“Parents Are the Key”: A Pilot Communications Campaign On Teen Driver Safety

Background:  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. Driving is especially dangerous for teens during the early stages of licensure, as novice drivers require months and even years to develop proficiency behind the wheel. Research suggests that ongoing parental management and monitoring, including strict parent-imposed restrictions of teen driving privileges, may be associated with fewer teen motor vehicle crashes and violations.  

Program background: 

CDC’s efforts to address this issue include the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive communications campaign, "Parents Are the Key." The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness among parents of the important role they play in managing their teenage drivers’ behaviors and educating their teens about high-risk driving activities.

The primary target audience for "Parents Are the Key" is parents of teen drivers ages 15 to 18 years old. CDC used formative research to determine the most effective messages and channels through which to communicate with parents about safe teen driving. Steps included conducting an environmental scan; convening an expert meeting; and developing and focus group testing creative concepts and messages.

The resulting campaign consists of several components, including a website; radio and online ads; social media tools; and print materials, such as posters, flyers and a parent-teen driving agreement.

CDC engaged 28 participating organizations at local and national levels, to assist in the development, promotion and implementation of the campaign.

With partial funding from The Allstate Foundation and in partnership with local groups, CDC launched a two-month pilot study of the campaign in Columbus, OH and Little Rock, AR beginning October 2009. The goal of the pilot study was to assess the market penetration and effectiveness of the messages, channels and overall campaign in preparation for possible wider release.

Evaluation Methods and Results:   Evaluation efforts included a pre- and post-campaign phone survey with parents in the pilot cities (approximately 800 parents for each survey), to determine the impact of the campaign. Preliminary analysis shows that for the majority of parents, driving is their biggest worry relating to their teen. The majority of parents also reported personally engaging in unsafe driving behaviors. Preliminary analysis shows a modest, but significant increase (between pre- and post-campaign surveys) in parents indicating that they were aware of the campaign. Results suggest that parents exposed to the campaign were significantly more likely to talk to their children about some driving-related issues. Process evaluation efforts included measuring media coverage; the reach of online and radio ads; and website and social media traffic.

Conclusions: 

 

Increasing parental awareness of their role in safe teen driving through the "Parents Are the Key" campaign can be an important component of an overall strategy to reduce motor vehicle crashes that involve teen drivers. Based on pilot findings, CDC is currently developing a campaign tool kit for national release.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Working with local partners is an essential part of effectively reaching parents with campaign materials. CDC is reworking campaign messages to emphasize parent's importance as role models.