# A Contemporary Look at Driver Training and Its Role In Reducing Crash Risk in Novice Adolescent Drivers.

> **NIH NIH R01** · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · 2024 · $732,812

## Abstract

Despite Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL), motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death and
injury for US adolescents. GDL typically applies to those <18 and restricts initial driving experience to lower
risk conditions; however, these drivers <18 years enter licensure underprepared and have the highest crash
rates. New evidence from our R21 showed an association between decreased crash rates and man-
dated driver education and training in the context of GDL in Ohio, but few states require such training.
In Ohio, which requires GDL and professional behind-the-wheel (BTW) training for licensure before 18 (those
>18, exempt from GDL and training), those licensed <18 years demonstrate lower crash rates, higher licensing
exam pass rates, and safer performance on a validated virtual driving assessment (VDA) than those licensed
at 18. By contrast, Pennsylvania and most other states have no professional training requirements for young
drivers, which can largely be attributed to the negative results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of pre-
licensure training in DeKalb in 1983. Our Ohio results and major safety advances since DeKalb (GDL,
stronger national driver training standards, and online training to address novice driver errors) moti-
vated our proposed RCT of training (the 1st RCT in 3 decades). We propose a Phase III 3-arm RCT involv-
ing 1000 adolescent novice drivers balanced by ages 16-18 years. With usual care in PA (GDL) as control, we
will test 2 training interventions: Arm 2, ACCEL, an online training in hazard anticipation/response and atten-
tion maintenance and Arm 3, 8 hours of state-of-the-art BTW training. We will examine 3 outcomes: (1)
Smartphone-monitored driving from start of intervention period through 6 months post-licensure, (2) PA license
exam result; and (3) VDA performance at licensure. Participants will be recruited from 5 Philadelphia-area
practice sites (2 urban, 2 suburban, 1 rural) as part of routine adolescent care. All participants will undergo
baseline assessment of driving performance (VDA) and a neurocognitive and personality battery. Aim 1: De-
termine the effect of ACCEL or BTW training versus usual care on driving crash risk (e.g., rates of hard brak-
ing) during the first 6 months post-licensure. Hypotheses: (1) Both ACCEL and BTW will reduce early licensure
crash risk. (2) ACCEL will produce greater reduction in crash risk than BTW training because ACCEL targets
skills that reduce crash risk. Aim 2: Determine the effect of ACCEL or BTW training versus usual care on skill
acquisition. Hypotheses: (1) Both ACCEL and BTW will improve skill acquisition. (2) ACCEL will produce fewer
errors on the VDA measure of skills than BTW; however, BTW may produce better license exam performance
(e.g., parallel parking). Aim 3: Identify age-related risk factors for crashes that are resistant to training. Hypoth-
eses: ACCEL and BTW will mitigate cognitive skills but will be less successful for impulse/personality...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10922668
- **Project number:** 5R01HD108249-02
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** DANIEL ROMER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $732,812
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-07 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10922668

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10922668, A Contemporary Look at Driver Training and Its Role In Reducing Crash Risk in Novice Adolescent Drivers. (5R01HD108249-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10922668. Licensed CC0.

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