# A Pilot Trial to Prevent Intoxicated and Impaired Driving Among Adolescents

> **NIH NIH R34** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $172,172

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Alcohol and marijuana (AM) are the most commonly used substances among adolescents in the U.S. The
consequences of AM use are significantly higher relative to use of either substance alone. Teens’ propensity to
engage in multiple risky behaviors while driving combined with their relative inexperience with the timing and
duration of marijuana’s effects puts them at heightened risk for experiencing harms related to driving under the
influence. Marijuana use initiation and binge drinking peak at age 16, the legal age teens may apply for a
provisional driver’s license in some states. Thus, targeting these novice teen drivers prior to licensure is an
ideal time for prevention efforts focused on reducing alcohol and/or marijuana initiation, use, and impaired
driving. This study builds on effective interventions that have demonstrated reductions in alcohol and/or
marijuana use and reduced consequences one year later, and proposes to adapt one of those interventions,
CHAT, to the web (web-CHAT). We will evaluate the efficacy of web-CHAT among 15.5-16-year-old
adolescents (n=150) recruited when they are attending behind-the-wheel training at the Automobile Club of
Southern California (AAA). The study has the potential to promote public welfare by improving adolescent
health outcomes and reducing risky driving behaviors that can have substantial monetary and social costs, as
well as by providing unique insight into what mediates reduced risky driving attitudes behaviors among those in
the intervention. The study is innovative because it is for both youth who are at risk for substance use as well
as those who are not, and it is delivered during a teachable moment when adolescents receive driver’s
education. We also collaborate with a leading provider of youth driver education, AAA, which provides online
curriculum to AAA and non-AAA programs across the country. Finally, our study can provide unique insights
about the efficacy of web-CHAT to reduce marijuana initiation, use, and risky driving attitudes in the context of
a changing marijuana policy climate. We propose a 3-year study to test the feasibility of our procedures in a
driver education setting and pilot the efficacy of web-CHAT. We will test whether web-CHAT reduces alcohol
and/or marijuana initiation or use, and reduced risky driving attitudes and behaviors (intent to drive after
drinking/using, passenger with someone who drank/used) compared to teens in UC, at three and six-month
follow-up. We propose a crucial, time-sensitive intervention during driver education. This proposal allows us to
establish the feasibility of our recruitment and study workflows, while also establishing acceptance and efficacy
of web-CHAT among a diverse group of adolescents.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10414465
- **Project number:** 7R34AA027689-03
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Karen Chan Osilla
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $172,172
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2019-09-20 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10414465

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10414465, A Pilot Trial to Prevent Intoxicated and Impaired Driving Among Adolescents (7R34AA027689-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10414465. Licensed CC0.

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