Scottish Government

Annex 6: Qualitative research - discussion guide

ATTITUDES TOWARDS OUT-OF-TOWN DRIVING (156968)

Final Discussion Guide

Research introduction

• Moderator and research introduction, explain nature of research: Here to explore attitudes of drivers in Scotland to out-of-town driving.

• Discussion guidelines:
• • No right or wrong answers; only personal opinions matter - can and probably will disagree with each other, but politely!
  • Views / feelings may change during the discussion - that's fine
  • Emphasise that no one is here to judge anyone; what is important is they give honest views and opinions
• TNS an independent research agency, so please feel free to be very honest about thoughts

• All comments made are strictly confidential and will not be attributed to individuals (MRS code of conduct)
• Turn off mobile phones
• Taped for internal analysis purposes only
• Session will last around an hour and 30 minutes

Respondent introductions

Who they are; where they live; occupation; how long been driving; own car or not; how much drive nowadays

Background

Here to talk about driving on roads outside cities and towns, and excluding motorways and dual-carriageways. Everybody clear on the roads of interest?

• How define or describe such roads / what terms use. IF NECESSARY, PROMPT ON open roads, country roads, rural roads as relevant to own area / descriptions for types of road round about. Which is the most suitable terminology
• How often go driving on these types of road. Explore circumstances:

• When - days of week, times of day / night - ever and mostly
• Types of occasion - for work, specific leisure-related or cruising
• Who is generally in the car (by different occasions) - self only, family / parents, friends

Out-of-town driving

• How does driving out of town compare with driving in town - the main differences? Which prefer, and why? Does out-of-town driving require anything different of the driver, in respect of ability or attitude?

• Any differences in how drive out of town compared to in town. Behave any differently? In what ways? Reasons for different behaviour. How describe the way in which you drive out of town compared to in town? How well prepared / experienced now, and when just passed test
• Drive any differently according to who is with you in the car - on own, friends, or parents? According to time of day or night? According to weather or other conditions?
• How feel when come to drive out of town? Describe your thoughts / feelings as you leave town roads. Any particular emotions? More or less relaxed? More or less confident? Excited or nervous? Explore
• How judge speed / how fast to go out of town. Describe own attitude to speed on these roads / what determines. What is the speed limit there? How drive relative to the speed limit - under, on or over? How vary by types of situation, especially going over the limit?

Risks

• Are there more or fewer risks for drivers on out-of-town roads than in town? Explore. What are the risks for drivers out of town / what can happen? RECORD. IF NECESSARY, PROMPT ON INCIDENTS SUCH AS COMING OFF ROAD, COLLISION WITH OTHER VEHICE, CAUGHT SPEEDING, GETTING KILLED
• How likely is each of these to happen to you? Why / why not? Ever think of particular risks driving out of town? Which consider?
• Why are more people are killed in accidents on out-of-town roads than in towns?
• • Do drivers take more risks in their driving out of town? Who? Do you? What types of risk? Why take more risks then / what encourages?
  • Anyone had an accident or near miss when driving out-of-town? Explore

• How often / how recently?
• What happened? Who was at fault - self or other driver? Did you consider you were driving at all riskily at the time, or think so afterwards?
• Any factors relating to speed or loss of control, by you or other?
• Did this have any effect on your driving behaviour, short or long term? In what respects?

Road situations

SHOW 4 DIFFERENT UK ROAD SIGNS IN TURN

• What does this indicate on the road? How react to it in your driving, if at all?
• How clear are these in alerting drivers to consider their speed?

SHOW PHOTOS OF ROAD LAYOUTS IN TURN, ASKING FOR EACH:

• Describe your thoughts coming to a bit of road like this / what's going through your mind
• • How do you react in how you are driving / what do?
  • What speed might you normally be doing…? Why not any faster?
  • How judge whether that is an appropriate / suitable speed?

SHOW NEW ZEALAND SIGNS WITH ADVISORY SPEED - NZ 1&2 (in kph!)

• Some examples from New Zealand, which advise on speed according to type of bend. Seen in Scotland? How feel about this approach? Helpful or not, and in what respects? Would you observe advice or not in relation to your speed?

