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iRT develops innovative, research-based training and resources to promote safe driving using both individual and environmental prevention strategies.

Teenagers and young adults are especially at risk of impaired driving or riding with an impaired driver. For example, marijuana is the most commonly and increasingly used drug (other than alcohol) by teenagers and young adults, and it is the most commonly found drug in crash-involved and fatally injured drivers.

In addition, teenagers and young adults are most likely to drive while distracted, particularly while manipulating a handheld device. Also, young adult, particularly male, drivers are at higher risk of driving drowsy. Taken together, young drivers are a critical population to address with interventions to prevent impaired driving and promote safe driving.

Existing driver education and substance misuse prevention programs do not directly address the underlying knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to prevent impaired driving.

To compound the problem, regulations for driver education varies from state to state. In fact, only 6 states require a drug and alcohol awareness course for drivers under age 18 as a requirement of obtaining a license. Existing programs do little to address social norms, personal agency, and skills to prevent impaired driving.

In a survey of practitioners in the substance misuse and highway safety fields, 96.4% reported a need or high need for drugged driving prevention programs for young drivers, the greatest need expressed for any drugged driving related resource.

To address these gaps, iRT has conducted research with prevention professionals to understand their beliefs and attitudes about drugged driving, their self-efficacy to prevent drugged driving, and the resources they need to address the problem of drugged driving. Based upon these studies, iRT has developed and evaluated a prevention program for teens and young adults to promote safe driving called Plan My Ride. This program is an immersive, interactive online training that uses novel, scenario-based e-learning approaches and takes a comprehensive approach to preventing different types of impaired and distracted driving.

At a broader community level, impaired driving prevention strategies need to include advocating for policy changes; creating community-wide awareness campaigns; and educating and advocating schools, treatment and prevention providers, law enforcement, and the judicial system about the existence of evidence-based, individual prevention strategies and how to use them. To accomplish these goals, iRT has created a set of web-based prevention resources to support the implementation of environmental prevention strategies designed for community-based prevention professionals (e.g., community coalitions, substance misuse treatment and highway safety professionals) seeking to reduce and prevent drug-impaired driving. The Drugged Driving Resources website includes professional development eLearning courses, a library of assessment tools, and a data base of state laws about the legalization status of marijuana.

iRT’s growing portfolio of products related to promoting safe driving and preventing impaired driving has the ultimate goal of reducing motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.

Dr. Rebecca Stelter is a lead developer of both Plan My Ride and Drugged Driving Resources. To assess prevention professionals’ needs and evaluate these two programs, Dr. Stelter has led several grants to conduct research in this area. To inform the development of the Drugged Driving Resources program, Dr. Stelter conducted a survey of prevention professionals and what their specific needs were for resources in this area. After creating the Drugged Driving Resources program and doing some smaller scale studies of usability and feasibility, Dr. Stelter led a Randomized Controlled Trial evaluation. She and Dr. Schmidt are preparing to lead a Randomized Controlled Trial evaluation of the Plan My Ride program next year.

Dr. Allison Schmidt is the lead developer of Plan My Ride. To inform the development of evaluate the Drugged Driving Resources and Plan My Ride program, Dr. Schmidt has led several grants to conduct research in this area. She managed the Randomized Controlled Trial evaluation of the Drugged Driving Resources program and leads the Plan My Ride project with Dr. Stelter. Drs. Stelter and Schmidt are preparing to lead a Randomized Controlled Trial evaluation of the Plan My Ride program next year.

Dr. Janis Kupersmidt is a lead developer of Drugged Driving Resources and investigator on the Plan My Ride project. Dr. Kupersmidt has conducted research to inform the development of these programs, including a survey of prevention professionals and their needs, as well as evaluation studies of these programs.

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RELATED PRESENTATIONS

Stelter, R. L. (2020, February). Preparing community leaders to prevent drug impaired driving. Invited presentation at the Drug Prevention Summit. Tampa, FL.

Stelter, R., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Schmidt, A. M. (2019, August). Drugged driving: Innovative community prevention strategies. Presented at: the North Carolina Traffic Safety Conference. Raleigh, NC.

Stelter, R., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Schmidt, A. M. (2018, July). Drugged driving: Innovative community prevention strategies. Presented at: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Mid-Year Training Institute. Orlando, FL.

Stelter, R. L., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Schmidt, A. M. (2018, June). Using the strategic prevention framework to prevent drugged driving. Poster presented at the 2018 Society for Prevention Research. Washington, D.C.

Stelter, R. L., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Rabiner, S. (2014, September). Drugged driving research and prevention. Paper presented at the 2014 National Prevention Network Annual Conference: Seattle, WA.

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