Novice Drivers 2026
Hosted by Dr. Charlie Klauer
Dr. Sheila “Charlie” Klauer is a research scientist and the leader for the Applied Driver Assessment, Performance, and Training Group. She is also an Associate Professor in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. Dr. Klauer has been working in transportation research since 1996, previously at the Battelle Human Factors Research Center in Seattle, WA and currently at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). Since joining VTTI in 1999, she has served as the Principal Investigator for a series of naturalistic driving studies that included three teen naturalistic driving studies and the Canada Naturalistic Driving Study. Currently, she is the PI on the NHTSA Eye Glance Metrics Associated with Crash Risk and NHTSA Exploring Analog and Digital IVIS Task Durations and two additional NDS’s focused on adolescents: the first is concerned with adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the second NDS is focused on adolescents diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Dr. Klauer also serves as the chair for TRB ACD16 Standing Committee on Human Factors.
Monitoring and Feedback Systems for Young Drivers: Evidence from a Systematic Review
Dr. Johnathon Ehsani
Driver monitoring and feedback systems are a promising behavioral intervention for road safety, measuring behaviors including distraction, speed compliance, harsh acceleration, braking, and cornering. A systematic review of English-language literature from 2000-2024 identified 74 studies utilizing on-road driving data that evaluated monitoring and feedback interventions. From those, we identified 19 studies (13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 6 quasi-experimental designs) that assessed monitoring and feedback interventions in young driver populations. Interventions ranged from real-time in-vehicle alerts to post-trip feedback, with third-party involvement including parental supervision for adolescents and professional coaching for older adults. RCT evidence demonstrates significant reductions in risky driving behaviors when real-time alerts are coupled with post-drive feedback and parental involvement in teen populations, including decreased speeding, harsh braking, and aggressive maneuvers. Notably, feedback provided exclusively to adolescents without parental engagement yielded null effects, while cessation of parental involvement resulted in increased risk-taking behaviors. Quasi-experimental studies supported the efficacy of combined teen-parent engagement approaches. Findings indicate that real-time feedback combined with third-party involvement effectively reduces risky driving among teen drivers. However, treatment effects diminish once feedback or supervision is removed.
How Family Support and Driver Education Shape Early Licensure Patterns and Crash Outcomes
Ms. Yuxi Shen
Family support is traditionally viewed as protective for adolescent drivers, yet our findings reveal a paradoxical mechanism within the U.S. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) framework. Using data from 556 young adults (ages 18–25) in the U.S., we applied parallel dual mediation and Cox proportional hazards models with gender interactions to examine how family and educational factors influence crash risk. Thirteen predictors captured parental support (e.g., paying insurance, supervising practice, encouragement), barriers (e.g., time constraints, lack of vehicle), and driver education context (school-based or private training availability). Mediation analyses identified five significant indirect effects through permit delay and GDL duration. Parent-paid insurance (indirect effect = 0.24) and supervised practice (indirect effect = 0.21) were associated with higher crash risk through accelerated licensure timing, whereas constraint factors and longer delays were protective. Education-related variables, such as school-provided driver training or private instruction, similarly shortened licensing intervals and tended to elevate risk, consistent with early-exposure effects. Cox survival models, controlling for exposure, confirmed these patterns: supervised hours (HR = 1.74, p = 0.044), parental encouragement (HR = 1.97, p = 0.009), and early licensure (< 18 years; HR = 1.79, p = 0.012) all increased crash hazard, while female gender compared to male remained protective (HR = 0.64, p = 0.049). Although gender-stratified models showed stronger effects among females, formal interaction tests in both mediation and Cox analyses were nonsignificant (all p > 0.10). Overall, this poster discusses how both family support and institutional facilitation can paradoxically elevate crash risk by enabling earlier licensure before developmental readiness, underscoring the need for maturity-based rather than age-based licensing policies.
