NHTSA Form 1196 Discussion Guide for Qualitative Focus Groups & Intervie

OMB Control No. 2127-xxxx

Expiration Date xx-xx-xxxx

Appendix B

Discussion Guide for Qualitative Focus Groups & Interviews

This collection of information is VOLUNTARY and will be used for formative purposes only so that we may develop and evaluate programs designed 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-XXXX. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 130 minutes per response for general consumers or parents and approximately 40 minutes per response for dealer interview, 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

Specifically, this research program is guided by the following objectives:

1. Explore consumer familiarity with and understanding of crash avoidance technologies;

2. Explore potential nomenclature and ratings that can be used to communicate information about crash avoidance technologies;

3. Guide considerations for design modifications of current NCAP label to include information about crash avoidance technologies;

4. Guide the development of a consumer information program to improve awareness and understanding of crash avoidance technologies.

Introduction (Approx. 10 minutes)

• Welcome, Group Rules, Privacy

• Before we start I’d like to go around the room and have you introduce yourselves. Please tell us,

  • Name

  • How often do you drive?

  • What is your primary purpose for driving?

Section 1: Vehicle Safety Considerations (Approx. 20 minutes)¹

I’d like to start tonight’s group by talking about the process you go through when buying a new vehicle.

First, by a show of hands, how many of you have purchased a car recently? And how many are currently thinking about a new vehicle?

1. When you think about purchasing a new vehicle, what are the most important factors that [you/your customers] consider in [your/their] purchase decision? [MODERATOR RECORDS ON FLIP CHART, IF SAFETY ISN’T MENTIONED, ADD TO LIST]

1. Looking at the list we just made, how would you prioritize these items?

2. [MODERATOR PROBES FOR REASONS FACTORS ARE IMPORTANT]

1. Purchase price, Convenience features (i.e., technology, trim levels, power options, etc.), Safety features, Comfort, Vehicle image, Performance, Warranty, How green the vehicle is (i.e., hybrid, fuel efficiency, etc.), Brand reputation, Fuel economy/fuel mileage costs

2. I’d like to talk about one of these factors in more detail [MODERATOR CIRCLE SAFETY, RETURN TO TABLE]. What kind of safety information do [you look for/customers ask about] when evaluating which vehicle to purchase?¹

1. As you may know, some safety features are standard for all vehicles, meaning they are required by law to be included. Other features are considered standard for certain vehicles, meaning the manufacturer has chosen to include this technology in all models. Finally, some features are considered optional, meaning it is up to you as the vehicle purchaser whether or not you would like the feature included (generally at an additional cost. Thinking across this spectrum of features, which safety features do you specifically look for when shopping for a vehicle?

1. What safety features are must-have vs. nice to have?

2. When it comes to safety, what is the most important thing [you need to know/you want your customer to know]?

3. Thinking specifically about safety information, what sources of information do [you use to research the safety of the vehicles you’re interested in/your customers use prior to visiting the dealership]?

1. Which ones do you trust most? Why?

Section 2: Crash Avoidance Technologies Awareness & Understanding (Approx. 25 minutes)²

4. Many vehicles have featured new safety technologies in recent model years. When I say “new safety technologies”, what comes to mind?

   1. [IF RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY IS MENTIONED] Can I have a volunteer explain what this technology is?

   2. Are these technologies something that you are interested in learning about?

Tonight, we’ll be talking about a number of different safety technologies in detail. We’ll go through one by one, to explore what you’ve heard about these technologies and what your perceptions are of these technologies. We’ll also get your opinion on different ways these technologies can be communicated to consumers like you.

