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Risk Reduction BehaviorDRIVERNCT06413927

Driver Education Research Study

A study testing Online Driver Skills Training and Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training in people with Risk Reduction Behavior and Injuries, run by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at 1 site in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This study will test the effectiveness of different types of driver training interventions for reducing young new driver crash risk early after licensure. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 16 to 17 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Online Driver Skills Training and Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
1,300 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
8 Aug 2024to Dec 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 16 to 17 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Adolescents ages 16-17 years old who reside in Pennsylvania
  • Have an active Pennsylvania learner's permit
  • Have <30 hours of driving practice during permit phase
  • Have never taken an on-road licensing exam, in any state
  • Plan to get a license within the next 12 months in Pennsylvania
  • Plan to have access to a vehicle to drive after licensure
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Have a personal cell phone and access to a smartphone/tablet/computer with internet access
  • Download and use the RoadReady app (only required for participants randomized to the behind-the-wheel training arm; optional for participants randomized to the online vehicle and driver safety and online driver skills training arms)
  • Are able to read/write in English
  • Provide informed consent/assent
  • Are not also taking part in another learner driver study

Who cannot join

  • Non-Pennsylvania resident
  • Participants who do not pass the license exam will not be able to complete the post-license monitoring until the license is obtained
  • Enrolled in another learner driver study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Thomas Seacrist, MBE contact

267-425-1547

seacrist@chop.edu

Jamillah T Millner, MPH contact

267-425-0375

millnerj@chop.edu

United States1 site, 1 recruiting

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19146

    Elizabeth A Walshe, PhD, 267-425-1583, walshee@chop.edu

    Jamillah T Millner, MPH, 267-425-0375, millnerj@chop.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Contemporary Look at Driver Training and Its Role in Reducing Crash Risk in Novice Adolescent Drivers

This study will test the effectiveness of different types of driver training interventions for reducing young new driver crash risk early after licensure.

Read the detailed description

Motor vehicle crashes remain high in young drivers, despite graduated driver licensing laws that put restrictions on driving and delay licensure. Typically, data trends show that crash risk is highest right after licensure, in the early months of independent driving. Additional studies of different driver training interventions have shown some evidence that it is possible to improve skills and reduce crashes early in licensure for young drivers. However, Pennsylvania and many other states have no professional training requirements for young drivers.

This study will test the effectiveness of different types of driver training programs for reducing young new driver crash risk early after licensure.

Up to 1,200 adolescent learner drivers in Pennsylvania will be recruited for this trial (to get up to 1,000 evaluable participants). Participants will be recruited through Primary Care Clinics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and from the surrounding community to take part in a study that will continue through the learner phase and for 6 months after licensure. Participants will give informed consent and be asked to complete some baseline surveys and cognitive tasks, and a virtual driving assessment in-person during a clinical or other visit. All will receive care-as-usual.

Participants will also be followed through the learner phase with a smartphone app that monitors driving trips and monthly surveys that can be completed at home. In the learner phase, participants will randomly receive one of three interventions. One group of participants will receive professional behind-the-wheel training with a local driving school instructor. Another group will receive a modern online driver training course. Another group will receive an online vehicle and driver safety education. Participants randomly assigned to the behind-the-wheel training group will be required to download and use an app to log and track their driving practice hours. Use of this app will be optional for participants randomly assigned to the other groups.

After the learner phase, participants will be given an online hazard skills test, online surveys, and second virtual driving assessment, and state license examination and will be followed for 6 months after licensure, with online surveys at 2, 4, and 6 months after licensure, and with continued driver trip monitoring through the smartphone app.

Being tested
Online Vehicle and Driver Safety Education, Online Driver Skills Training, Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training
Keywords
Injury prevention, Adolescent development, Learner drivers, Crash risk reduction, Novice drivers, Risky Driving, Teens
Medical subject headings
Risk Reduction Behavior, Wounds and Injuries

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Online Vehicle and Driver Safety EducationBehavioural

    This online video education program provides education in vehicle and driver safety (e.g. vehicle maintenance, adjusting car seats and seatbelts). This online training will take up to 2 hours to complete and will have a short quiz at the end to determine compliance with this online training.

  • Online Driver Skills TrainingBehavioural

    The online driver training is the Accelerated Curriculum to Create Effective Learning (ACCEL) is designed to enhance the ability to anticipate, recognize and respond to hazards and to maintain attention to the road. The training is delivered online via a computer and can be done from home or at a school or other site that has a computer with internet access. It requires up to two hours to complete, and will be hosted on a platform that will track progress and completion through the training (such as accuracy, duration in modules, time to complete) and a short quiz will be provided at the end to assess learning.