Evaluation of an App-Based Intervention Program for Teen Driver Speeding Mitigation and Intelligent Speed Assist Technology Use: Study Findings
Ms. Jennifer Zakrajsek
This is a follow-up to John Lenneman’s DARTS 2025 presentation which featured the background and methodology of new research from Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to implement a countermeasure to promote driving at safe speeds by teens. The countermeasure incorporated the Theory of Planned Behavior and used a parent-teen driving agreement, parental monitoring of teens’ driving performance scores from a smartphone app, and parent feedback about teens’ driving scores to encourage teens to drive safely and to use a speeding alert system. The research has concluded and we will present study findings for discussion. 30 parent-teen dyads were enrolled for a 4-week study comprised of a 2-week baseline period followed by a 2-week intervention period. Parents and teens separately completed baseline and post-intervention surveys and ecological momentary assessments every 3 days during the intervention period (a total of 4 each participant). Smartphone app data from all teens’ trips during the 4-week study (driving scores, speeding events, cell phone use, etc.) and teens’ state driving records from licensure through the study end were collected. Finally, parents and teens completed separate debriefing interviews post-intervention to provide feedback about the countermeasure and research experience. Twenty-nine dyads completed the study and were included in all analyses. Twelve dyads had in-vehicle speeding alert systems and 17 dyads used a smartphone app-based alert. Teens collectively drove 2,283 trips during the study. Teens with in-vehicle alerts reported consistently high alert usage, while teens with app-based alerts had lower and more variable usage. Parents reported frequent use of the app to monitor teens’ driving scores. Parents’ feedback to teens varied and most frequently focused on teens’ driving scores and perceived behavioral control over speeding. Alert use was associated with improvements in some safety behaviors and attitudes and repeated measures analysis found combining alerts with parent feedback yielded the largest improvements in driving scores. These and additional findings were discussed along with limitations, feedback from participants, and research implications.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Use of Do Not Disturb (DND) and crash risk amongst high school aged drivers
Ms. Chidera Ejikeme
Motor vehicle crashes represent one of the main causes of preventable death amongst American adolescents. Do Not Disturb (DND), a function that silences notifications, could act as a potential solution to inhibit distracted driving in young people. We deliver a survey to a geographically representative sample of young adults in the United States (n=1,126 ) exploring frequency of DND use, other distracted driving behaviors; knowledge, ease of use, and social norms regarding DND; and self-reported near misses and crashes. Adjusted logistic regressions were conducted, controlling for race, gender, and high school year. Among the sample, 52% of respondents were female, 53% were 18 years of age, and 71% reported being White, while 14% reported being Black or African American and 7% reported being asian. Participants reported on average spending 46% (s.d.=37%) of their trip with DND activated. Participants reported high levels of knowledge about DND (97%) and ease of use (83%), yet low social norms with <10% reporting social referents (e.g., parents/caregivers, friends) being “extremely likely” to use DND while driving. Regression revealed strong associations between knowledge about DND and use of DND (OR=13.89, 95%CI: 1.78-108.25), ease of use (OR=2.92, 95%CI: 1.66-5.13), and social norms relating to DND. Distracted driving behaviors were all inverseely associated with DND use (p<0.001), however, use of DND was associated with a lower risk of self-reported near misses (OR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.40-0.82) and crashes (OR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.36-0.92). These results reveal high levels of knowledge about DND, yet lower rates of use of DND on a typical trip. Regression reveal strong associations between beliefs about DND, and reveal that use of DND is associated with lower risk of self-reported near misses and crashes. Future research may consider interventions aiming to improve use of DND among young people.
Falling Asleep at the Wheel: Understanding Sleep Attacks and Sleep-related Attentional Failures while Driving in Young Drivers and Associations with Motor Vehicle Crashes, Near Misses, and Nocturnal Sleep
Dr. Rebecca Robbins
Sleep-related attentional failures are a significant contributor to road traffic fatalities, with young drivers disproportionately affected. This study examined psychological and behavioral correlates of attentional failures while driving among a geographically diverse sample of U.S. high school students. A cross-sectional survey of 923 licensed high school drivers assessed attentional failure-related behaviors, behavioral intentions, beliefs (attitudes, social norms, self-efficacy), sleep behaviors, and near miss and crash history. Adjusted logistic regressions examined predictors of attentional failures and associations with sleep and crash outcomes. Participants were 50.9% female, with most aged 18 years (50.5%). Most (80.1%) reported never experiencing attentional failures. Unfavorable attitudes (aOR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.75-0.88), social pressure to avoid falling asleep while driving (aOR: 0.58, 95%CI: 0.51-0.66), and self-efficacy beliefs regarding the ability to avoid falling asleep while driving (aOR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.57-0.73) were inversely associated with reports of attentional failures. Long sleep (> 10 hours) on school (aOR: 2.8, 95%CI: 1.6-4.8) and weekend nights (aOR: 4.1, 95%CI: 2.4-6.7) was associated with an increased risk for sleep-related attentional failures. Snooze alarm use on school days (aOR: 2.64, 95%CI: 1.71-4.09) and reports of obtaining insufficient sleep duration on most nights (aOR: 1.78, 95%CI: 1.22-2.59) were also associated with increased reports of attentional failures. Reports of attentional failures were associated with near misses (aOR: 2.28, 95%CI: 1.58-3.29), especially those due to sleepiness (aOR: 5.01, 95%CI: 2.44-10.26), and crashes (aOR: 2.56, 95%CI: 1.69-3.87), especially those due to sleepiness (aOR: 15.79, 95%CI: 4.61, 54.11). Fortunately, most participants did not report sleep-related attentional failures, but those who did were associated with poor sleep health and history of near misses and crashes. Practical Implications: These findings highlight the importance of targeting attitudes, social norms, and self-efficacy alongside school- and policy-level sleep health initiatives may help prevent sleep-related attentional failures and improve driving safety.
Challenges in Teen Driving Safety
Dr. Charlie Klauer, Dr. Lesheng Hua, Dr. Johnathon Ehsani , and Dr. John Lenneman
This panel covered the following topics: 1) Advancements in licensing practices across the US; 2) Importance of Supervised Practice Driving on safety; 3) Improvements in Driver's education; and 4) Update on crash database analyses with teen drivers.