Way to Safety Cellphone Blocking

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Teen Drivers; Motor Vehicle Accident
• Interventions: Other: Education Only; Device: Cellcontrol DriveID

• Registration Number: NCT02416713
• Lead Sponsor: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2015-04-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-04-14
• Study First Posted: 2015-04-15
• Study Start: 2016-04-13
• Primary Completion: 2017-03-24
• Study Completion: 2017-03-24
• Results First Submitted: 2018-06-19
• Status Verified: 2018-07
• Results First Submitted QC: 2019-02-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-02-06
• Results First Posted: 2019-02-28
• Last Update Posted: 2019-02-28

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 35

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

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Education Only (Control)	Education Only	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.
Opt-out Blocking with Notification	Cellcontrol DriveID	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.
Opt-out Blocking	Cellcontrol DriveID	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.
Opt-in Blocking	Cellcontrol DriveID	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.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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)

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University of Pennsylvania; 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States