Driver Education Research Study
- Conditions
- Development, AdolescentAccident, TrafficRisk Reduction BehaviorInjuries
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Online Driver Skills TrainingBehavioral: Online Vehicle and Driver Safety TrainingBehavioral: Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training
- Registration Number
- NCT06413927
- Lead Sponsor
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Brief Summary
This study will test the effectiveness of different types of driver training interventions for reducing young new driver crash risk early after licensure.
- Detailed Description
Motor vehicle crashes remain high in young drivers, despite graduated driver licensing laws that put restrictions on driving and delay licensure. Typically, data trends show that crash risk is highest right after licensure, in the early months of independent driving. Additional studies of different driver training interventions have shown some evidence that it is possible to improve skills and reduce crashes early in licensure for young drivers. However, Pennsylvania and many other states have no professional training requirements for young drivers.
This study will test the effectiveness of different types of driver training programs for reducing young new driver crash risk early after licensure.
A thousand adolescent learner drivers in Pennsylvania will be recruited through Primary Care Clinics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to take part in a study that will continue through the learner phase and for 6 months after licensure. Participants will give informed consent and be asked to complete some baseline surveys and cognitive tasks in-person during a clinical or other visit. All will receive care-as-usual.
Participants will also be followed through the learner phase with a smartphone app that monitors driving trips and monthly surveys that can be completed at home. In the learner phase, participants will randomly receive one of three interventions. One group of participants will receive professional behind-the-wheel training with a local driving school instructor. Another group will receive a modern online driver training course. Another group will receive an online vehicle and driver safety training course. Participants randomly assigned to the behind-the-wheel training group will be required to download and use an app to log and track their driving practice hours. Use of this app will be optional for participants randomly assigned to the other groups.
After the learner phase, participants will be given a state license examination and will be followed for 6 months after licensure, with online surveys at 2, 4, and 6 months after licensure, and with continued driver trip monitoring through the smartphone app.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 1300
- Adolescents ages 16-17 years old who reside in Pennsylvania
- Have an active Pennsylvania learner's permit
- Have <30 hours of driving practice during permit phase
- Have never taken an on-road licensing exam, in any state
- Plan to get a license within the next 12 months in Pennsylvania
- Plan to have access to a vehicle to drive after licensure
- Have a personal cell phone and access to a smartphone/tablet/computer with internet access
- Download and use the RoadReady app (only required for participants randomized to the behind-the-wheel training arm; optional for participants randomized to the online vehicle and driver safety and online driver skills training arms)
- Are able to read/write in English
- Provide informed consent/assent
- Are not also taking part in another learner driver study
- Non-Pennsylvania resident
- Participants who do not pass the license exam will not be able to complete the post-license monitoring until the license is obtained
- Enrolled in another learner driver study
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Online Driver Skills Training Online Driver Skills Training Participants in the Online Driver Skills Training arm will complete an online driver skill training program known as Accelerated Curriculum to Create Effective Learning (ACCEL) for novice drivers. It requires up to two hours to complete and can be done from any internet-connected computer (at home, at school, etc.). Active Control: Online Vehicle and Driver Safety Education Online Vehicle and Driver Safety Training Participants in this arm will receive care as usual, and also complete an online video training module on vehicle and driver safety, with a short quiz at the end to determine compliance. The training content will not teach driving skills, as in the other online driver training arm. It requires up to two hours to complete and can be done from any internet-connected computer (at home, at school, etc.). Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training Participants in the Behind-the-Wheel training arm will receive professional behind-the-wheel training course delivered in-person on the road by a local driving school instructor through our partnership with Driver Training Services.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Pass rate on the licensure exam Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18). The primary outcome in Aim 2 and 3 will be the pass rate on the first licensure exam attempt.
Hard Braking Events Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24). For Aim 1 and 3, the primary outcome is the number of hard braking events per 100 miles driven during, as measured via the Way-to-Drive App.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in Virtual Driving Assessment performance Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18). For Aim 2 and 3: the change in virtual driving assessment performance class assessed via performance on a virtual driving assessment pre- and post-intervention.
Phone Use While Driving Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24). For Aim 1 and 3: minutes of handheld phone use per hour of driving, as measured via the Way-to-Drive App.
Risky driving behavior Measured at 2-, 4- and 6-month follow-up post-licensure (within about month 18-24). For Aim 1 and 3: Risky Driving factor score as captured through self-reported responses on the modified driver behavior questionnaire, in which participants rate how often they engage in 11 different risk-taking behaviors while driving on a 6-point scale from "Never" to "Nearly all the time."
Number of license exam attempts Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18). For Aim 2 and 3: the number of attempts taken to pass the licensure exam.
Speeding Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24). For Aim 1 and 3: Proportion of drive time \>10 miles over the posted speed limit, as measured via the Way-to-Drive App.
Crash Involvement Measured at 2-, 4- and 6-month follow-up post-licensure (about month 18-24). For Aim 1 and 3: Self-reported involvement in crashes as a driver (binary yes/no) as captured by a question in our follow-up driver experience questionnaire: response options are 1) none; 2) one; 3) two; 4) more than 2. This item has been used in previous studies as part of the modified Driver Behavior Questionnaire (mDBQ).
Virtual Driving Assessment performance Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18). For Aim 2 and 3: the class of driving behavior assessed via performance on a virtual driving assessment.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
🇺🇸Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States