267234 A Parent-Teen Agreement as an Adjunct to Current GDL Laws: Parent and Driver Education

Monday, October 29, 2012

C. Raymond Bingham, PhD , Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Andria Eisman, MPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Jennifer Zakrajsek, MS, MPH , Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Background: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and a majority of the crashes in which teens are killed involve a teenage driver. Identifying and implementing effective methods of reducing crash rates among teenagers has been challenging. We conducted a qualitative examination of the thoughts and attitudes of parents of teens who were learning to drive and driver education instructors about the best approach to combining two effective teen driver crash risk-reduction programs: Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) and a parent directed program called Checkpoints that helps parents develop a parent-teen driving agreement with their teenage child and monitor his/her driving. Methods: Four focus groups were conducted (n=11 parents, 73% female, 64% Caucasian, 27% African-American, 9% Latino; n=16 driver education instructors, 75% male, 81% Caucasian, 6% each African-American, Latino and Other). Digital recordings of the group interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an open, focused coding process with constant comparison. Results: Parents and instructors acknowledged the benefit of including Checkpoints as part of GDL, including the directive nature of the agreement, suggestions for effective safety restrictions, a framework for developing a parent-teen agreement, and direction in establishing consequences for violation of the agreement. Barriers to implementation included absence of State-level requirements related to an agreement, program delivery that would motivate compliance, and time and cost constraints. Conclusions: Parents and driver education instructors generally supported including Checkpoints in the GDL process. Motivation for parents to would be required for effective implementation.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe barriers and facilitators to incorporating parent-teen driving agreements into GDL. 2.Identify how parent and driver education instructors’ thoughts and attitudes can be addressed when implementing a parent-teen driving agreement as part of GDL.

Keywords: Adolescents, Motor Vehicles

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was PI on the project being reported, aided in conceptualizing and designing this paper, and have also contributed to writing the paper.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.