[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69815-69817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32276]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-99-6485]


Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Request for public comment on proposed collection of 
information.

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SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from 
the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB). Under new procedures established by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies 
must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, 
including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved 
collections.
    This document describes one collection of information for which 
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 14, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to U.S. Department of 
Transportation

[[Page 69816]]

Dockets, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Plaza 401, Washington, D.C. 20590. 
Docket No. NHTSA-99-6485.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan Block, Contracting Officer's 
Technical Representative, Office of Research and Traffic Records (NTS-
31), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh 
Street, S.W., Room 6240, Washington, D.C. 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB 
for approval, it must publish a document in the Federal Register 
providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of 
the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of 
information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must 
be included in such a document. Under OMB's regulations (at 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following:
    (i) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) How to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (iv) How to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks public comment on 
the following proposed collection of information:

Part Time Seat Belt User Program

    Type of Request--New information collection requirement.
    OMB Clearance Number--None.
    Form Number--This collection of information uses no standard forms.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval--June 30, 2002.
    Summary of the Collection of Information--NHTSA proposes to conduct 
periodic telephone surveys at each of two test sites to assess the 
level of public awareness and exposure to a program designed to 
increase seat belt use among part time seat belt users. The 
interviewing at each of the two sites would consist of three waves of 
500 interviews conducted among a randomly selected sample of persons 
age 16 and older. Participation by respondents would be voluntary. The 
interviewers would question respondents about their awareness of 
program messages and activities, and about their use of seat belts.
    In conducting the proposed surveys, the interviewers would use 
computer-assisted telephone interviewing to reduce interview length and 
minimize recording errors. A Spanish-language translation and bilingual 
interviewers would be used to minimize language barriers to 
participation. The proposed surveys would be anonymous and 
confidential.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
was established to reduce the mounting number of deaths, injuries and 
economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation's 
highways. As part of this statutory mandate, NHTSA is authorized to 
conduct research as a foundation for the development of motor vehicle 
standards and traffic safety programs.
    Seat belt use has increased substantially over the past two 
decades. Based on State observation surveys, NHTSA computed a seat belt 
usage rate of 69% for the nation as a whole in 1998. However, this 
figure obscured the fact that relatively few persons are consistent 
non-users of seat belts. Rather, research indicates that much of the 
observed non-use of seat belts occurs among persons who wear their seat 
belts on other occasions. Research further shows that seat belt use 
among these part time users tends to be a function of risk assessment; 
i.e., wearing their seat belts when they perceive greater risk and 
ignoring them when there is insufficient risk in their perceptual field 
to grab their attention. Thus persons were more likely to wear seat 
belts during inclement weather or while driving on the highway, but 
less likely to wear them on short drives along familiar routes.
    Because part time seat belt users considerably outnumber persons 
who never wear their seat belt, getting part time users to wear their 
seat belt ``every time'' would greatly increase seat belt usage 
nationally and improve highway safety. NHTSA presently is developing a 
program designed to increase seat belt usage among part time users. The 
program would be implemented at each of two sites in the United States, 
and would include educational and other activities to encourage the 
public to wear their seat belt all the time. Tied to the program 
implementation would be a comprehensive evaluation effort to assess 
program effectiveness. Observation surveys would be conducted to 
determine whether the program has had an impact on seat belt usage. 
However, whether or not a program has an impact depends both on the 
intervention reaching the target audience, and then its ability to 
elicit the desired behavior once it has penetrated to the target 
audience. A program may be effective in one of these tasks and 
ineffective in the other. In order to adequately interpret the results 
of the seat belt observation surveys, the program evaluation effort 
would include telephone surveys to collect information on awareness and 
exposure to program messages and activities.
    If approved, the proposed surveys would assist NHTSA in evaluating 
the effectiveness of a program designed to increase seat belt use among 
part time belt users. The results of the proposed surveys would 
identify whether the program interventions penetrated to the target 
audience(s), and provide the context in which the seat belt observation 
data would be interpreted. The findings from the evaluation would be 
used directly by State and local highway safety agencies, as well as 
other safety organizations, to develop and implement effective programs 
to increase seat belt use.
    Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, 
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)--
Under this proposed effort, a telephone interview averaging 
approximately 10 minutes in length would be administered to each of 
3,000 randomly selected members of the general public age 16 and older 
in telephone households. The respondent sample would be selected from 
each of two sites where a part time seat belt user program had been 
implemented, with a total of 1,500 interviews conducted per site. There 
would be three waves of interviewing conducted at each site, with each 
wave composed of 500 interviews per site. The survey waves would take 
place at strategic points related to the implementation schedule of the 
program. Interviews would be conducted with persons at residential 
phone numbers selected through random digit dialing. Businesses are 
ineligible for the sample and would not be interviewed. No more than 
one respondent would be selected per household. Each member of the 
sample would complete one interview.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden 
Resulting from the Collection of

[[Page 69817]]

Information--NHTSA estimates that each respondent in the sample would 
require an average of 10 minutes to complete the telephone interview. 
Thus, the number of estimated reporting burden hours a year on the 
general public (3,000 respondents multiplied by 1 interview multiplied 
by 10 minutes) would be 500 for the proposed survey. The respondents 
would not incur any reporting cost from the information collection. The 
respondents also would not incur any record keeping burden or record 
keeping cost from the information collection.

Rose A. McMurray,
Associate Administrator, Traffic Safety Programs.
[FR Doc. 99-32276 Filed 12-13-99; 8:45 am]
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