APPENDIX D.

Focus Group Scripts

Driver Focus Group Script

Introduction

Thank you for coming to the focus group today - we really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to share your thoughts and experiences with us.

I’m [name] with Toole Design - we’re a transportation planning, engineering, and design firm that focuses our work on improving transportation safety. The project you’re here for today is a research project related to walking and driving, specifically in darkness.

The project is being funded through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) which is an organization that focuses on making transportation safer for everybody and helping folks better understand and identify transportation issues. I’ll be guiding the conversation today and my colleague, [notetaker name], will be taking notes. [notetaker name] might jump in every now and then for clarification to make sure we’re capturing your thoughts accurately.

You were invited to participate because you responded that you walk and/or drive at night. Today, we’ll be talking about walking in the dark and how you may (or may not) behave differently as a pedestrian at night versus during the day.

What we talk about today and what we learn about will be included in the final research report and, hopefully, help inform cities, states, and others about how to make roadways safer. As an FYI, we will summarize the findings from this session for our research project and we may use quotes from this session, but we will never identify any of you by name in our write-up.

This discussion will last around 90 minutes. I’m really hoping, and will do my best, to make sure that everybody gets a chance to talk today. I also want to emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers to questions today. We’re really trying to dig into your personal experience - so if you disagree with what somebody else is saying, that’s totally fine, and we encourage you to give your point of view. But please be respectful of all experiences and options. Does anybody have any questions before we begin?

Let’s start with a quick go around with who’s in the room:

• Name
• Part of LA/Atlanta where you live
• Area of LA/Atlanta where you drive at night the most

Discussion

Driving at Night: Setting the Scene

Menti (or hand-raising) questions:

1. How often do you drive after dark?
   • – Every day
   • – 1-2 times/week
   • – 1-2 times/month
   • – Less than once a month (rarely)
2. What is that top reason you drive after dark? Second top?
   • – Recreation
   • – Errands, groceries, etc.
   • – Get to/from entertainment
   • – Get to/from transit
   • – Get to/from school/work
   • – Other

Behavior Difference During the Day vs. Night

Crashes between drivers and pedestrians are more likely to happen at night, so we’re going to be digging into some potential reasons why today. Also – a reminder – there are really no right or wrong answers, so don’t be afraid to say something. We’d much rather know what you really do than what you “think” you should be doing.

3. Do you find that you drive differently at night versus in the day? If so, how?
4. When you drive, what do you do to look for people walking?
   • – If so, how do you do that?
5. Do you look (or not look) for people walking any differently at night than you do during the day?
   • – If so, what’s the difference?
6. Where are some locations either along a street or in general where you expect people to cross the street?
   • – Does your driving behavior change at all when you’re near these locations? If so, how?
   • – Does your driving behavior change any more near these locations at night? If so, how?

Pedestrian Behavior Expectations

7. How do you expect people walking to behave when they’re walking at night?
   • – Do you expect them to yield to you or vice versa?
   • – Do you expect them to do anything to make themselves more visible? If so, what?
8. Have you ever had an instance when a pedestrian was crossing the street and you didn’t see them until they were too close for comfort?
   • – If so, can you think of any factors that would have increased your ability to react in that circumstance?

Visibility

Now I’d like to talk a bit about visibility since, as we all know, it’s harder to see in the dark.

9. I know we just talked a lot about people walking. Is there anything else that you find especially challenging to see at night when you’re driving? Is there anything that you try extra hard to see at night (e.g., markings, signs?)

10. I know a lot of your cars probably have screens in them, either on the dashboard, in the back seat to entertain kids, or on your/your passenger’s phones. Have you ever noticed any effect on your ability to see outside of the car?
    • – How have you reacted to that effect (e.g., slowed down, pulled over)?
11. Have you noticed any effect on your ability to see outside of the car from vehicle cabin light sources, such as the dashboard or the small lights that you can turn off and on inside the car?
    • – How have you reacted to that effect?
12. Are there other aspects of driving at night that make it difficult for you to see?
    • – If so, what would you change in an ideal world?

Speed policy

From a safety perspective, we know that vehicle speed is the most important factor related to how bad a crash is - the faster the vehicle is going, the worse the crash.

13. If you knew that slower speeds at night could save driver, bicyclist, and pedestrian lives, would you be willing to accept and obey lower nighttime speed limits?

• – Imagine yourself driving more slowly and taking a little longer to get to your destination at night…what feelings come up for you?
• – Why do you think those feelings arise?
• – Is there anything your city could do to make slower nighttime driving more acceptable to you?

Closing

Thanks again for being part of this discussion today and helping us better understand driver behaviors at night. Over the next few months we’ll be writing up our notes from this discussion and adding it to the research report. If you’re interested in seeing the report once it’s complete, make sure you check the box on the sign-in sheet (if you haven’t already) on your way out.

Also, if you have any thoughts over the next few weeks related to this discussion, I brought a stack of business cards. Feel free to email me and I’ll add it to our discussion notes.

Pedestrian Focus Group Script

Introduction

Thank you for coming to the focus group today - we really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules to share your thoughts and experiences with us.

I’m [name] with Toole Design - we’re a transportation planning, engineering, and design firm that focuses our work on improving the safety and comfort of active transportation - walking, biking, rolling, and transit. The project you’re here for today is a research project related to walking, and specifically walking in darkness.

The project is being funded through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) which is an organization that focuses on making transportation safer for everybody and helping folks better understand and identify transportation issues. I’ll be guiding the conversation today and my colleague, [notetaker name], will be taking notes. [notetaker name] might jump in every now and then for clarification to make sure we’re capturing your thoughts accurately.

