Research participants will be recruited to take part in a randomized control trial. Participants' cellphone use will be observed during an initial baseline period. Participants will then be randomly assigned to one of four conditions: education only (control), opt-in blocking, opt-out blocking, and opt-out blocking with parental notification.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in teens in the United State and for drivers aged 15-19 involved in fatal crashes, 21% of distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cellphones. Nearly 90% of teens expect a response to a text message within 5 minutes, and the compulsion to respond is stronger for messages from close social contacts. This suggests that behavioral-economic interventions such as immediate and frequent incentives are needed to offset the disutility caused by not being able to communicate by cellphone while driving. If proven to be effective, incentives could be scaled up via auto insurance discount contributions, school programs, and parental contributions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
35
Technology that blocks incoming and outgoing calls and texts.
No active intervention, educational materials will be provided
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Change in Frequency of Cellphone Unlocks
Change in number of phone unlocks per hour of drive time between intervention period (last 3 weeks) vs. baseline period (last 3 weeks)
Time frame: 6 weeks
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