Teen Focus Group Questions

Form Approved
OMB Control No. 0920-----
Expiration Date:-------

Teen Focus Group Questions

• Introduction of Focus Group

• Purpose

• Confidentiality of responses

Questions:

• How old are you?

• What type of license do you have? (Learner’s permit, provisional license, full license)

• On average how frequently do you drive? (rarely, several times a week, every day)

• How would you describe your driving ability/safety on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being outstanding

• How would you describe your parents’ driving ability/safety on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being outstanding?

• How would you describe a “safe driver?”

• What do you believe are the riskiest things “typical” teen drivers do?

• Have you ever been involved in any type of car collision (did you ever hit anything?) Please describe the circumstances.

• Have you ever received a traffic citation or a warning for a moving violation? Please describe the circumstances.

• Compared to drugs, sexually transmitted disease, school violence, and other threats to teens, how would you rate automobile crashes as a threat.

• How many are aware that car crashes are the leading cause of death among teens?

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.  Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer; 1600 Clifton Road, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA 30333, ATTN: PRA (0920-----).

• Parent Interactions with Teen Drivers

• For those of you who have been involved in a crash, did your parents take any actions as a consequence of the crash? If so, what actions

• For those of you who have received a citation or warning, did your parents take any actions as a consequence? If so what actions? Who paid the fine?

• For all of you, have your parents established any family rules about the driving privilege (use of seat belts, passengers)? Please describe.

• How did your parents communicate these rules to you?

• Probe for conversations and written contracts

• Have your parents ever had to enforce those rules? Please describe the circumstances.

• How often do your parents talk to you about your driving? What do they talk about?

• Have your parents had serious conversations with you about other serious threats (drugs, etc.)

• How have those conversations gone?

• What types of things parents should be doing to ensure that their teens drive more safely?

Knowledge of Graduated Licensing Provisions

• Have any of you heard the term Graduated Driver Licensing or Provisional Licensing? – (Show of hands)

• Can anyone explain what it is?

• Can anyone explain the specific licensing requirements in this state? (describe them if no one can explain them)

• What do you think about these regulations?

• How do you feel about having restrictions placed on your ability to drive? (explore how they view driving – is it a right or a privilege?)

• Have you ever spoken with your parents about these requirements?

• Do you believe these restrictions are being enforced in your community?

• Are your parents enforcing these regulations with you?

Reaction to Creative Concepts

• As part of this CDC initiative, the sponsors of this focus group have developed some ideas to encourage parents to take a more active role in their children’s driving. I am going to distribute a packet of concepts to get your reaction to them.

• First, on the worksheet please rank the concepts from 1 to 5 (with 5 representing the concept you like best and 1 representing the concept you like least. Remember these are designed for your parents.

• I would like each of you to tell me which concept you liked most, what it meant to you and why you like it

• Next I want each of you to tell me which one you like least and why.

• What do you think the primary message of each of these concepts is? (go through each concept)

• What actions are parents supposed to take? (go through each of the concepts)

• Did anyone notice the website listed in the concepts

• Why do you think that website is listed?

• What would you expect to find on this website?’

• How likely is it that your parents would visit that site? Why

• For those who do not think your parents would visit the site, is there anything that could be added to that site that would make it more likely for them to visit it?

• Do you think this site could have information that would be useful for you?

• Now let’s think about your parents following some of the advice contained in these concepts. Imagine your parent sitting you down and saying it is time we had a talk about your driving – how would you react?

• Now imagine your parent asking you to sign a contract about the rules you have to follow in order to have access to a car – what do you think your reaction would be?

• How do you think your friends would react if their parents started imposing more rules or asking them to sign a contract?

• Final Thoughts

• How worried are your parents about you when you are driving?

• What do you think would help them feel more confident about your driving?

• How comfortable are you when you are driving?

• Is there anything that you think would motivate you to drive more carefully?