	Technology to be Tested	Definition	Additional Terminology
1	Lane Departure Warning	A system that is designed to warn a driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction).	Lane Departure Warning Lane Departure Keeping Lane Monitoring System
2	Forward Collision Warning	A system that is designed to warn a driver when the vehicle is about to impact another vehicle or object giving the driver more time to react.	Forward Collision Warning Pre-Sense Plus Collision Mitigation Brake System Pre-Safe system Pre-Collision System Front Assist Collision Warning with Auto Brake Dynamic Brake Assist
3	Lane Keeping Assist	A driver assistance system that actively affects the direction of the vehicle when it is about to drift beyond a specified point of their current travel lane.	Lane Keeping Assist Active Lane Keeping Assist Lane Centering Assist Lane Departure Prevention
4	Crash Imminent Braking	A system with forward-looking sensing technologies that automatically apply the vehicle’s brakes shortly before a collision occurs to help reduce the severity of rear-end collisions.	Crash Imminent Braking Emergency Brake Assist Predictive Emergency Braking Brake Assist Plus Automatic Emergency Braking City Safety Automatic Braking System
5	Pedestrian detection and braking	A collision warning system that can detect a pedestrian in front of or the rear of the vehicle and automatically apply the brakes if a driver isn't paying attention	Pedestrian Detection City Safety
6	Automatic Collision Notification (Advanced Automatic Collision Notification)	A system that, in the event of a crash, will initiate an emergency wireless call to a Telematics Service Provider (like Onstar) to deliver the vehicle's GPS location, crash-related data and open a voice communications channel to the emergency call center.	Advanced Automatic Collision Notification Advanced Automatic Crash Notification 911 Assist Safe Connect
7	Blind Spot Detection	A system uses cameras or radar to alert the driver when it detects another vehicle is in the theoretical blind spot.	Blind Spot Detection Blind Spot Information System Side Assist
8	Advanced lighting systems	A lighting system designed to reduce glare and improve vision for nighttime driving.	Adaptive Frontal Lighting Advanced Frontal Lighting Directional headlights Intelligent light system
9	Teen Keys	A technology that allows parents to control their teen’s use of the vehicle by limiting speed and audio volume and sending alerts to the driver when seatbelts are not fastened or vehicle speed reaches a certain level.	Teen Keys MyKey
10	Vehicle-to-vehicle communication	A system that enable vehicles to communicate with both each other and stationary edifices in order to help prevent accidents on the road.	NOT INCLUDED IN NOMENCLATURE DISCUSSION
11	Senior Citizen vehicle rating	A method of rating vehicles for older drivers. This “Package” of advanced technology options and crash performance characteristics would be helpful purchasing information for older drivers. The content of the package would be identified by NHTSA.	NOT INCLUDED IN NOMENCLATURE DISCUSSION

MODERATOR NOTE:

SINCE ESC WILL BE INCLUDED ON ALL VEHICLES BEGINNING IN MODEL YEAR 2012, THE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE DISCUSSED IN EVERY GROUP WITH REGARD TO POTENTIAL RATING SYSTEMS, BUT NOT IN THE NOMENCLATURE DISCUSSION.

IN ADDITION, WE WILL EXPLORE VEHICLE-TO-VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND SENIOR CITIZEN RATING SYSTEMS; HOWEVER, THESE WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE NOMENCLATURE EXERCISE.

TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE EXPLORED IN A RANDOM ORDER WITHIN EACH GROUP.

5. [MODERATOR READ DEFINITION ALOUD, DO NOT PROVIDE NAME] [How many have heard/Have you heard] of technology like what I just described?

   1. [IF AWARE] Have you heard any specific names for this technology?

   2. Does anyone currently have this technology on their vehicle?

      1. [IF YES] Did you choose to add this on as an optional feature or did it come standard?

      2. [IF OPTIONAL] What reasons did you have for adding this feature?

   3. Based on what I’ve read, what are you perceptions of this technology?

      1. How important is it to have this feature available on a new vehicle?

      2. As I had mentioned earlier, some technologies are standard for all vehicles, standard on certain vehicles or optional add-ons to the vehicle. Do you think this technology, as described, is a standard or optional feature?

         1. Should it be standard across all vehicles (i.e., required to be included)?

         2. What are your reasons for saying this?

      3. How likely are you to [choose to include this if it were an optional feature available on a vehicle you are going to purchase/recommend this as an optional feature]?