You were invited to participate because you responded that you walk and/or drive at night. Today, we’ll be talking about walking in the dark and how you may (or may not) behave differently as a pedestrian at night versus during the day.

What we talk about today will be included in the final research report and, hopefully, help inform cities, states, and others about how to make roadways safer for people walking at night. As an FYI, we will summarize the findings from this session for our research project and we may use quotes from this session, but we will never identify any of you by name in our write-up.

This discussion will last around 90 minutes. I’m really hoping, and will do my best, to make sure that everybody gets a chance to talk today. I also want to emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers to questions today. We’re really trying to dig into your personal experience - so if you disagree with what somebody else is saying, that’s totally fine, and we encourage you to give your point of view. But please be respectful of all experiences and options. Does anybody have any questions before we begin?

Virtual: Do the consent form now.

Icebreaker

Let’s start with a quick go around with who’s in the room:

• Name
• Part of LA/Atlanta where you live
• Area of LA/Atlanta where you walk at night the most

Discussion

Walking at Night: Setting the Scene

Menti (or hand-raising) questions:

1. How often do you walk after dark?
   • – Every day
   • – 1-2 times/week
   • – 1-2 times/month
   • – Less than once a month (rarely)
2. What is the top reason you walk after dark? How about your second reason?
   • – Recreation or exercise
   • – Errands, groceries, etc.
   • – Get to/from entertainment
   • – Get to/from transit
   • – Get to/from school/work
   • – Other
3. How safe do you feel walking in the dark compared to walking during the day specifically related to transportation safety (e.g., getting in a crash)? Discuss.
   • – Less safe
   • – Just as safe
   • – More safe
4. How safe do you feel walking at night compared to walking during the day overall, and thinking about safety beyond just transportation safety? Discuss. (This discussion could include social-political factors such as presence of youth, men, law enforcement, and unkind neighbors, doors, abandoned homes, animals, and lack of street maintenance, particularly during winter months that all impact one’s decision to cross the street, during the day or night?)
   • – Less safe
   • – Just as safe
   • – More safe

Crossing the Street and Risk

Most crashes between people walking and people driving happen when pedestrians are crossing the street. Because of that, we’re going to be talking a lot about crossing today. Also – a reminder – there are really no right or wrong answers, so don’t be afraid to say something. We’d much rather know what you really do than what you “think” you should be doing.

5. To begin, what do you think about when you’re crossing or deciding to cross a street during the day? Do you think about different things if you’re crossing a major street versus a neighborhood street?
   • – How do you decide to change your crossing behavior/location if there’s a crosswalk or other feature (sign, RRFB, signal, etc.) nearby?
6. Do you change what you think about when you cross a street at night compared to during the day? If so, how?
   • – Follow-up: Is there anything you do at night to be safer while crossing that you don’t do during the day? Do you do anything difference if you’re walking alone versus in a group?
     • Potential prompts:
     • Cross in different places
     • Wear bright clothing or carry a light
     • Look for larger gaps in traffic
     • Cross at signals/intersections

Crossing at Midblock or Intersections

7. Compared to the daytime, how likely are you to cross in the middle of a block at night - a location without an intersection or signal? Why?
   • – The same as during the day
   • – More likely to cross mid-block at night
   • – Less likely to cross mid-block at night
8. Thinking about the last time you crossed the street at night, what was the location like where you crossed? Was there a signal, crosswalk, nothing?
   • – What did you consider when you decided to cross there?
9. In general, do you act differently when you cross the street at night at an intersection versus mid-block -a location without an intersection or signal? Why?
   • – Cross in different places?
   • – Cross faster?
   • – Space allowance between you and cars?
   • – Any other risk considerations?

Visibility

We all know that it’s harder to see at night than during the day. I’d like to learn more about how that does or doesn’t impact your behavior when you’re walking at night.

10. How visible do you think you are when crossing the street in the darkness in an area without streetlights (the driver is using headlights):
    • – completely invisible
    • – visible, but hard to see
    • – somewhat visible
    • – very visible
11. Using that same scale, how visible do you think you are to drivers using headlights when you are crossing the street in darkness in an area with functioning streetlights?
    • – completely invisible
    • – visible, but hard to see
    • – somewhat visible
    • – very visible
12. Does your behavior change depending on how dark it is? Do you do anything to make yourself more visible?
13. Have you ever purposely or intentionally worn high-visibility clothing or accessories when walking at night?
    • – If so, what have you worn?
    • – How often do you wear it (rarely, occasionally, about half the time, often, almost always)?
    • – If you have never worn or do not usually wear high-visibility clothing or accessories when walking at night, why not?

Making Improvements

Today, we’ve heard a lot about how you feel and sometimes act differently when walking at night to be safe. Now, I’d like you to be problem solvers.

14. If somebody from the City asked - "What are the top two things we could do to help you feel safer when crossing the street at night, what would they be?
    • – Prompts: change the street design, change the speed limit, install additional street lighting)? If so, please elaborate.

Closing

Thanks again for being part of this discussion today and helping us better understand pedestrian behaviors at night. Over the next few months, we’ll be writing up our notes from this discussion and adding it to the research report. If you’re interested in seeing the report once it’s complete, make sure you check the box on the sign-in sheet (if you haven’t already) on your way out.

Also, if you have any thoughts over the next few weeks related to this discussion, I brought a stack of business cards. Feel free to email me and I’ll add it to our discussion notes.