Parent Perceptions of Real-Time and Non-Video Feedback from the Driver Coach Study

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. Research indicates that an effective way to improve teen safety is through the use of in-vehicle monitoring devices that provide feedback to teens and parents. Monitoring devices provide teens with real-time feedback on their driving behavior and parents with post hoc feedback that allows them to monitor their teen and coach them as they learn to drive. The aims of this analysis were to understand if the parents of teens who participated in the Driver Coach Study utilized the non-video feedback tools on the website and to summarize their opinions about the real-time and non-video feedback provided. Key takeaways were that (a) training would help parents and teens make the most of the tools available to them, (b) real-time feedback was seen as beneficial at improving teens’ driving, (c) monitoring systems should notify parents when post hoc feedback is available, and (d) non-video monitoring tools such as graphs and coaching notes should be informative and provide a comments section for user feedback.