Citation

Simons-Morton BG, Hartos JL, Leaf WA, Preusser DF. Am. J. Public Health 2005; 95(3): 447-452.

Affiliation

Prevention Research Branch, Department of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510, USA. mortonb@mail.nih.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2003.023127

PMID

15727975

PMCID

PMC1449200

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We describe intervention effects on parent limits on novice teenage driving. METHODS: We recruited parents and their 16-year-old children (n = 469) with learner's permits and randomized them from August 2000 to March 2003. Intervention families received persuasive newsletters related to high-risk teenage driving and a parent-teenager driving agreement; comparison families received standard information on driver safety. We conducted interviews when the adolescents obtained a learner's permit, upon licensure, and at 3, 6, and 12 months postlicensure. RESULTS: Intervention parents and teenagers reported stricter limits on teen driving compared with the comparison group at 12 months, with direct effects through 3 months and indirect effects through 12 months postlicensure. CONCLUSIONS: A simple behavioral intervention was efficacious in increasing parental restriction of high-risk teen driving conditions among newly licensed drivers.