NHTSA Form 1191 Moderators Guide-Community Participants

OMB Control No.: 2127-0682

Expiration Date: 01/31/2015

A toolkit to Increase Seat Belt/Restraint Use in Recently Arrived Hispanic Immigrant Communities

Moderator’s Guide for Community Focus Groups

I. Explanations Moderator to Read

This focus group is being conducted to collect information that will help us better understand your opinions about an important highway safety issue and develop materials to improve traffic safety.

This collection of information is VOLUNTARY and will be used for formative purposes only so that we may develop programs and materials to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths. We will not collect any personal information that would allow anyone to identify you. A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2127-0682. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 90 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E., Washington, DC, 20590

ADDITIONAL NOTE TO MODERATOR:

• Assure participants of confidentiality and anonymity

• Disclose presence of observers and video-recording (in lieu of “note taking”)

II. Introductory comments:

• Welcome and thank you for participating in the focus groups (four will be held in each location (i.e. FL and MD)).

• Time allotted for the focus group will be 60-90 minutes.

• Introductions of moderator and participants.

• Usual “housekeeping” comments.

• The reason for the focus group: to better understand their opinions regarding traffic safety, especially seat belt use, their relationship and perception of law enforcement and the best materials and messages for the project.

III. Discussion questions

All of the following questions refer to perceptions, attitudes and behaviors in the country of origin

1. What was your method of transportation where you were born?

Probe specifically for how many rode in vehicles on a regular basis

2. Those of you who rode in a car/truck, how often did you or your family members use a seatbelt in your country?

Probe specifically for how often the extended family uses/used seat belts in the country of origin.

3. How do/did your family members feel about using a seat belt while riding in a vehicle?

4. What are the seat belt laws in your country? What were the consequences if you did not use a seatbelt?

(Assumption: many Hispanics do not use seat belts because seat belt laws are not enforced in their countries of origin)

The following questions refer to knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in the United States

5. What is your method of transportation here?

6. What are your views/beliefs about using a seatbelt?

7. In your opinion, how do your friends and family view seatbelt use?

(Assumption: seat belt use may be seen as not “manly”, especially the 17-34 year old male population)

8. How often do you use a seatbelt? What about your friends and family?

9. What are the seat belt laws in your state? Probe to understand their knowledge of the laws.

10. How do you see law enforcement? How different is it from your country?

(Assumption: law enforcement is often not helpful in their countries of origin and these attitudes/beliefs can be carried to the United States. Many immigrants see all uniformed authority as a negative)

11. Have you ever worked with law enforcement? If so, how?

12. What are the consequences if you do not use a seat belt?

Probe for specific consequences

13. What will make you use a seat belt every time you ride in a vehicle?

Probe for consequences, including enforcement, disability, death, etc.

14. What messages and images would be most effective to get you to use a seat belt on every trip?

Probe for best message and image—scary, family, loss of income, mobility, life?

15. How do you get information about traffic safety?

16. We are developing an educational toolkit for the community. Besides the materials for the educators, what else would you like to see in the kit? How should we get the information in the kit to you?

Probe for radio PSA scripts, posters, newsletters, etc.

NHTSA Form: 1191 2 | Page