and a parent-teen safe driving communication guide (available online).

BEHAVIORAL

Driving Feedback Technology.

The driving feedback technology will include the Azūga™ in-vehicle device and smartphone app.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Iowa

  collaborator OTHER

• Ginger Yang

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jingzhen (Ginger) Yang, PhD, MPH · Nationwide Children's Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

16 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-09-28

Primary Completion

2024-01-31

Completion

2024-07-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations