Rhodes

Focus on Parents: Teens’ Perceptions of Parental Safety Messages: 

Focus on Parents: Teens’ Perceptions of Parental Safety Messages Lifesavers Conference 2007 Nancy Rhodes University of Alabama and Injury Control Research Center – UA Birmingham

What We Know: 

What We Know Combination of Inexperience and Risk-taking can be deadly 8,738 deaths in US due to crashes involving teen drivers in 2004 Drivers under the age of 25 have the highest rate of fatal crashes 24% of all traffic fatalities are to 16-24 year olds Source: NCSA, FARS 2004

Teen Crash Risk: 

Teen Crash Risk Young drivers’ crashes are characterized by: Driving over the speed limit Driver not in control Improper driving for the environment Vehicle left roadway Improper passing Source: Alabama CARE data

The Youngest Drivers: 

The Youngest Drivers Crashes involving 16-17 year olds, compared with 18-20 year olds More passengers Occur on rural roads and on curves Single vehicle run-off-the-road crashes with excessive speed Crashes are more severe with multiple injuries Less likely to be DUI Source: Alabama CARE data

Gaps in Knowledge: 

Gaps in Knowledge Attitudes toward driving and speed Affect (emotion) Beliefs Social context of driving Norms, effect of passengers, showing off Parental influences Teens’ perceptions of parents’ communication

Goals of Research Program: 

Goals of Research Program Gain knowledge of teens’ attitudes toward driving Understand social costs and rewards of driving behavior Explore parent and teen communication about driving

Methods Used: 

Methods Used Qualitative research – focus groups Focus on beliefs, attitudes, perceptions Emphasis on parents & peers Quantitative research Attitudes and norms School-based and phone surveys Lab-based assessments Use of reaction time procedures

Teens’ Reports of Risky Driving: 

Teens’ Reports of Risky Driving Focus groups with 16-18 year-old drivers Boys: speed and risk-taking Bragging about going over 100 mph Racing Girls: distractions Talking to friends Cell phones Putting on makeup

Teens’ Risky Driving: 

Teens’ Risky Driving Reports of behavior are consistent with crash data Gender differences in crash type Social aspects of driving Bragging for boys Socializing for girls Emphasize affect Driving is fun Speed is a rush

Beliefs about Driving: 

Beliefs about Driving Seatbelt use “My uncle/friend/friends’ brother died in a wreck because he was wearing a seatbelt” Cell phones and driving: Talking and texting “I text so well/fast/often I don’t have to look at my phone while I do it” Effect of passengers “I’m a more careful driver when my friends are in the car” Drinking and driving “I know kids who drive better when they’ve been drinking”

Focus on Peers: 

Focus on Peers Driving with friends is fun Teens have friends who they know drive badly Unwilling to speak up when driving with unsafe drivers Try to avoid riding with bad driver in future Reports of bad driving are encouraged by peers Laughing, one-upping, elaborating

Focus on Parent Communications: 

Focus on Parent Communications General advice Watch out for … bad drivers, dangers ahead, blind spots, 18 wheelers Slow down, watch speed Specific danger places/times Don’t drive to X location, don’t drive at X time Wear seatbelts Don’t use phone

Parent Communications (cont.): 

Parent Communications (cont.) Financial responsibility Paying for insurance You pay if you wreck Drinking and driving Call if you ever need a ride

Perceptions of Message Themes: 

Perceptions of Message Themes Least effective Law enforcement theme Possibly effective Social influence: Social disapproval, image Testimonials: Someone their age who was in a bad wreck Most likely to be effective Possibility of hurting/killing a friend Testimonial of parent who lost a child

Questionnaire study: 

Questionnaire study 154 high school juniors and seniors Part of larger study of attitudes and norms in driving behavior 5 questions about parents and driving

Questionnaire Responses: 

Questionnaire Responses N=154 drivers age 16-18

Questionnaire Responses: 

Questionnaire Responses N=154 drivers age 16-18

Phone Survey: 

Phone Survey Teen sample: 504 16-20 year-old drivers Questionnaire adapted from Musselwhite (2006) Driving behaviors rated on 1 to 5 scale How often do you do this? How risky is this behavior? How much do you like doing this? Examples: Switch lanes to get ahead Fast acceleration and heavy braking Drive fast on curves

Survey Results: 

Survey Results Affect is important Teens engage in the behaviors they like the most (average correlation = .48) Strong evidence for affect heuristic Teens rate as less risky the behaviors they enjoy (average correlation = -.37)

The Good News: 

The Good News Teens want to be thought of as good drivers Teens do not want to hurt others Parents are talking to teens Teens are listening to parents … sometimes

Areas of Concern: 

Areas of Concern Teens know what their parents expect But they don’t always do it Cafeteria-style listening Teens only accept certain messages Teens’ processing of risk information is biased Subject to the affect heuristic The tendency to perceive things one enjoys as less risky

What Can Parents Do?: 

What Can Parents Do? Take the joy out of joyriding Restrict passengers Empower teens to stay safe with other drivers Find out from teens who are the safe and unsafe drivers Talk to other parents Create a culture of safety with other parents Reinforce other parents’ resolve to place restrictions on kids

What Can Parents Do (cont.)?: 

What Can Parents Do (cont.)? Keep talking to teens Accessibility matters: teens need to QUICKLY remember parental messages Emphasize messages that Emphasize emotions Debunk misconceptions

Contact Information: 

Contact Information Nancy Rhodes, Ph.D. Institute for Social Science Research University of Alabama Box 870216 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0216 nrhodes@bama.ua.edu 205-348-5496 Portions of this work were supported by CDC Grant No. R49/CE00019 and Federal Highway Administration PL 106-346