Evaluation of Female Driver Responses
to Impaired Driving Messages
Final Report -- December 2000
During September and early October 1999, 12 focus groups were conducted with 94 young women to evaluate their responses to anti-DWI messages. Ten groups were composed of women 21 to 35 years old; two additional groups were composed of women, 18 to 20 years old, who explored the views of underage drinkers. We chose 18 to 20 year old women to represent underage drinkers because they were adults and, therefore, did not need parental consent to participate in the study. Six of the focus groups were held in Landover and Rockville, Maryland, and six were held in Madison, Wisconsin, including the two with underage drinkers. In Maryland, PIRE staff recruited focus group participants via advertisements in local newspapers, e-mail, and work-of-mouth. Staff also handed out or posted flyers at local colleges, at subway stops, and in office complexes and restaurants that serve alcohol. In Wisconsin, a subcontractor recruited from an existing roster of women willing to participate in focus groups, and also posted circulars and announcements on the University of Wisconsin campus. Participants received a cash payment of $50 in Maryland and $40 in Wisconsin.
The following criteria were used to screen the women who were recruited for the focus groups:
As Figure 1 shows, fatal crashes when driving while alcohol impaired are most commonly a problem for women between the ages of 20 and 45, but also often occur among teenagers. Because people who have been drinking heavily for many years are least likely to be influenced by public service messages, we restricted our study to women drivers, aged 18 to 35, who drink alcohol.
Figure 1. Fatal crashes among female drivers with BACs of .10 and higher, by driver age*
*Computed from NHTSA 1997 Fatality Analysis Reporting System data.
The recruitment procedure was structured so the composition of the groups included the following:
PIRE staff chose existing media presentations aimed at preventing DWI. We collected messages for possible inclusion from sources such as NHTSA, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Blacks Against Drunk Driving, the Century Council, and others. With assistance from the NHTSA project officer, we selected examples of PSAs using different media techniques. We were not testing them for relative effectiveness. The PSAs were chosen so that we could address four questions:
We chose presentations from three mediums: video and television, radio, and print. The variety stimulated discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of each medium for anti-DWI messages. The media presentations also included informational, authoritative, and emotional approaches. PIRE's communications specialist created one authoritative radio spot, filling a gap we encountered.
The order of the media presentations were varied (video, radio, print), and the sequences within each medium were varied as well. This eliminated any effect that the order of viewing the media presentations might have had on the participants' opinions.
Australian PSA (90 seconds).
The PSA starts by showing three men relaxing outdoors during the day, perhaps at a barbecue. A telephone call warns them of the location of a "booze bus," a police checkpoint designed to stop drunken drivers. One man is about to leave as his friend says, "Aw, come on, one more's not going to kill you." He replies, "'I still have to drive, how about you mate?" The first man says, "I been driving for a long time and nothing's happened to me yet."
After drinking the beer his friend encouraged him to drink, he gets into a small truck with his son, but as he is driving away, he has trouble with the gearbox. "Are you all right, Dad?" "Yeah, I should have passed on that last beer." He expresses worry about getting arrested. The next scene is of his truck driving away from the camera, running a stop sign, and a semitruck demolishing his vehicle. This is shown at full speed and sound.
The last scene shows the man he had talked with previously receiving a telephone call. "He can't be (dead), he just left.” A woman, unaware of the call, approaches and announces that they should “drink up.” The notice at the end reads, “If you drink, then drive, you're a bloody idiot."
Costs (30 seconds).
Several statements are made in rapid succession by a young man talking about what it has cost him to get a DWI. The sequences overlap one another as he iterates his costs: jail, fines, assessments, remediation classes, restricted license, increased insurance, and the loss of his job. It occurs in one informal setting but with many cuts.
Zero Tolerance (30 seconds).
The camera scans a large group of law officers posing in their uniforms, both close-ups and long shots. "Law enforcement officers of X County have zero tolerance for drunk drivers. If you drink and drive, you risk being arrested and prosecuted. You will lose your license and have a criminal record. Your friends, family and coworkers support X County's special DWI patrol."”
Jessica Angel (15 seconds)
"Jessica Angel" opens with a home video quality shot of a 5- or 6-year-old child's birthday party. We hear the other children singing "Happy Birthday" to her. A graphic gives the location and date she was killed by a drunk driver. The final graphic is: "Get the Keys; Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk."
Funeral (60 seconds)
"Funeral" is narrated by a young girl, perhaps in elementary school. The initial video background shows family photos and home videos. "Family is very important. My family has a secret. Daddy drinks too much. Mommy tells him not to drink and drive. He may crash and kill somebody but Daddy just keeps on drinking and driving. It scares me." It shows a graphic of the number of drunk-driving fatalities in 1994. The video cuts to a funeral scene. "Daddy would drink and drive. He doesn't do that anymore ... and I sure do miss him.:" The video features all African American actors.
Lt. Sarah Johnson (20 seconds)
"Lt. Sarah Johnson" features a female voice introducing herself as Lt. Sarah Johnson of the Maryland State Police. "Maryland is serious about keeping drunk drivers off the highways this holiday weekend. The State Police will be out in force. Drinking and driving is not only illegal, it's deadly."
