Fostering the Use of the Auto Safety Hotline for Defects Reports: A Focus Group Study

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Fostering the Use of the Auto Safety Hotline for Defects Reports: A Focus Group Study

S. W. Morris

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sponsored a focus group study to (1) assess public perception of its Auto Safety Hotline and (2) test possible approaches for increasing public awareness. Heightened awareness will encourage the public to report possible auto safety defects, increasing NHTSA's ability to monitor, report and resolve such problems. The focus groups were conducted with participants from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and from Denver, Colorado. Eight focus groups were held, four with the general public and four with people who had called the Hotline. Preliminary tests of messages about the Hotline indicate that the public would be most likely to respond to a message that demonstrates how the Hotline helps and protects drivers and passengers. No member of the general public knew about the Hotline, while callers had heard of it when trying to resolve automobile problems. Thus, NHTSA must undertake a long-term publicity campaign that introduces the Hotline to the general public and maintains public awareness of it.