ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Persistence of effects of a brief intervention on parental restrictions of teen driving privileges

B G Simons-Morton¹, J L Hartos¹ and K H Beck²

¹ Prevention Research Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland
² Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Bruce Simons-Morton, Prevention Research Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6100 Executive Blvd Rm 7B05, Bethesda, MD 20892–7510, USA;
mortonb{at}mail.nih.gov

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which effects of exposure to a brief intervention designed to increase parental restrictions on teen driving privileges persisted over time.

Design: A total of 658 parents and their 16 year old adolescents were recruited from a local motor vehicle administration (MVA) site as adolescents successfully tested for provisional licenses. At the MVA, parents completed written surveys about expected teen driving during the first month of provisional licensure. Afterwards, on weeks assigned as intervention, parents watched a video and were given the video and a driving agreement to take home. Both parents and teens completed follow up telephone interviews about communication, amounts, and limits on teen driving at one month (579 dyads), four months (529 dyads), and nine months (528 dyads).

Results: The results indicated that both intervention parents and teens were much more likely to report using a driving agreement at each follow up during the nine month period. Significant treatment group differences persisted for communication about driving, but effects related to limits on teen driving that were evident at one month declined over time. Reports for passenger, road, and overall limits remained significant at four months; fewer were present at nine months. There were no differences in amounts of teen driving at four or nine months.

Conclusions: It is possible to reach parents through brief interventions at the MVA and successfully promote increases in initial parental restrictions on teen driving with modest persistence for at least four months.

Keywords: teen driving; parenting; driving restrictions or limits; driving contract or agreement

Abbreviations: GDL, graduated driver licensing; MVA, motor vehicle administration

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