Motor vehicle crashes are the major cause of death and disability among adolescents from 16 through 20 years of age due to age, driving inexperience, and risky driving behaviors. The impact of parenting practices on adolescent driving behavior has not been examined thoroughly. This study is an efficacy trial of an intervention designed to reduce teen crashes and risky driving by getting parents more involved in the monitoring and control of their adolescents' driving practices during the first few years of licensure. A sample of 4,000 teenagers applying for their learner's permit and their parents will be recruited in Connecticut to participate. Teens and parents will be interviewed upon recruitment and followed for 24 months. Parents will be randomly assigned to the basic information comparison condition or the special educational treatment condition. During the 24 month period, parents and teens will be contacted three more times: once when teens are eligible for their drivers licenses and 6 and 12 months after licensure. Over the telephone, parents will be interviewed regarding their attitudes and parenting practices related to the control of their teens' driving behaviors and teens will be interviewed regarding their attitudes regarding driving, parents' monitoring of their driving, and their driving behaviors. Driving records for each teen will be examined to compare teens in the two groups on traffic citations and crash involvements.
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