Exhaust Emissions of Light-duty Vehicles in Metropolitan Detroit

Appendix A: Telephone Script

INTRO:

Hello, my name is __________________, and I’m calling on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. May I speak with ___________________?

I’m following up on the letter we mailed you regarding the study of passenger vehicle emissions. Did you receive and read our letter?

YES

NO

Great. As a reminder, the EPA is conducting a study of passenger vehicle emissions and is looking for qualified participants. In order for you to qualify for this study I need to collect some basic information about your vehicle. Within the next few weeks you will receive $10 for talking to me today.

We are inviting people who live in the [greater] Detroit area like yourself to take part in a study of vehicle emissions. The main goal of the research is to study tailpipe emissions from some vehicles manufactured since 2004. As I mentioned, we will be sending you $10 with our thanks just for talking to us.

You may be asked to set up and appointment with a team of specially trained professional engineers. You would bring your vehicle to our test facility, where the engineers will install instruments on your vehicle to measure its emissions. Then a trained driver will drive the vehicle over a route like the driving you might do each day. We’ll keep your vehicle overnight, and repeat the emissions measurements the next morning.

After that, technicians will remove the emissions instruments and install a small instrument that will measure certain operating parameters of your car while you drive normally over the next [MEASUREMENT PERIOD] weeks. The instrument is very small and will not interfere with your driving or use of the vehicle. We will then release the vehicle to you and provide you with an inventive of [INCENTIVE] to reimburse you for your inconvenience and expense.

This information will allow us to relate the emissions that we measure to how people actually drive. For example, it will enable us to understand how often, and how far people drive, as well as how they speed up, slow down and brake. These aspects of driver behavior are important to understanding emissions, because the way vehicles emit depends heavily on how they are driven.

After the completion of the [MEASUREMENT PERIOD], our technicians will be happy to come to you to disinstall the instrument. At that time, we will provide you with a final incentive of [INCENTIVE].

We are happy to accommodate your preference for dates to come in and can work around your schedule. This study is for scientific research purposes so that all information about you will be kept confidential.

To see if you qualify I would like to obtain some information about your household and vehicles.

Q1:

My records show that you live in [AREA]. Is that correct?

YES

NO

OTHER/SPECIFY

DK

REFUSED

Q2:

Our records show that you drive a [COLOR]-colored [MAKE] [MODEL]. Is this correct?

YES

NO

OTHER/SPECIFY

DK

REFUSED

EXPL:

Based on the information you’ve provided us, you are eligible to participate. We would like to schedule you for an appointment.

Q3:

When would you like to schedule an appointment?

NOW

LATER

OTHER/SPECIFY

DK

REFUSED

ASSN:

We have an opening on [DATE]. Would you be able to bring your vehicle to our facility at

[ADDRESS], [CITY]?

IF NO: what day/date would work best for you?

[LIST DATES]:

REFUSED

TSLOT:

We have the following time slots available. Which would you prefer?

[LIST TIMES]:

DK

REFUSED

CPHON:

Is [PHONE] the best number to reach you?

YES

NO

IF NO: Is there another number where we can reach you?

TEL02:

___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ - ___ ___ ___ ___.

THANK:

Great. So to confirm, your appointment is scheduled for [DATE], at [TIME]. We will shortly mail you a letter with $10, a reminder of your day and time, and contact information in case you have any questions. Thank you so much for your help and participation in this very important study!

Appendix B: Questionnaire

Measurement Questionnaire

Respondent ID	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Vehicle ID	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Interviewer ID	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)	__ __ / __ __ / __ __ __ __.

GREETING:

Hello, I am <NAME>, with <CONTRACTOR>. You completed a phone conversation with us on <DATE>. At that time, you consented to allow us to place an instrument on your vehicle to measure its emissions. At that time, we made an appointment for this visit.

We want to emphasize that the instrument is noninstrusive. It will not interfere with your vehicle or with your driving in any way. Technicians will install the equipment, after which one of our drivers will drive the vehicle over a carefully designed drive route to measure its emissions during different kinds of driving, such as residential streets, thoroughfares, and the freeway.

We’ll keep your vehicle overnight, and repeat the emissions measurements tomorrow morning.

