Factors Influencing Participation and Engagement in a Teen Safe Driving Intervention: A Qualitative Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 16;21(7):928. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070928.

Abstract

(1) Background: Few teen driving safety programs focus on increasing parental engagement with high-risk teen drivers, specifically those with a traffic violation. This study explored parents'/guardians' ('parents') experiences with a teen driving safety program, ProjectDRIVE, including facilitators and barriers to program engagement. (2) Methods: We conducted virtual, semi-structured interviews with parents who completed ProjectDRIVE, which included in-vehicle driving feedback technology and individualized virtual training with parents on effective parent-teen communication. (3) Results: Twenty interviews (with 17 females and three males) were transcribed verbatim and independently coded by three coders using systematic, open, and focused coding. Three major themes were identified: factors influencing a parent's initial decision to participate, factors influencing continued engagement, and perceived benefits of participation. The decision to participate was influenced by these subthemes: parental motivation to help their teen, perceived program usefulness, program endorsement, program incentives, parents' busy schedules, and lack of access to a car/internet. Subthemes impacting continued engagement included enhanced communication skills, teen willingness to engage, strong parental engagement, and teens' other priorities. Perceived benefits included greater self-efficacy in communication, improved communication patterns and frequency, and enhanced parent-teen relationships. (4) Conclusions: These findings may set the foundation for developing and implementing future court-ordered parent-based teen safe driving programs for teens with traffic citations.

Keywords: parent communication; program implementation; qualitative; safe driving; teen drivers.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology
  • Adult
  • Automobile Driving* / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parents / psychology
  • Qualitative Research
  • Safety