Parent-Teen Intervention for Car Accident Prevention

Overseen By Andrew Weiss, BA

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

Disqualifiers: Visual impairments, Developmental delays, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

2400 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the Parent-Teen Intervention treatment for car accident prevention?

Research shows that parent-focused programs, like Steering Teens Safe, can improve teen driving safety by enhancing communication between parents and teens. Studies found that when parents are involved in interventions, such as using in-vehicle feedback systems combined with communication training, there is a significant reduction in unsafe driving events. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Parent-Teen Intervention for Car Accident Prevention safe for humans?

The Parent-Teen Intervention, also known as Steering Teens Safe, has been evaluated in several studies and is generally considered safe. It involves parents teaching their teens safe driving skills and communication, with no reported safety concerns for participants. ^{1 3 4 5 6}

How does the Parent-Teen Intervention treatment for car accident prevention differ from other treatments?

The Parent-Teen Intervention is unique because it focuses on improving communication between parents and teens about safe driving practices, using tools like a Parent Handbook and interactive practice driving exercises. Unlike other treatments, it emphasizes parental involvement and communication skills to teach and reinforce safe driving behaviors, rather than relying solely on traditional driver education methods. ^{1 2 3 5 7}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The proposed project will focus on improving teen driver safety as motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury to adolescents. If successful, research findings will lead to clear strategies to reduce motor vehicle crashes.

Research Team

Leann Long, PhD

Principal Investigator

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Catherine McDonald, PhD, RN, FAAN

Principal Investigator

University of Pennsylvania

Jessica Mirman, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Edinburgh

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for teens aged between 16 and 17.33 years from Pennsylvania with a learner's permit and less than 10 hours of driving experience. They must have internet access, speak English, and not have any visual or physical impairments that affect driving. Teens already in other driving studies or with siblings in this study can't participate.

Inclusion Criteria

Teen and parent/caregiver fluent in written and spoken English

I am a teenager aged between 16 and 17.33 years.

Pennsylvania state learner's permits

Exclusion Criteria

I am a teen with a condition that needs special driving aids.

Have a sibling enrolled in this study

I am a teenager with developmental delays.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Parent health coaching session and supportive materials, teen on road driver assessment with feedback

12 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Parent-Teen Intervention
• Usual Practice

Trial Overview The study is testing a Parent-Teen Intervention aimed at improving teen driver safety against the usual practices to see which is more effective at reducing car accidents among new drivers.

Participant Groups

Group I: Usual Practice Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: Parent-Teen Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Parent health coaching session and supportive materials, teen on road driver assessment with feedback.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Pennsylvania

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,118

Recruited

45,270,000+

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Collaborator

Trials

1,432

Recruited

2,506,000+

University of Edinburgh

Collaborator

Trials

484

Recruited

17,160,000+

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Collaborator

Trials

1,677

Recruited

2,458,000+

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Collaborator

Trials

749

Recruited

11,400,000+

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

Trials

2,103

Recruited

2,760,000+

Findings from Research

The study found that family communication patterns (FCPs) significantly influence the effectiveness of parent-focused interventions on teen driving safety, particularly highlighting that families with a laissez-faire communication style benefited more from the intervention.

By targeting interventions like in-vehicle event recorder feedback and parent communication training to families with laissez-faire patterns, the study suggests a more efficient approach to reducing risky driving behaviors among teens.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Family Communication Patterns and Teen Driving Intervention Effectiveness. Hamann, C., Schwab-Reese, L., O'Neal, EE., et al.[2020]

The Talking with Teens about Traffic Safety Program was successfully implemented with 54 parent-teen dyads, showing that it is feasible and acceptable for promoting discussions about teen driver safety during annual well-child visits.

Parents in the treatment group reported significantly more frequent conversations about safe driving topics compared to the control group, particularly on less commonly discussed topics, indicating preliminary efficacy of the program.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Talking with teens about traffic safety: Initial feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a parent-targeted intervention for primary care settings. Mirman, JH., Goodman, ES., Friedrich, E., et al.[2020]

Integrating a parent communication intervention with an in-vehicle video feedback system significantly reduced unsafe driving events among young drivers, with the combined intervention group showing a 79% reduction in unsafe driving compared to the control group.

The study involved 150 parent-teen dyads and demonstrated that teaching parents effective communication strategies further enhanced the effectiveness of the in-vehicle feedback system, leading to even safer driving behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized trial to test the impact of parent communication on improving in-vehicle feedback systems. Peek-Asa, C., Reyes, ML., Hamann, CJ., et al.[2020]

The Steering Teens Safe program effectively engaged 83 parents in teaching their teens safe driving skills, with parents reporting a median of 101.5 minutes spent discussing driving safety over three months.

Despite some barriers like time constraints and teen resistance, parents felt comfortable and benefited from the program, indicating its high acceptability and potential for real-world application in reducing teen driving risks.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Implementation evaluation of steering teens safe: engaging parents to deliver a new parent-based teen driving intervention to their teens. Ramirez, M., Yang, J., Young, T., et al.[2013]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Steering teens safe: a randomized trial of a parent-based intervention to improve safe teen driving. [2021]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Family Communication Patterns and Teen Driving Intervention Effectiveness. [2020]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Talking with teens about traffic safety: Initial feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a parent-targeted intervention for primary care settings. [2020]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized trial to test the impact of parent communication on improving in-vehicle feedback systems. [2020]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Implementation evaluation of steering teens safe: engaging parents to deliver a new parent-based teen driving intervention to their teens. [2013]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effect on teen driving outcomes of the Checkpoints Program in a state-wide trial. [2007]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Examination of Brief Parent-Based Interventions to Reduce Drinking Outcomes on a Nationally Representative Sample of Teenagers. [2023]