Barriers and Facilitators to Participation in Graduated Driver Licensing Andrea Ippel Barretto, MHS; Jennifer S. Zakrajsek, MS, MPH; C. Raymond Bingham, PhD; Edith Parker, DrPH; Jean T. Shope, PhD, MSPH University of Michigan Transportation Research InstituteAbstract Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) has been shown to reduce motor vehicle crashes (MVC) among novice teen drivers. Although parents’ and teens’ attitudes toward GDL have been reported, there has been little qualitative research on parents’ and teens’ experience with GDL. GDL-licensed teens and parents of GDL-licensed teens in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio were participated in nominal groups to identify barriers and facilitators to GDL participation. Participants subsequently met in focus groups to interpret and expand nominal group results. Factors that facilitated involvement in GDL were the extended learner stage, parent power!, GDL’s graduated approach, and driving restrictions. Barriers faced during the licensure process included parental availability, limited financial resources, time constraints, and misconceptions regarding GDL. Participation in GDL is influenced by a complex set of barriers and facilitators. Future work should use this information to enhance GDL programs and policies. Methods Participants 16- and 17-year-olds (n=42) currently holding a provisional or full license Parents of 16- and 17-year-olds (n=39) currently holding a provisional or full license Three states: Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio Data Collection 1.5-hour nominal group discussion; 1.5-hour focus group one week later Topic Area: Facilitators or Barriers Four groups/state: Teen Facilitator, Teen Barrier, Parent Facilitator, Parent Barrier Data Analysis Focus group discussions audiotaped and transcribed verbatim Open, focused coding process with constant comparisons to identify themes Codebook developed to reflect major themes Transcripts coded independently by two research staff Funded by CDC R18CE Conclusions Degree of participation in the teen licensure process is influenced by a complex set of barriers and facilitators. To increase GDL’s effectiveness, ■Factors that facilitate participation in GDL must be emphasized:  Parental empowerment  Extended learner stage  Graduated approach  Driving restrictions ■Barriers to participation in GDL must be addressed:  Parental unavailability  Limited financial resources  Time constraints  Misconceptions about GDL Researchers and practitioners should address GDL barriers and facilitators to enhance GDL’s effectiveness: ■Accurate information about GDL should be broadly disseminated ■Program components should have realistic expectations for parental involvement ■GDL requirements should empower parents, encouraging them be more involved Facilitators to GDL Participation Extended Learner Stage Teens get more practice driving before licensure Teens receive behind-the-wheel training from both professionals and parents Teens gain real-world driving experience (e.g., rain, fog, snow and while distracted) Teens learn from mistakes while supervised “It prepares you to feel more comfortable when you have to do the road test, so you have enough experience to drive alone.” -- Teen Parent Power! GDL gives parents responsibility for decisions re: teen driving Parents influence teens’ driving and attitude (e.g., set example, train and supervise teen driving) GDL empowers parents “[The practice driving stage] gave me the ability to have the most influence on my teen’s initial driving skills and driving attitudes.” -- Parent “I like the passenger restriction because then I don’t have to argue with [my teen] about driving with so-and-so.” -- Parent “It kind of gives us [parents] a chance to be the good guy.” - Parent Introduction Background Teenage drivers have higher rates of MVC’s than any other age group MVCs are the leading cause of death for teenagers from licensure to age 20 (IIHS, 2010; NHTSA, 2008) GDL extends the learner process, allows more time to gain experience GDL has been shown to reduce MVC’s among novice teen drivers Little qualitative research on parents’ and teens’ GDL experiences Research Aims To understand parents’ and teens’ GDL experiences To identify barriers to participating in GDL To identify factors that facilitate participation in GDL Facilitators (continued) Graduated Approach to GDL GDL sets stages of licensure so teens gain driving privileges over time Teens value structure, which GDL builds upon GDL’s structure allows teens to self-pace through the licensing process GDL promotes teens’ time-management “[It means] attend[ing] a class and tak[ing] a test. Once you pass that and you have your training from the instructor you move onto the next step and get some basic road time with your parents and gain some experience that way...” -- Teen “GDL is a very defined program that is very clear on what [the] steps are going to be for you to get your license, and it gives kids that goal to aim for.” -- Parent Driving Restrictions Teens are restricted from driving at night and/or with other teenage passengers during the intermediate stage Parents feel reassured that their new teen drivers are not driving under the riskiest conditions “[Passenger restrictions] help parents feel more at ease. Not that it makes it easier to actually physically get the license but it just puts parents’ minds at ease, you know, to know that [teens] can’t have a car full of kids and be distracted, that they can only have one [passenger]. That makes me happy as a parent.” -- Parent Barriers (continued) Limited Financial Resources Private driver education is too expensive for some families Driving requires access to an insured vehicle, which some families lack Driving requires gasoline, which some families cannot afford “[My son] wants to drive but that’s an issue right now because financially we don’t have enough money to get him a car.” -- Parent “If there’s no car, then you can’t get your fifty hours [of practice driving] in; you can’t get more experience on the road driving…” -- Teen Time Constraints Licensure process takes too long Parents and teens don’t have time for GDL requirements (e.g., practice driving, driver education) Parents, teens and/or driving schools often have schedules that conflict Parents and teens may not have time to be actively involved in the teens’ licensure process “I always have homework no matter what [and] there’s extracurricular [activities] like sports and things. There’s also homework every night.” -- Teen “It seemed like [my parents] had to take a lot of time out of their day. I mean, even just to help me practice drive, just taking me around. And like taking me to and from driver’s ed, and to the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] and all that stuff.” -- Teen Barriers (continued) Misconceptions Full participation in GDL requires understanding program details Some families don’t know basic information about GDL, such as different types of licenses (learner’s permit, provisional, and full) and GDL stages (learner, intermediate, full privilege) Some families don’t know details about GDL, such as what restrictions are in place when When asked, “How familiar were you with GDL prior to your participation in the study?” the responses ranged from, “Zero” and “I didn’t know any of that” to “Not too much, maybe half of it.” -- Teens “I didn’t know about the one-passenger thing and the times when [teens] can’t drive and all the rules.” -- Parent “I only know what my daughter tells me.” -- Parent Barriers to GDL Participation Parental Availability An available parent is necessary for parental involvement in the licensure process Many teens come from single-parent households Other teens have two parents working outside the home “To be out trying to drive, it’s a commitment. Who is going to actually commit to [supervising the teen’s practice driving] and where is the time to really commit to it [going to come from]?” -- Parent “I know a lot of people whose parents have two jobs, so the parents will be gone all day and they have no time to log the [required supervised driving] hours.” -- Teen “[My parents] just don’t have time to drive around with me for fifty hours. I mean, they could eventually but it would take a lot longer than like the six or twelve months or whatever [that is required].” -- Teen Field Guides