Appendix D Survey Question Justification

Awareness & Availability of Child Passenger Safety Information Resources

Appendix D: Question-by-Question Justification for Survey (Form 1334)

Questions 1-1 and 1-2 measure where a respondent acquired the selected CRS. Safety recommendations indicate that it is best to acquire a new seat and that used seats should rarely be utilized. The source of the car seat will be examined in connection with use of CRS inspection stations, use of the correct CRS, caregiver confidence in CRS installation and their risk perceptions.

Questions 1-3 to 1-5 measure caregivers’ perceptions of confidence in current correct installation of CRS which in turn may influence use of inspection stations and other CRS information resources.

Question 1-6 measures the level of familiarity the respondent has with installation of the CRS. Frequent installation of the car seat may increase perception of confidence. This may also be examined together with questions regarding exposure to CRS information resources and use of inspection stations.

Question 1-7 measures to what extent caregivers believe that CRS are necessary on every trip. These perceptions may influence the view of utility of CRS and the need for CRS information resources including CRS inspection stations.

Question 1-8 and 1-9 measures the extent caregivers are aware of the risk of child injury in crashes, perceive CRS misuse as a cause for child injury in a crash, and believe in the utility of CRS. To increase personal relevance for respondents the questions target the CRS used by a caregiver on a regular basis. Risk perceptions may influence use of inspection stations and other CRS information resources.

Question 2-1 gauges the proportion of caregivers who install a CRS on their own, those who receive assistance from others, and those who receive assistance from a trained individual. Personal experience with CRS installation may affect awareness and use of CRS inspection stations and CRS information sources as well as the perceived barriers and facilitators to use of CRS inspection stations.

Question 2-2 measures the extent caregivers utilize instructions and other materials to assist with first-time CRS installation which in turn may influence use of inspection stations and other CRS information sources.

Question 2-3 measures caregivers’ perceptions of confidence in correct installation of CRS, the first time they installed a seat. Confidence in initial installation may differ from confidence in current installation which is asked earlier. Presumably in the first installation parents may have recently made use of information sources as indicated in previous question 2-2, As indicated above confidence in installation capabilities may influence use and intent to use inspection stations and other CRS information sources. The two confidence questions will be reviewed separately and together.

Questions 2-4 to 2-6 assess how caregivers compare installation of a CRS to other analogous tasks. Perceived ease of CRS installation as compared to other tasks may impact use and intent to use CRS inspection stations as well as other CRS information sources.

Questions 3-1 and 3-2 measure the types of information caregivers search for about CRS and about CRS installation which may influence current use of inspection stations. Additionally, a better understanding of the kinds of information caregivers indicate they need to search for may help to update and refine current information sources and programs.

Question 3-3 identifies the points of contact and channels used by caregivers to search for CRS information. As indicated above the information gathered may assist in improving existing sources as well as establishing new channels for CPS information.

Question 4-1 gauges the proportion of caregivers who have heard of a CRS inspection station. This will be studied together with other characteristics of respondents to better understand what might be factors that affect awareness of the service.

Question 4-2 captures the sources caregivers report for CRS inspection stations, this information may be useful for improving existing services and resources.

Question 4-3 gauges the proportion of caregivers who report a CRS inspection station in the community and relates to knowledge of availability of services. This information will be compared to existing information on availability of services housed at the NHTSA and other safety organizations.

Question 4-4 measures the proportion of caregivers who have received services at a CRS inspection station. Similar to 4-1 that relates to awareness of the service, receipt of services will be studied together with other characteristics of respondents to better understand what might be factors that affect use of the service. Perceptions of confidence and risks related to CPS will also be examined together with reported use of services.

Question 4-5 captures the locations or venues at which caregivers receive assistance. This information may point to potential changes or improvements to availability of services.

Question 4-6 identifies the occasions that lead to use of inspection stations. It is anticipated that specific life events may lead to use of services.

Question 4-7 measures a different aspect related to motives that encourage use of these services. A better understanding regarding both the events and reasons for utilization of CRS inspection stations may assist in raising awareness for services among non-users.

Questions 4-8 and 4-9 measure the extent caregivers are familiar with other people who use the CRS inspection stations. This information may speak to the acceptability and level of awareness of the inspection stations in a particular community or demographic group.

Question 4-10 identifies the barriers that prevented caregivers from accessing inspection station services. These barriers included lack of awareness as well as difficulty with access. In addition, the results may be used to determine the proportion of caregivers who considered but did not visit a CRS inspection station.

Question 5-1 measures whether caregivers visit a CRS inspection station a single time or multiple times. The characteristics of respondents making a single visit will be compared to those respondents who make multiple visits in order to better understand potential facilitators to multiple visits at an inspection station.

Question 5-2 ascertains the timing of the most recent visit to a CRS inspection station. It is assumed that there may be some variation in responses between those respondents who last attended a station more than 12 months prior to completing the survey and those who attended more recently.

Question 5-3 identifies the types of seats for which caregivers visit the CRS inspection station. A better understanding regarding the types of seats for which caregivers seek out assistance, as well as which seats are more frequently brought to the station, may be used to refine current programs and outreach activities to promote visits to CRS inspection stations.

Questions 5-4 to 5-8 capture the experiences of caregivers regarding availability and accessibility of services, by examining the need to set up an appointment, length of waiting time, cost of services, and distance and perceived distance of services. Responses to these questions may also speak to the potential barriers to CRS inspections stations as perceived by caregivers.

Question 5-9 measures the kinds of assistance caregivers report receiving at CRS inspection stations. The findings will be compared to the protocol designed for CRS inspection stations and will be compared to other responses provided regarding information resources.

Questions 5-10 and 5-11 measure the proportion of caregivers that indicate a positive experience at CRS inspection stations – this is examined via comfort reported attaching a car seat by oneself and satisfaction with the service. The information on positive experience at a CRS inspection station will be studied together with caregiver reported confidence, single vs. multiple visits to the stations, and intent to visit again.

Questions 5-12 to 5-14 measure the intent to visit an inspection station as well as reasons that may promote or prevent additional visits. These questions will be studied together with reported positive experiences as well as perceived barriers to visits at CRS inspection stations. The findings may assist in refining promotion programs to better target and promote follow up visits at inspection stations.

Questions 6-1 to 6-3 capture the settings, services and features that may improve the acceptability and satisfaction with CRS inspection stations. This information may be used to design or improve programs to promote use of CRS inspection stations.

Questions 6-4 and 6-5 measure the types of barriers caregivers report may prevent the use of CRS inspection stations. While Question 4-10 asks respondents to provide reasons why they did not previously visit a CRS inspection station, Questions 6-4 and 6-5 speak to perceptions of barriers for future visits and may reflect on intent to visit. In addition, Question 6-5 intends to pinpoint the barrier that is most problematic for respondents. The information on barriers will be studied together with demographic characteristics as well as reported access to services and perceived satisfaction with services. A better understanding of barriers to utilization of CRS inspection stations may assist in refining current promotion programs to increase visits at CRS inspection stations as well as in developing additional effective programs in the future.

Questions 7-1 and 7-2 identify the proportion of caregivers who are aware of current state laws and fines. These findings will be studied together with correct child restraint use based on age and size as well as together with other demographic characteristics. The level of knowledge as relates to CPS may be another influencing factor on utilization of CRS inspection stations.

Questions 7-3 to 7-8 are basic demographic questions that are intended to ascertain the differences in awareness and use of CRS inspection stations as well as other CPS information resources across different communities and demographic groups.