Experiences of driving on motorways: privacy notice
What is the evaluation about?
This privacy notice sets out how your information will be used to explore experiences of driving on motorways managed by National Highways.
As part of this evaluation, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), an independent social research organisation, will carry out focus groups and interviews with drivers in the Sheffield and Rotherham areas to better understand their experiences of driving on roads in this areas, especially on sections of the M1 motorway.
What is the legal basis for processing my data?
For the purposes of data protection legislation, National Highways are the data controllers and NatCen are the data processers. This means National Highways is responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing data from this study. For this study, the legal basis for processing data is ‘Public Task’.
Who will have access to my personal data?
All information collected will be stored in a secure folder by NatCen Social Research and AECOM (who are working in partnership with NatCen). Only the AECOM and NatCen research teams, who are working on this study, will have access to this data. Your personal data will not be shared with National Highways. The only information provided to National Highways will be in aggregated and anonymised form.
We will not share your contact details with any other parties. Your personal details will not be held for any longer than is necessary and will be securely deleted once the research has been completed which we expect to be in March 2026.
Do I have to take part?
Taking part in this study is completely voluntary. There is no statutory or contractual requirement to participate or provide any personal details. There will be no consequences if you choose to withdraw your consent to participate.
You can withdraw from the research if you wish, before, during or after you have completed the focus group or interview, until the data has been processed. If you wish to withdraw from the research, please contact NatCen for free on 0800 652 4568 or by emailing motorways@natcen.ac.uk. Please site our reference: P17715.
Who are NatCen?
NatCen is an independent social research institute. We design, conduct, and analyse research studies in the fields of social and public policy. You can find out more about NatCen on www.natcen.ac.uk
How NatCen will use your information
Data will only be used for research purposes. NatCen will write up the findings in report in a way that protects your anonymity as far as possible. The report may include quotes of what you have said. The quotes will be labelled anonymously.
NatCen will also not tell anyone else what you have personally said, nor will NatCen include any names or personal details in the report. The findings of the research will be published externally. All personal information will be securely deleted at the end of the project.
Will I be able to change my mind about participating at a later date?
Yes, you are free to withdraw from the research at any time. Please note that once data is brought together and analysed, we will not be able to change the overall results by removing individual information. However, you can always request that your personal data be deleted or updated, and we will let you know immediately if this is possible or not.
Who to contact if you have a query or a complaint?
To contact the research team at NatCen, please email motorways@natcen.ac.uk
You can also contact AECOM’s privacy team on privacyquestions@aecom.com
Under GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint about how information has been used or managed with the Information Commissioner’s Office at: https://ico.org.uk/