         1. What reasons do you have for choosing/not choosing to include this on your vehicle?

   4. From what you know, would the availability of this feature impact your purchase? Would you still consider a vehicle that does not have this technology available?

   5. Now that we’ve talked in more detail about some new safety technologies, would you say these technologies are something that you are interested in learning about?

[REPEAT QUESTION 5 FOR ALL TECHNOLOGIES]

Section 3: Nomenclature (Approx. 40 minutes)³

With the addition of these new technologies, government agencies, like the Department of Transportation and auto industry now must decide on the best way to teach consumers about these technologies and demonstrate whether or not they are present on certain vehicles. Thinking about technologies beyond these new safety features, if, for example, a vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive system, this will be indicated on a new vehicle’s window sticker, brochures about the vehicle, the manufacturer website, and in other communications. In this example, some manufacturers refer to this simply as “all-wheel drive”, while others have developed their own brand name for their all-wheel drive system, like Audi’s “Quattro.”

6. Now thinking about the safety technologies we have discussed tonight, do you think technologies like this should have standardized names, meaning they are the same across all manufacturers, or should manufacturers be able to develop their own? (PROBE: standard names)

1. Would it be helpful for [you/your customers] if you were looking for a new vehicle for these items to be standard?

   1. Does it depend on the technology?

2. Would standard names help consumers better understand these technologies?

3. If these were to be standardized, who should be responsible for doing so?

7. Building upon this, I’d like to further explore how manufacturers can communicate the presence of these technologies. I have a workbook that I will hand out for you to complete on your own. In this workbook you will read about the technologies we just talked about and a few others. After you read the definition of one of the technologies, you will take your green highlighter, and mark those potential names that clearly match the definition offered. With the red highlighter, you will mark those that do not clearly match the definition offered. Then, I’d like you to circle the name that best matches the definition. Once you go through the workbook, we’ll discuss as a group. I’ll give you about 5 minutes to complete this exercise.

Before we discuss, I want you to flip back through your workbook and put a check mark on the page that describes the technology you think stands out as being most important to include in your next vehicle.

8. [FOR CONSUMERS] Let’s talk about [FIRST PAGE] names first. What name did you select?

1. For what reasons did you select this name?

2. What other names were selected by the group?

3. Some of the names are more descriptive, while others are more “branded” – do you have a preference?

1. Does one name stand out as being most clear?

2. Do any of the names stand out as not being clear?

4. For this particular technology, would a standard name be helpful for you in your vehicle purchase decision?

9. [FOR DEALERS] Let’s talk about [FIRST TECHNOLOGY] names first. Which of the following names have you heard from this technology? [MODERATOR SHOW LIST OF NAMES]

1. Some of the names are more descriptive, while others are more “branded” – do you have a preference?

1. Does one name stand out as being most clear?

2. Do any of the names stand out as not being clear?

2. For this particular technology, would a standard name be helpful for your customers in their vehicle purchase decision?

   1. Would it help you in communicating this to your customers?

[MODERATOR REPEAT QUESTION ALL TECHNOLOGIES]

10. Did any one technology on this list stand out as being most important to you personally?⁴

1. What reasons do you have for selecting this technology?

2. Which of these technologies would you consider a “must-have” on new vehicles? Nice to have?

3. Are there any technologies listed here not at all important to you?

11. There is a technology that we haven’t discussed yet, Electronic Stability Control.

    1. [How many have/Have you] heard of Electronic Stability Control?

       1. Can I have a volunteer explain what it is?

       2. Where did you hear about it?

    2. Beginning with model year 2012 vehicles, Electronic Stability Control is required as a standard safety feature, which is why we haven’t talked about it until now.

       1. If you were to look for more information on this technology, where would you look?

       2. Who do you trust to provide you information on this technology?

12. Now, thinking about all the technologies that we’ve talked about tonight, what would you call these types of technologies as a whole? [MODERATOR WRITE ON FLIP CHART]

    1. ADVANCED CRASH TECHNOLOGIES, CRASH AVOIDANCE TECHNOLOGIES, SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES, ETC.

