Testing a Web Tool to Help Teen Drivers Avoid Cannabis- and Alcohol-Impaired Driving
A web-based intervention called webCHAT showed high acceptability among teens in driver education, with 88% saying they learned helpful skills about impaired driving.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
In user testing with 8 adolescents, 88% would recommend the tool to a friend and 88% reported learning helpful skills. In follow-up interviews, 100% had positive impressions and 100% would recommend it.
Key Numbers
2 focus groups (n=6, n=5); 8 user testers; 88% would recommend to a friend; 88% learned helpful skills; 100% positive impressions in interviews; 67% found it easy to use
How They Did This
Researchers adapted a primary care brief intervention (CHAT) for online delivery, conducting two focus groups with teens aged 15-17 in Michigan and Colorado driver education programs, then user-testing the resulting prototype (webCHAT) with 8 additional adolescents.
Why This Research Matters
Cannabis-impaired driving receives far less intervention attention than alcohol, even though teens increasingly view cannabis as low-risk. Embedding prevention tools in driver education reaches young people at a critical moment before they form driving habits.
The Bigger Picture
Few interventions specifically address cannabis-impaired driving, let alone combined alcohol-cannabis impairment. Integrating prevention into existing driver education infrastructure could be a scalable approach to reaching at-risk teens.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Very small sample size (8 user testers, 11 focus group participants). This was a feasibility study without a control group or outcome measurement. Recruitment came from only two states.
Questions This Raises
- ?Does webCHAT actually reduce impaired driving behavior when tested in a larger trial?
- ?Would the intervention be equally effective in states with different cannabis legalization statuses?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 88% of teen testers said they learned helpful skills about impaired driving
- Evidence Grade:
- Feasibility study with very small sample sizes and no control group. Promising early signal but far from definitive.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2024.
- Original Title:
- Feasibility and acceptability of a web-intervention to prevent alcohol and cannabis-impaired driving among adolescents in driver education.
- Published In:
- Addiction science & clinical practice, 19(1), 83 (2024)
- Authors:
- Nameth, Katherine, Ueland, Elizabeth, D'Amico, Elizabeth J(9), Osilla, Karen Chan
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05585
Evidence Hierarchy
Uses interviews or focus groups to understand experiences in depth.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is webCHAT?
It is a single-session online intervention adapted from a primary care tool, designed to prevent alcohol and cannabis impaired driving among teens in driver education programs.
Did teens actually like the intervention?
Yes. In both surveys and interviews, the vast majority gave positive feedback, said they would recommend it, and reported learning useful skills.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- 420-sober-survival-guide
- CBT-cannabis-recovery
- cannabis-relapse-cycle-pattern
- cold-turkey-vs-taper-quit-weed
- dating-sober-after-quitting-weed
- exercise-quitting-weed-anxiety-brain
- grieving-quitting-weed-loss
- help-someone-quit-weed
- how-to-quit-weed
- journaling-weed-withdrawal
- marijuana-anonymous-SMART-recovery-compare
- meditation-mindfulness-weed-withdrawal
- partner-still-smokes-weed
- partner-still-smokes-weed-quitting
- pink-cloud-sobriety-cannabis
- quit-weed-cold-turkey
- quit-weed-or-cut-back-which-is-better
- quit-weed-regret-went-back
- quitting-weed-20s
- quitting-weed-30s
- quitting-weed-after-years
- quitting-weed-during-crisis-divorce-job-loss
- quitting-weed-exercise
- quitting-weed-grief-loss-coping
- quitting-weed-legal-state
- quitting-weed-success-stories
- quitting-weed-triggers-environment
- relapsed-smoking-weed-what-to-do
- relapsed-weed
- should-i-quit-weed
- sober-music-festival-concert-without-weed
- supplements-weed-withdrawal
- telling-friends-quitting-weed
- weed-relapse-prevention-plan
- weed-relapse-why-it-happens
- weed-ritual-replacement
- weed-ruined-relationships
- weed-social-media-triggers-quit
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05585APA
Nameth, Katherine; Ueland, Elizabeth; D'Amico, Elizabeth J; Osilla, Karen Chan. (2024). Feasibility and acceptability of a web-intervention to prevent alcohol and cannabis-impaired driving among adolescents in driver education.. Addiction science & clinical practice, 19(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-024-00513-2
MLA
Nameth, Katherine, et al. "Feasibility and acceptability of a web-intervention to prevent alcohol and cannabis-impaired driving among adolescents in driver education.." Addiction science & clinical practice, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13722-024-00513-2
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Feasibility and acceptability of a web-intervention to preve..." RTHC-05585. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/nameth-2024-feasibility-and-acceptability-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.