title: The effect of group-adapted motivational interviewing on traffic convictions and driving behaviors of court-adjudicated youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of a 20 hr prevention program (The Reducing Dangerous Driving Program, RYDD) in reducing traffic citation recidivism and high-risk driving behaviors among 16- to 20-year-olds referred by the Rhode Island courts for traffic citation events.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomized to receive either the Adapted Group Motivational Interviewing (AGMI) or the Community Service (CS) arm of the study. Participants completed a survey at baseline and at 6 and 12 months post-RYDD completion. Objective court data on post-RYDD traffic event citations were also collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences between the groups on measures of high-risk driving behaviors and post-RYDD traffic event citation recidivism at the 12-month follow-up assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There remains a need to develop and test behavioral interventions that could address high-risk driving behaviors and associated motor vehicle crash (MVC) risk in this population. Further research is needed to determine whether group behavioral interventions that use motivational interviewing could be a possible mechanism for changing high-risk behaviors, traffic citation recidivism, and the associated risks that these pose for MVCs among young drivers.
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. jbaird@lifespan.org
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: Ted D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Nirenberg
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Longabaugh
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mello
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062405:Motivational Interviewing / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012237:Rhode Island; D012309:Risk-Taking; D055815:Young Adult