National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Contracts Management Branch, 6100 Bldg., Suite 7A07, 6100- Executive Blvd MSC 7510, Bethesda, MD 20892-7510

A -- YOUNG DRIVERS' INTERVENTION STUDY SOL NICHD-DESPR-SS-01 POC Charles Newman 301-527-8397 WEB: NIH Home Page, www.nih.com. E-MAIL: Charles Newman, newmanc@nih.com. The National Institute of Child Health Human Development (NICHD) is looking for potential contractual sources for a Young Drivers' Intervention Study. Motor vehicle crashes is the major cause of death and disability among adolescents. Sixteen-year-old drivers are 20 times more likely to have a serious crash as older drivers, due mainly to driving inexperience and risk taking. Some states have attempted to address the problems of inexperience and adolescent risky driving behavior by adopting Graduated Licensing Systems in which young drivers progress to a regular driver's license by first obtaining a learner's permit and then completing a provisional or restricted licensing period (e.g., no driving between midnight and 6 A.M.; no more than two non-adult passengers; and zero blood alcohol level. While graduated licensing systems are promising, their primary advantage is providing parents with the means to control the driving of their adolescent children. Teenage driving represents a difficult challenge for parents, who must continue to provide guidance and control during this dangerous transition, without unfairly undermining their children's new sense of independence. Therefore, facilitating parents establishment of clear expectations, rules, and restrictions regarding driving privileges is an important complement to graduated licensing systems. The purposes of this study will be to (1) examine the association between parental actions to monitor and control the driving behavior of their teenage children and driving behavior and motor vehicle crashes; and (2) test the efficacy of an educational intervention designed to facilitate the negotiation between parents and their children of a contract for safe driving that is consistent with the provisions of the states graduated licensing system. A sample of teenagers applying for their learner's permit and their parents will be recruited to participate in the study. Each participating teen and a parent will be interviewed upon recruitment and followed for 24 months. Parent-teen dyads will be assigned randomly to the basic information comparison condition or the special treatment condition. Parents and teens will be interviewed at six and eighteen months by telephone. The outcomes of the study are the teenagers driving experience and behavior. Driving records of the traffic citations and crash involvements of each participating teenager will be examined. The purpose of this synopsis is to develop a list of potential sources capable of performing the governments requirements as previously described. Capability Statements should be submitted within 45 days of publication of this synopsis to Mr. Charles Newman, Contracting Specialist, at the above address. There is no required Standar Form or format for the Capability Statement, however, it should include details specifying how this work would be performed, details on experience with similar projects and information on whether the organization is a small business concern. Please note there is NO solicitation associated with this synopsis and the government reserves the right to cancel the requirement at any time. (0335)

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