Recruiting Lexus Owners

[Westat1]

Owners of Vehicles with Advanced Technologies Wanted For Insights Into Technology Design & Effectiveness

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Westat to survey drivers about the advanced features on their vehicles. Advanced technologies include Advanced Cruise Control, Park Aid, Navigation Systems, or Night Vision. You may be one of the few drivers that have cars equipped with these advanced systems. Your unique insights will help us understand the impact these types of systems may have on driving safety and identify needed improvements in their design. You will receive $25 for participating in this research. Please call the toll-free number (1-888-825-4729) to participate.

What Are We Asking You To Do?

We are asking the primary driver of the equipped vehicle to take part in a 15-20 minute telephone survey. The survey will ask you what you think of the system, how and when you use it, how effective you think it is, impacts the system has had on your driving, and safety benefits. We are also interested in learning about positive or negative experiences you have had when using the system.

Why Should I Participate?

As an owner of a vehicle that may be equipped with these technologies, we need your help to understand how they influence driving safety. You will receive $25 for participating; but more importantly, you will be providing information that may lead to safer cars and better system designs. Westat (the organization conducting this survey) is a scientific research firm; it will not be collecting or reporting any sensitive personal information. It is not a marketing research firm, and will not use the information collected for any type of marketing or sales purposes. The researchers at Westat will respect your privacy and set up a convenient time for you to participate in the survey. All your answers will be kept strictly confidential as permitted by law, and at no time will your name be associated with the answers you give.

Who is Sponsoring the Research?

This research is sponsored by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for ensuring safety on our highways. New advanced technologies are becoming readily available on passenger cars, but little is known about their safety-related benefits or the usability of the designs. NHTSA is interested in getting an early indication of the safety-related experiences drivers are having with these relatively new devices.

Can I Find out About the Research Results?

Yes. If you would like, a report summarizing the findings of the research will be mailed to you once it becomes available. No personal information about individuals will be included in the report; only the combined data on the owners’ experiences will be presented.

What Are the Systems Of Interest?

The following list of advanced in-vehicle technologies are of interest; these systems may have come as either standard or as an option on your car. If your car is equipped with one (or more) of these systems, you qualify to participate in this study. Although some of these devices are sold as aftermarket systems, we are currently only interested in factory installed systems (those that came as original equipment when you bought your vehicle from the dealer). Some car manufacturers market these under different names, so we have provided some specific brand names as a reference.

Night Vision Systems (Night View, Night Vision)

Advanced Cruise Control (Active Cruise, Adaptive Cruise, Intelligent Cruise, Distronic, Dynamic Cruise, Dynamic Laser Cruise Control)

Park Aid (Park Distance Control, Reverse Park Aid, Parktronic, Reverse Warning)

Navigation and Route Guidance Systems (sometimes called a GPS system, excluding OnStar)

How Do I Participate?

If you are interested in participating and your car has one or more of the systems listed above, please contact Westat, toll-free at 1-888-825-4729. You will be asked to provide some basic information, and we will call you back at a date and time you specify to administer the survey. We encourage you to call at your earliest convenience to set-up a time for conducting the survey.

Thank you for your time,

Eddy Llaneras, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist, Westat