Consumer Reaction to Call Boxes on the Dulles Toll Road in Virginia

Button, Kenneth; Higgins, Lee; Vachal, Kimberly · 2001 · ROSA P / George Mason University

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This report evaluates consumer reactions to the installation of roadside call boxes on the Dulles Toll Road in Northern Virginia, commissioned by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The study aims to assess whether these installations improve customer service, determine their role relative to other communication methods like cellular phones, and examine their potential to accelerate the clearance of roadside obstacles. The research is motivated by the need to understand user expectations and the cost-effectiveness of call boxes in a high-income, high-technology region where cellular phone penetration is significantly higher than the national average. The methodology involved a contextual analysis of existing call box systems across the United States and a pre-installation survey of Dulles Toll Road users. The survey distributed 10,000 prepaid cards to 5,000 SmartTag holders via mail and 5,000 users at toll plazas, stratified by time of day and location to capture diverse usage patterns. Of the 10,000 distributed, 931 responses were received, yielding a 9.3% response rate. The respondents were predominantly regular users of the toll road, with 76% reporting they carried cellular phones while driving. The survey queried past experiences with roadside assistance, methods used to obtain help, and the likelihood of using call boxes in future emergencies. The findings reveal that despite high cellular phone availability, there is significant support for the call box initiative. Over 60% of respondents indicated that if they needed assistance, there was at least a possibility they would use a call box. Historically, cellular phones were the primary method for obtaining roadside assistance, used by nearly 50% of those needing help on the Dulles Toll Road and 59% in other locations. In contrast, only about 4% of respondents reported using call boxes in previous incidents elsewhere. The report also notes that while call box usage has remained stable despite the rise of cellular phones in other states, the Dulles Toll Road represents a unique demographic with higher technology adoption rates. The significance of this study lies in its assessment of consumer willingness to use traditional infrastructure in an era of widespread mobile communication. The results suggest that call boxes remain a valued safety net, providing reassurance and an alternative for those without cellular access or in situations where mobile service is unreliable. The report concludes that while cellular phones are the dominant tool for incident reporting, the presence of call boxes is generally supported by users, indicating that these systems continue to offer distinct benefits in terms of perceived safety and accessibility, justifying their inclusion in the toll road’s incident management strategy.

Key finding

Over 60% of Dulles Toll Road users indicated they would likely use call boxes for assistance despite 76% carrying cellular phones, and the majority of respondents expressed general support for the installation program.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 931

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• incidence prevalence

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence