01663046

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Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of adolescent death and disability. Inattention to the roadway contributes to crash risk and often results from distractions inside the vehicle, such as cell phone calls, texting, and peer passengers. No theoretically-grounded, individually targeted interventions exist to reduce teen driver inattention. The purpose of this study was to determine the preliminary effects of a theoretically grounded web-based intervention designed to improve adolescent driver attention to the roadway (“Let’s Choose Ourselves”). “Let’s Choose Ourselves” was developed through a multi-step process based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (reported in McDonald et al. (epub ahead of print)). To test the preliminary effects of “Let’s Choose Ourselves,” the authors enrolled adolescent drivers, ages 16-17, licensed for ≤90 days to a randomized controlled trial using a driving simulator as an assessment tool. Adolescents were recruited through presentations to local high schools, letters and emails to families affiliated with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and word of mouth. Participants completed a baseline survey of self-report questionnaires and an assessment in a driving simulator (driver seat, three channel 4600 LCD (liquid-crystal display) panels (160° field of view), rear view, left and right mirror inlayed images, pedals and a steering system). The simulated assessment included two experimental drives with cell phone events and one experimental drive with presence of a confederate peer passenger and distraction-related events (cell phone and radio). After completion of the self-report questionnaires and simulated assessment, participants completed the intervention to which they were randomized (“Let’s Choose Ourselves” or a control intervention (content on healthy eating)). At 3-months post-enrollment, participants returned for a follow-up assessment in the driving simulator. Driving simulator videos of participant behaviors at baseline and 3-month follow-up were coded to determine engagement with a cell phone and a confederate passenger on seven distraction events. Events were assessed for distraction engagement metrics combined for sum scores of 1). Cell Phone Interaction (possible range, 0-17: look at phone, pick up phone, take a picture, texting a picture, hand manipulation, and answering a call); and 2). Use of a Confederate Peer Passenger (possible range 0-4: asking confederate peer passenger to send a text, read a text or tune the radio). Poisson-regression models were used to estimate effects at 3-months of “Let’s Choose Ourselves” on 1). Cell Phone Interaction in the simulator and 2). Use of a Confederate Peer Passenger in the simulator. The sample for this analysis included thirty adolescents (mean age 17.08 years; mean length of licensure 51.8 days; 63% female, 80% White, 16.7% Black). Table 1 outlines the descriptive statistics of Cell Phone Interaction and Use of a Confederate Peer Passenger at baseline and 3-month follow-up in the simulator. At 3 months, controlling for baseline behaviors, girls were less likely to engage in Cell Phone Interaction in the simulator (aOR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.50-0.89); although not statistically significant, the intervention group was less likely to engage in Cell Phone Interaction in the simulator (aOR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.66-1.17). At 3 months, controlling for baseline behaviors, the intervention group was more likely (aOR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.16-3.86) and girls were more likely (aOR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.35-6.22) to engage in Use of a Confederate Peer Passenger for help with distraction-related tasks in the simulator. Newly licensed adolescent drivers are at particularly high risk for crashes. “Let’s Choose Ourselves” is an individually targeted intervention for newly licensed teen drivers that addresses inattention to the roadway. Preliminary results from testing “Let’s Choose Ourselves” demonstrates the potential to improve attention to the roadway. Further work is needed to understand gender differences and decrease cell phone engagement when passengers are not present. This research is an important step to understanding interventions to improve adolescent attention to the roadway.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB30 Standing Committee on Operator Education and Regulation.

18-04275

English

3p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Adolescents; Attention; Behavior; Cellular telephones; Distraction; Driving simulators; Gender; Passengers; Recently qualified drivers; Regression analysis; Teenage drivers; Web applications

Highways; Safety and Human Factors

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-04275

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 11:03AM