https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0052-7801
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Abstract
Objective
To compare the effectiveness of the Risk Awareness and Perception Training (RAPT) program among teens of various socioeconomic status (SES).
Methods
A secondary analysis was undertaken of data collected from 5036 teen participants for a study in 2011. They were randomly assigned to either receive RAPT or a placebo training. The total number of crashes (property damage only and injury) within the first 12 months after licensure was recorded. A Poisson regression model was employed to investigate the effectiveness of RAPT in terms of crash frequency among teens in different levels of SES, as measured by SES level (high or low) or poverty rate.
Results
Poverty rate was significantly associated with participants’ crash frequency within the first 12 months after licensure such that when poverty rate increased, the crash frequency increased. The interacting effect of poverty rate and training was also significant. When compared to participants who did not receive RAPT, participants who received RAPT had fewer crashes when poverty rate increased.
Conclusion
The RAPT program attenuated the negative effect of teen drivers’ SES on crashes. No significant effect of sex or age was found, indicating that in terms of crashes, regardless of age or sex, RAPT is equally effective at reducing crashes for lower SES teens.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the research team that originally conducted the study. The authors would also like to thank the methodology consultants at the Center for Research on Families who guided the analytical methods used in this paper. The opinions expressed in this study are those of the authors and not those of the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center or the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Data availability
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.