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To date, the main focus of intelligent transport systems (ITS) research programmes has been on technology development and proof of concept, rather than on understanding the implications of system implementation. Improved knowledge is needed about the ways in which drivers use ITS, their short- and long-term effects and how system performance can be optimised. The field operational test, or FOT, is a sophisticated evaluation method that can be used to answer these and other critical questions, and to stimulate market acceptance and demand for ITS. Although the large-scale FOTs conducted to date have yielded important insights into both the positive and potentially negative impacts of ITS, there is considerable scope for improving the design and implementation of FOTs. There are many advantages in doing so. The authors outline, in the form of a checklist, the critical steps and considerations involved in successfully planning and implementing an FOT, drawing on work undertaken in the EC-funded FESTA (Field opErational TeSt support Action) project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]