After that, technicians will remove the emissions instruments and install a small instrument that will measure certain operating parameters of your car while you drive normally over the next [MEASUREMENT PERIOD] weeks. The instrument is very small and will not interfere with your driving or use of the vehicle.

We will then release the vehicle to you and provide you with an inventive of [INCENTIVE] to reimburse you for your inconvenience and expense.

This information will allow us to relate the emissions that we measure to how people actually drive. For example, it will enable us to understand how often, and how far people drive, as well as how they speed up, slow down and brake. These aspects of driver behavior are important to understanding emissions, because the way vehicles emit depends heavily on how they are driven.

After the completion of the [MEASUREMENT PERIOD], our technicians will be happy to come to you to disinstall the instrument. At that time, we will provide you with a final incentive of [INCENTIVE], and your participation in the study will be complete.

Your participation is entirely voluntary, and your name will not be connected with the data in any way.

We estimate that this process will take approximately [duration] hours.

Do you have any questions? May we proceed?

ANSWER QUESTIONS, PROCEED IF R CONSENTS.

ENTER TIME NOW: __ __ : __ __.

Q1. How long have you owned the vehicle: __ __ years.

REFUSED 999.

Q2. Do you park the car in a garage at night?

YES 1

NO 0

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

Q3 As far as you know, has the vehicle been in any accidents?

YES 1

NO 0

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

IF YES, DESCRIBE ____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________.

Q4. Can you remember when the oil was last changed in this vehicle?

YES 1

NO 0

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

IF YES, ENTER DATE: month: __ __ year: __ __ __ __, AND GO TO Q3,

IF NO, GO TO Q2

Q5 Can you tell me which answer is closest to when you think the oil was last changed?

DURING THE LAST MONTH 1

DURING THE LAST 2 TO 3 MONTHS 2

DURING THE LAST 3 TO 6 MONTHS 3

DURING THE LAST 6 TO 12 MONTHS 4

MORE THAN 12 MONTHS 5

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

Q6 Have you had the muffler replaced?

YES 1

NO 0

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

IF YES, GO TO Q4,

IF NO, GO TO Q5.

Q7 Can you tell me which answer is closet to when the muffler was replaced?

DURING THE LAST MONTH 1

DURING THE LAST 2 TO 3 MONTHS 2

DURING THE LAST 3 TO 6 MONTHS 3

DURING THE LAST 6 TO 12 MONTHS 4

MORE THAN 12 MONTHS 5

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

Q8 Have you had the catalytic converter replaced?

(explain, if necessary, that in some vehicles the exhaust system, including the catalyst, manifold, muffler and tailpipe may be a single unit, and must be replaced as such, and in others, a modular system may allow these parts to be replaced individually).

YES 1

NO 0

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

IF YES, GO TO Q4,

IF NO, GO TO Q5.

Q9 Can you tell me which answer is closet to when the catalyst was replaced?

DURING THE LAST MONTH 1

DURING THE LAST 2 TO 3 MONTHS 2

DURING THE LAST 3 TO 6 MONTHS 3

DURING THE LAST 6 TO 12 MONTHS 4

MORE THAN 12 MONTHS 5

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

Q10 Have you had other major repair or maintenance performed on the vehicle within the last 12 months?

YES 1

NO 0

DON’T KNOW 998

REFUSED 999

IF YES, DESCRIBE ____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________.

EXIT: Thank you. Those are all the questions I have. We appreciate your taking time to help with the research project.

Appendix C: Vehicle Information

Respondent ID	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Vehicle ID	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Technician ID	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Date (mm/dd/yyyy)	___ ___ / ___ ___ / ___ ___ ___ ___.
Time (hh:mm)	___ ___ : ___ ___

USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

No.	Item	Value
1	Vehicle Make	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
2	Vehicle Model	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3	Model Year	___ ___ ___ ___
4	Displacement (circle units)	___ ___ ___ . ___ ___ Liters cubic in.
5	Transmission Type/ No. gears	Manual ___. Automatic ___. No. gears ___.
6	Engine Family	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
7	Evaporative Family	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
8	Odometer Reading	___ ___ ___ , ___ ___ ___ miles
9	Photograph of vehicle (front quarter view)	Complete □
10	Photograph of license plate	Complete □
11	Photograph of VIN	Complete □
12	Photograph of VECI label	Complete □

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