Statements EXPLORE INDIVIDUALLY

• A - '7 out of 10 fatalities are on the open road': What saying? What understand by 'fatalities' and 'open road'? Credible? Why is this the case - higher death rate on open roads? How react to this? Any effect on own attitudes to driving out of town? Why / why not?

• B - 'You don't need to be speeding to lose control on a rural road': What trying to say? What understand by 'speeding' - over the limit, or what else? What is the issue around 'losing control'? How much is this an issue with out-of-town driving and a cause of accidents? Ever happen to you? How feel about it? Who is this statement aimed at, in type of driver? What is the message to be taken from it? Credible? How react to it personally?

• C - 'Loss of control because of inappropriate speed is the biggest killer on rural roads': What is the message here? Believe or not? What understand by 'inappropriate speed'? How suitable to use, rather than simply 'speed' - what trying to say? Reactions to expression, 'the biggest killer'. Any impact on selves? To what extent make you think about the risks of out-of-town driving?
• D - 'Driving too fast for the road conditions is the biggest cause of death on Scotland's roads': Main message. What understand by 'for the road conditions'? What referring to - weather? Road layout? What is the effect of including this - strengthen or weaken the impact of the message cf. 'Driving too fast is….'? Also in comparison with 'Speeding is the biggest…' How compare with previous 2 statements above in terms of message, impact on issue of speed when driving?
• E - 'I can test out my driving skills on rural roads': What getting at? What mean by 'test out my driving skills' - in what respects (speed, bends etc)? How much relate to own approach to driving out of town. Do you see it as more of a challenge, to test yourself and the car? Why / what encourages this attitude? How much a factor in crashes?
• F - 'One in three of all car crash victims is under 25 years': What trying to say? Believe it or not? Why think this is the case? How react to it/ Relates to self or not?
• G - 'Rural roads need to be driven with extra care': Message? What mean by 'with extra care' - how / what do differently? How feel about this message / any effect on selves?
• H - 'Young drivers have a higher proportion of their accidents on unlit roads…': What is the message here / what types of situation referring to? How relate to it / believe or not? What mean by 'young drivers'? Personally drive in these situations? How react to this message?
• I - 'Drivers over 25 years are more likely to have fatal crashes during the day..': Message here? Believe it? What trying to say about driving behaviour out of town among over 25s? Apply to selves? How react to this message / any effect?
• J - 'For younger drivers, having 2 passengers…doubles the danger of a fatal crash..': What trying to say? How believable are the statistics? What circumstances referring to? Identify with or not? How react to this? What are the implications for younger drivers?
• Summing up statements: DISPLAY ALL Which have the most impact in terms of making you think about the risks of driving on out-of-town roads? What see as the main issues for you as a driver?

Options going forward

EXPLAIN Is a fact that the highest percentage of fatal crashes occur on out-of-town roads, and a relatively higher number of these involve younger drivers.

• What can be done about this / what action taken to reduce this death toll? How help / encourage / induce people to drive more safely on these roads - especially young drivers?
• SHOW OPTIONS How react to these possible ideas? In principle? Personally? Which support / oppose, and why? How practical is each?
• Raising legal age to 18 What effect would this have? Help situation or not
• Ban driving for 18-25s between 11pm - 6am Why? How practical? What effect? On all roads, or certain types only? Worthwhile or not?
• Restrict passengers for newly qualified drivers Who / what situations aimed at? Apply to all newly qualified? Or better by age rather than experience/newly qualified? Practical? Likely to have any effect? Why / why not?
• Extend the driving test to include driving on rural roads.. Why do this? Would it have any effect? Have any training on such roads / conditions as part of learning?
• Offer cheaper training such as Pass Plus.. How feel about post-test training generally? Sort of thing might have considered or not? Explore. Awareness and knowledge of Pass Plus (course of advanced driver training covering aspects not part of standard training for test). Worthwhile or not? What if linked to lower insurance for younger drivers? Likely to have any effect on accident rate among young drivers?
• Lower speed limits for rural roads In favour of or not? Explore. What is the limit at present? What might reduce to? What if 50mph? Benefit or not? What effect on how people drive out of town? Stick to lower limit or not?

Summing up

• How feel about the evening's discussion? Anything affected own attitudes towards driving out of town? What? What is the way forward? How can we achieve safer and less risky standards of driving and reduce the accident rate on out-of-town roads?

Thank and close