# Plan My Ride: A brief, immersive, skill-building impaired driving prevention program for young adult drivers

> **NIH ALLCDC R44** · INNOVATION RESEARCH AND TRAINING, INC. · 2021 · $688,530

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Car crashes are the leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults. Impaired driving, including
distracted, drugged, drowsy, and drunk driving, is a common cause of car crashes and an important public
health and safety issue. Drunk driving has decreased among teens, but is still commonly reported and a cause
for concern. Drugged driving, especially, is a critical and growing problem, particularly with the availability and
growing use of marijuana, and prevention materials are lacking. Drowsy driving can result from illness as well
as drug use or lack of sleep, and drivers are often unaware of the serious consequences of drowsy driving and
lack strategies to avoid this behavior. From the literature, and informed by the Integrated Behavioral Model,
we know that attitudes, such as the perceived dangerousness and outcome expectancies of impaired driving,
perceived social norms, beliefs about personal agency to find alternatives to impaired driving, and the skills to
identify and implement such alternatives are potential drivers of this behavior. The proposed Phase 2 project
will complete development of Plan My Ride, an interactive online training and immersive skill-building virtual
reality video experience focused on preventing impaired driving. We will include high school and college age
drivers, our target audience, at all stages of the development process by forming a Young Driver Advisory
Board that will provide input and feedback on the content, look, and feel of the training, as well as relatable
scenarios for inclusion in the virtual reality video experience. Stakeholders such as driver education instructors
and community-based prevention professionals will also inform the development of the final product. In this
project, we will complete the online training, which targets the key attitudes, perceived norms, personal agency
beliefs, and skills from the literature, shown to affect this behavior, using instructional science and health
behavior change principles. Expert consultants in the areas of virtual reality and immersive narratives will
provide guidance in developing the virtual reality video experience, which will provide users with an engaging
and realistic way to practice the skills introduced in the online training. Microlearning booster content will be
developed to reinforce the program content and help users develop safe driving habits. To promote effective
implementation of the Plan My Ride program, we will develop group leader implementation resources. We will
test the usability of the virtual reality video experience and make needed improvements. The advisory boards
will provide input on all the proposed Plan My Ride program components and we will make any necessary
revisions. Then, we will fully test the effectiveness of the Plan My Ride program in terms of its impact on high
school and young adult drivers’ attitudes, perceived social norms, personal agency, and skills to avoid impaired
driving, as well as th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10356180
- **Project number:** 5R44CE003171-03
- **Recipient organization:** INNOVATION RESEARCH AND TRAINING, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Allison Marie Schmidt
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $688,530
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10356180

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10356180, Plan My Ride: A brief, immersive, skill-building impaired driving prevention program for young adult drivers (5R44CE003171-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10356180. Licensed CC0.

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