  • Behind-the-Wheel Driver TrainingBehavioural

    The professional behind-the-wheel training course will be conducted in-person, delivered by local driving school partner Coastline Academy or licensed driver training schools subcontracted by Coastline Academy. The curriculum consists of 6 hours of training with assigned practice between lessons, and meets Pennsylvania and national standards. Post-lesson forms completed by the instructors will record adherence and consistency (intervention fidelity).

Study groups in NCT06413927
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Active Control: Online Vehicle and Driver Safety EducationActive comparatorParticipants in this arm will receive care as usual, and also complete an online video training module on vehicle and driver safety, with a short quiz at the end to determine compliance. The training content will not teach driving skills, as in the other online driver training arm. It requires up to two hours to complete and can be done from any internet-connected computer (at home, at school, etc.).
Receives: Behavioral: Online Vehicle and Driver Safety Education
Online Driver Skills TrainingExperimentalParticipants in the Online Driver Skills Training arm will complete an online driver skill training program known as Accelerated Curriculum to Create Effective Learning (ACCEL) for novice drivers. It requires up to two hours to complete and can be done from any internet-connected computer (at home, at school, etc.).
Receives: Behavioral: Online Driver Skills Training
Behind-the-Wheel Driver TrainingExperimentalParticipants in the Behind-the-Wheel training arm will receive professional behind-the-wheel training course delivered in-person on the road by a local driving school instructor through our partnership with a local driving school Coastline Academy or licensed driver training schools subcontracted by Coastline Academy.
Receives: Behavioral: Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Hard Braking Events

    For Aim 1 and 3, the primary outcome is the number of hard braking events per 100 miles driven during the first 2 months post-licensure, as measured via the Way-to-Drive App.

    Measured: Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24), assessed at 2 and 6 months post-licensure, with primary outcome at 2 months post-licensure.

  2. Pass rate on the licensure exam

    The primary outcome in Aim 2 and 3 will be the pass rate on the first licensure exam attempt.

    Measured: Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18).

Secondary outcomes (7)

  1. Phone Use While Driving

    For Aim 1 and 3: minutes of handheld phone use per hour of driving, as measured via the Way-to-Drive App.

    Measured: Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24), assessed at 2 and 6 months post-licensure.

  2. Speeding

    For Aim 1 and 3: Proportion of drive time >10 miles over the posted speed limit, as measured via the Way-to-Drive App.

    Measured: Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24), assessed at 2 and 6 months post-licensure.

  3. Crash Involvement

    For Aim 1 and 3: Self-reported involvement in crashes as a driver (binary yes/no) as captured by a question in our follow-up driver experience questionnaire: response options are 1) none; 2) one; 3) two; 4) more than 2. This item has been used in previous studies as part of the modified Driver Behavior Questionnaire (mDBQ).

    Measured: Measured at 2-, 4- and 6-month follow-up post-licensure (about month 18-24).

  4. Risky driving behavior

    For Aim 1 and 3: Risky Driving factor score as captured through self-reported responses on the modified driver behavior questionnaire, in which participants rate how often they engage in 11 different risk-taking behaviors while driving on a 6-point scale from "Never" to "Nearly all the time."

    Measured: Measured at 2-, 4- and 6-month follow-up post-licensure (within about month 18-24).

  5. Virtual Driving Assessment performance

    For Aim 2 and 3: the class of driving behavior assessed via performance on a virtual driving assessment.

    Measured: Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18).

  6. Change in Virtual Driving Assessment performance

    For Aim 2 and 3: the change in virtual driving assessment performance class assessed via performance on a virtual driving assessment pre- and post-intervention.

    Measured: Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18).

  7. Number of license exam attempts

    For Aim 2 and 3: the number of attempts taken to pass the licensure exam.

    Measured: Measured at the time of the license examination, post-intervention (in about month 8-18).

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 May 2024
  2. Study start8 Aug 2024
  3. Primary completionDec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Care provider, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
1,300 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06413927
Sponsor's protocol ID
21-019445
Other IDs
1R01HD108249-01A1
Acronym
DRIVER
Status last verified
Mar 2026
First submitted
24 Apr 2024
Last updated
6 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Walshe EA, Romer D, Elliott MR, Baxelbaum KS, Delgado MK, Ebert JP, Winston FK. A contemporary examination of the effect of driver training for reducing crash risk in novice adolescent drivers: protocol for the DRIVER study, a random assignment trial. Inj Epidemiol. 2025 Dec 1;13(1):2. doi: 10.1186/s40621-025-00645-2.

    PubMed 41327408

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Online Driver Skills Training and Behind-the-Wheel Driver Training in people with Risk Reduction Behavior and Injuries, run by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 11 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Thomas Seacrist, MBE (267-425-1547, seacrist@chop.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Hard Braking Events (time frame: Measured over the 6 months post-licensure at the end of the study (about month 18-24), assessed at 2 and 6 months post-licensure, with primary outcome at 2 months post-licensure.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06413927, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Apr 2026.

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