    2. Which term do you think best encompasses the technologies we spoke about tonight?

Section 4: Information Sources & Potential Ratings (Approx. 25 minutes)⁵

13. Now that we have a better understanding of some of these technologies, I want to explore what information you need when you are making your purchase decision.

    1. First, where would you expect to find information about these technologies?

       1. [PROBE] Web, Dealership, Window Sticker, Owner’s Manual, etc.

       2. What, specifically, would you be looking to learn?

       3. If the government had information to share about these technologies, where you would expect to find that?

    2. Have you seen these safety technologies referenced on the window sticker before?

       1. Where?

    3. If technologies like these were included on the window sticker of a new vehicle, where would you expect to find this information?

       1. What information, specifically, would you want included on the window sticker?

       2. Are you familiar with the 5-Star Safety Ratings portion of the window sticker? [MODERATOR PASS OUT SAMPLE OF A CURRENT MONRONEY LABEL – APPENDIX F]

          1. Would it be appropriate to include this information on this portion of the window sticker, or should this information be included on a separate portion of the sticker?

    4. Manufacturer information on your vehicle’s window sticker will list the technologies that are included as standard and optional features, the federal government is considering rating these technologies to ensure they meet certain performance standards.

       1. Would ratings for these technologies be helpful to [you/you customers]?

       2. In what ways might you use this information?

14. Let’s explore some ways a technology like this could be rated.

    1. [If you were in the process of purchasing a new vehicle/If a customer came in looking to purchase a new vehicle] would it be enough to just know whether the vehicle has this technology or not, or would you need to have information on whether that technology met a certain performance specification?

       1. IF MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARD:

          1. Would it be more helpful to know whether each technology passed or failed that performance test, or do you think there would be degrees of performance which would need a rating?

             1. Check marks, or other “pass/fail”

             2. Stars, Letter grades, or other categorical ratings

          2. Is this information something [you/your customers] would seek out?

          3. [IF DEALER] Is this information you would use to help discuss the safety of the vehicle?

          4. Where would you expect to find these ratings?

       2. Does a rating provide [you/your customers] with useful information about this technology?

15. Another way of rating these technologies is to include an overall rating for the vehicle based on the safety technologies that are included. Would this be helpful for [your purchase/your customers]?

    1. Where would you expect to find this rating?

    2. And how if at all would you use this information to [inform your purchase/help your customers]?

    3. Is this information something you would seek out?

    4. Where would you expect to find information about what the ratings mean?

       1. Where would it be most helpful for you [as a dealer]?

       2. [PROBE] On label, on website, other online sources, etc?

16. Is there any additional information you would like to see on the window sticker about these safety technologies that you need in order to help your vehicle purchase decision?

    1. What additional information would you need prior to going to the dealership in order to help your vehicle purchase decisions?

17. Do you have any final advice for government agencies as they are looking to educate consumers about various safety technologies available on new vehicles?

Thank and close group.

1 Questions in section 1 are used to begin the conversation about vehicle safety and will help satisfy objective 4 (“Guide the development of a consumer information program to improve awareness and understanding of crash avoidance technologies”).

2 Questions in section 2 are used to satisfy objective 1 (“Explore consumer familiarity with and understanding of crash avoidance technologies”).

3 Questions in section 3 are used to satisfy objective 2 (“Explore potential nomenclature and rating systems that can be used to communicate information about crash avoidance technologies”)

4 Question 10 is used to satisfy objective 4 (“Guide the development of a consumer information program to improve awareness and understanding of crash avoidance technologies”)

5 Questions in section 4 are used to satisfy objective 2 (“Explore potential nomenclature and rating systems that can be used to communicate information about crash avoidance technologies”)

NHTSA: Advanced Crash Technologies Research ICR
Focus Group Discussion Guide

NHTSA Form 1196

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