# Adoption and Implementation of an Evidence-based Safe Driving Program for High-Risk Teen Drivers

> **NIH NIH R01** · RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP · 2021 · $629,019

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the leading cause of death among teens in the United States. Teen drivers who
have committed a traffic violation are at an even higher risk of MVC-related injuries and deaths compared to their
counterparts without a traffic violation. While parent engagement interventions are an effective strategy to improve
driving safety among teens of all risk profiles, these interventions have not been translated and tested among high-
risk teen drivers such as those with a traffic violation. Furthermore, to date, no studies have examined the cost-
effectiveness of interventions that promote safe teen driving practices. This proposed study addresses princi-
pal gaps in teen driving research by translating an evidence-based universal intervention to a high-risk, yet un-
derstudied, population of teen drivers with a traffic violation. This study will test, in a hybrid randomized controlled
trial (RCT), the implementation, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the new intervention, Steering Teens Safe+
(STS+) that integrates in-vehicle driving feedback technology with parent communication training. Our long-
term goal is to inform juvenile traffic courts’ adoption and implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective in-
terventions into high-risk driving populations, and reduce MVCs and MVC-related injuries and deaths. Our
three specific aims are: Aim 1: Determine if both intervention groups are superior to and more cost-effective than
the control group on the outcomes of parent-teen communication, teens’ risky driving behaviors, traffic violation re-
cidivism, and MVCs. Aim 2: Examine differences in intervention outcomes and cost-effectiveness by mode of deliv-
ery (expert- vs. peer-delivered intervention). Aim 3: Identify the contextual factors associated with adoption and im-
plementation of the intervention. We will recruit 290 parent-teen dyads from rural and urban juvenile traffic courts in
Ohio following their mandatory court hearing. Each dyad will be comprised of a teen driver (ages 16 to 17) who has
committed a moving violation and a parent/legal guardian. Enrolled dyads will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 study
groups: 1) Expert-delivered intervention, 2) Peer-delivered intervention, and 3) Control. Our central hypothesis
is that the peer-delivered intervention is non-inferior (i.e., not much worse) to and more cost-effective than the ex-
pert-delivered intervention and that both intervention groups are superior to the control. This project is significant
because it represents a substantial step forward in national research focused on teen drivers, an area in which
implementation research has been underrepresented. This study is innovative because it will recruit high-risk teen
drivers through a unique partnership with rural and urban traffic courts, utilize cutting-edge in-vehicle driving feed-
back technology, and test the mode of intervention delivery. The findings will facilitate the widespread...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10256765
- **Project number:** 5R01HD100420-02
- **Recipient organization:** RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP
- **Principal Investigator:** Jingzhen Ginger Yang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $629,019
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-08 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10256765

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10256765, Adoption and Implementation of an Evidence-based Safe Driving Program for High-Risk Teen Drivers (5R01HD100420-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10256765. Licensed CC0.

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