Michael Delaschmit (30 seconds).
The announcer speaks over what we assume is an amateur audiotape of a very young boy (perhaps a preschooler) talking. "Michael had plans for his future. He was killed by a drunk driver. Get the keys; Friends don't let friends drive drunk."
Warren G (30 seconds)
Warren G introduces himself and says that he is doing this in cooperation with RADD. (We informed the participants that RADD stands for Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving.) "Before you drink and drive, make sure someone will drive your butt home. Drinking and driving could result in a crash or a fine." This spot ends with a snippet of his music.
Trisha Yearwood (30 seconds).
"Hello, this is Trisha Yearwood. I know what it is like juggling a busy schedule. Before you go out to celebrate, plan ahead and find a designated driver." Her music plays at the end of the PSA.
Phillip's Killer.
The top of the page asks, "Think you can handle drinking and driving?" Most of the page consists of a picture of 15 young people at a gravesite. Below the picture in large letters is "So did Phillip's Killer" and, in much smaller letters, "in memory of our friend Phillip who was killed by an impaired driver." The bottom caption states that "It's illegal to drink if you're under 21. If you're under 21, don't drink. If you're over 21, don't drink and drive."
Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk.
On a bright red background is a picture of two young people with "KILLED" stamped across the page in large black letters. The date of their deaths is given below each picture. "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" is the caption across the bottom of the page against a white background.
Designated Driver—Policeman.
This PSA states in large print that "If You Don't Appoint A Designated Driver, One Will Be Appointed For You," with the picture of a uniformed policeman standing looking at the camera. The MADD logo is at the bottom of the page.
Designated Driver-Taxi.
The caption of the PSA is "If you forget to bring along a designated driver, remember, you can always rent one," with a photo of a taxi at the bottom. MADD is the sponsor of the ad.
Six focus groups were held in the PIRE offices in Landover and Rockville, Maryland, between September 14 and 23, 1999. Six additional focus groups were held in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 30 and October 1-2, at the offices of a national marketing firm in a special focus group room. All 12 focus groups were recorded using central microphones.
PIRE staff in Maryland completed a test of the final moderator's guide in Maryland on September 18 to fine tune logistics and double check the time needed to show the media spots. The female participants for this "dry run" were recruited informally by PIRE staff without lengthy screening. Slight adjustments to the focus group guide were made after the second focus group.
As the members of the focus groups gathered, they completed a short Participant Information Form covering demographics and a few general questions on their behaviors and attitudes toward driving and drinking (See Appendix C).
The focus groups at both sites lasted from an hour and a half to two hours. As it is important for the focus group moderator to be as similar to the participants as possible, women moderated all of the groups. A second team member took notes and assisted the moderator with the rating and ranking instruments, refreshments, and stipends.
The participants discussed their driving behaviors and attitudes, their drinking behaviors, and their attitudes about drinking and driving. They also gave their overall impressions of the media and specific reactions to PSAs. The Moderator's Guide is not meant to be a script. It is a discussion guide containing various topics for group discussion. Group interaction was encouraged during the discussion. Within each of the realms, participants were asked about any perceived differences between males and females.
In addition, the participants completed a rating form after viewing each media presentation. After a cluster of presentations (e.g., videos), they completed a ranking form. Participants discussed their ratings and preferences only after all forms were completed for the cluster. The rating form asked nine questions; the ranking form asked the participants to rank the spots within that medium from most to least memorable and most to least influential.
In the wrap-up, we discussed the various techniques used in the PSAs and participants' suggestions for improving them (see Appendix C).
The 12 focus groups conducted for this study were designed to explore how young women perceive drinking and driving, in general, as well as specific of anti-DWI PSAs. The results are valuable, not as a statistical representation of how the entire population feels, but as a range of the population's views. Focus groups also offer insights into why people respond as they do to a particular issue or experience.
The observer's notes on each group were augmented by listening to the tape recordings of the sessions. In addition, the participant demographics, the overall rankings, and the ratings completed for each media spot were tabulated and integrated into the report. Information from the focus groups was organized by (1) focus group, (2) question asked, and (3) media presentation viewed. The data then were examined for patterns and themes.
The qualitative data paint a picture of the various themes discussed in the focus groups. The discussions became somewhat repetitive by the last of the 12 focus groups, a good indicator that they adequately represented the range of views discussed in the groups. The quantitative data present a more objective measure of participants' views before group discussions.
Our study is limited by three factors. First, the groups were held in only two sites: a large metropolitan area on the East Coast—the Washington, DC area, and a medium-sized city in the Midwest-Madison, Wisconsin. We cannot assume that these two sites represent all regional differences in the views of young women regarding anti-DWI messages.
Second, the population included in this study does not statistically represent young women in the U.S. population. We did not randomly select the women who participated even within the targeted age group. The quantitative data, though more objective, are not statistically representative of young women. The study is not intended to be a representative sample of the population of these two sites or of the nation as a whole.
Third, in the discussion section of this report, we talk about differences between men and women. Our data represent the participants' views of the differences between men and women regarding drinking-and-driving behaviors. This is a perceived difference and not an observed difference. We did not collect corresponding data from men in order to compare the findings.
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