Study Requirements

To participate in the study, you must:

 

  • Have a valid driver’s license
  • Be 18 years of age or older
  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible for employment in the U.S.
  • Own a personal automobile (year 2000 or newer)
  • Provide proof of vehicle registration
  • Provide proof of current insurance
  • Live in one of the selected field test sites:
    • Chicago, IL (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will Counties)
    • Billings, MT (Carbon and Yellowstone Counties)
    • Albuquerque, NM (Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia Counties)
    • Wichita, KS  (Butler, Harvey, Sedgwick, and Sumner Counties)
    • Portland, ME (Cumberland, Sagadohoc, and York Counties)
    • Miami, FL (Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties)
  • Plan to reside in the area for at least the next 10 months
  • Attend a 1.5 hour training session


The following vehicles will be excluded from the study in year 2 because they may not be compatible with the OBC or because of warranty:

  • All ¾ ton or larger pickups/vans, which would include for example Chevy/GMC 2500 series or higher, Ford E/F-250 or higher, and Dodge Ram 2500 or higher
  • All Mini Coopers
  • All Ford Focus
  • All Toyota Prius
  • All 2007 and older Mitsubishi
  • All 2007 and older VW
  • All Acura RL

In addition convertibles, motorcycles and leased vehicles will be excluded from the study.

 

If you meet these requirements and are interested in being part of the Road User Study, please complete the on-line survey to get started. Once you have completed the survey, a member of the study team will contact you if you are selected to participate in the Road User Study.

 

Compensation

Participants will be paid $300 after completing the training session and having the on-board computer installed in their vehicle. The monthly compensation will be $40 per month for 8 months. Participants will be paid a final compensation of $275 after completing the exit interview and having the on-board computer removed from their vehicle. The total compensation for completing all study requirements is $895.


If you withdraw from the study, you will receive payment to the point of withdrawal. For example, if you participate in the study for six months, you will be compensated $300 the first month after having the OBC installed in your automobile and $40.00 per month for months 1-6 that you participated ($40.00 x 6=$240.00). Therefore, your total compensation amount would be $540.00.