[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 3, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50495-50496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-24666]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2001-10525]


Two State Surveys of Alcohol Targets of Opportunity

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on proposed collection of 
information.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has 
a central role in the national effort to reduce motor vehicle related 
traffic injuries and deaths. The Partners in Progress goal is to reduce 
the number of alcohol-related fatalities from 15,935, in 1998, to 
11,000 by the year 2005. In support of this goal, in 1999, five states 
were awarded cooperative agreements by NHTSA to demonstrate and 
evaluate the effectiveness of traffic safety programs that combine 
increased law enforcement efforts with substantial publicity about 
these programs. These states were selected because of their potential 
for reducing the substantial number or percentage of alcohol related 
fatalities occurring each year within their state. Based on the 
successful implementation of these programs, an additional two states 
will be selected for data collection using essentially the same data 
collection instrument to determine the effects of these alcohol 
enforcement and publicity programs on drivers' attitudes and behavior 
regarding drinking and driving after drinking. Under procedures 
established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, NHTSA invites the 
general public and Federal Agencies to comment on the need for the 
proposed data collection, the types of questions respondents should be 
asked, ways to enhance the quality of the collection, and ways to 
minimize the burden on respondents.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 3, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to US DOT, Docket Management 
Facility, Docket Operations, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590, Docket Number NHTSA-2001-10525. It is requested 
but not required that 2 copies of the comment be provided. The Docket 
section is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marvin Levy, Ph.D., Contracting 
Officer's Technical Representative, Office of Research and Traffic 
Records (NTS-31), Washington, DC 20590, e-mail [email protected].

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 for a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with 
affected agencies and members of the public 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 
methods and assumptions;
    (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 response to these requirements, NHTSA asks for public comment on 
the following collection of information:

Two State Surveys of Alcohol Targets of Opportunity

    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: February 28, 2005.

Summary of the Collection of Information

    The Partners in Progress goal is to reduce the number of alcohol-
related fatalities from 15,935, in 1998, to 11,000 by the year 2005. In 
support of this goal, in 1999, five states were awarded cooperative 
agreements by NHTSA to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of 
traffic safety programs that combine increased law enforcement efforts 
with substantial publicity about these programs. These states were 
selected because of their potential for reducing the substantial number 
or percentage of alcohol-related fatalities occurring each year within 
their state. Based on the successful implementation of these programs, 
an additional two states will be selected for data collection using 
essentially the same data collection instrument to determine the 
effects of these alcohol enforcement and publicity programs on drivers' 
attitudes and behavior regarding drinking and driving after drinking.
    The objective of this survey is to determine the extent to which 
these two programs impact the awareness, attitudes, and driving 
behavior of motorists. It is anticipated that changes in enforcement 
levels should be reflected by changes in driver awareness, attitudes 
and behavior. For example, a state that substantially increases their 
alcohol-enforcement activities and provides substantial publicity might 
expect that respondents report a greater degree of awareness of these 
efforts as compared to before the program began. It may be expected 
that respondents would report they came in contact with law enforcement 
more frequently and drive after drinking less

[[Page 50496]]

often once the program began. In addition, the survey will provide 
information on driver awareness and acceptability of specific 
enforcement techniques being used as well as data regarding the ongoing 
national alcohol media campaign called You drink and drive. You Lose. 
The information to be collected by this survey is not available to 
NHTSA through any other source.
    Within each state, the survey will be administered in three waves 
(prior to the intervention effort, at the mid-point, and at the end the 
effort) by telephone to a probability sample of the driving age public 
(aged 16 years or older as of their last birthday). Participation by 
respondents is strictly voluntary. The interview is anticipated to 
average 8.5 minutes in length. Interviewers will use computer assisted 
telephone interviewing to reduce survey administration time and to 
minimize data collection errors. A Spanish-language questionnaire and 
bi-lingual interviewers will be used to reduce language barriers to 
participation. All respondents' results will remain anonymous and 
completely confidential. Participant names and telephone numbers used 
to reach the respondents are separated from the data records prior to 
its entry into the analytical database.

Description of the Need for and Proposed Use of the Information

    More than 308,000 persons were reported injured and nearly 16,000 
persons died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes during 1999 
(Traffic Safety Facts: 1999, NHTSA-National Center for Statistics and 
Analysis). NHTSA is committed to the development of effective programs 
to reduce the incidence of these crashes. In 1999, NHTSA awarded 
cooperative agreements valued at approximately $1,000,000 each to five 
states--Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas. NHTSA 
is currently in the process of awarding cooperative agreements to two 
additional states. Each state is responsible for implementing an 
enforcement and publicity programs and conducting both process and 
impact evaluations. Data to be collected include number and types of 
police stops made, and changes in alcohol-related violations and 
crashes.
    In order to reduce the work requirements for each state and to 
create sets of survey data that can be readily compared among the 
states, a separate award was made to a survey firm having expertise in 
conducting random telephone surveys. Thus, the survey data to be 
collected comprise only one part of the entire data set that will be 
assessed.
    The entire data set will be used to properly plan and evaluate new 
enforcement programs directed at reducing alcohol-impaired driving. 
States found to have implemented effective programs to counter the 
driving after drinking problem will prepare a Best Practices Guide that 
highlights the major features of their programs. These Guides will be 
disseminated among states that want to implement an improved alcohol-
enforcement program.
    The findings from this proposed data collection will assist NHTSA 
in addressing the problem of alcohol-impaired driving and in 
formulating programs and recommendations to Congress. NHTSA will use 
the findings to help focus current programs and activities to achieve 
the greatest benefit, to develop new programs to decrease the 
likelihood of drinking and driving behaviors, and to provide 
informational support to states, localities, and law enforcement 
agencies that will aid them in their efforts to reduce drinking and 
driving crashes and injuries.
    It should be noted that during the past decade NHTSA has conducted 
surveys on drinking and driving attitudes and behavior but these were 
from nationally represented samples and not related to specific 
statewide enforcement activities. Also, some survey data about an 
enforcement effort were collected years ago in one of the targeted 
states-Tennessee--but these data cannot be used within the context of 
the present study.

Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, 
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of 
Information)

    Under this proposed collection, a telephone interview averaging 
approximately 8.5 minutes in length would be administered to each of 
1,000 randomly selected members of the general public age 16 and older, 
in each of the two states in this study, at three different times over 
a 20-month period. A total of 6,000 individuals will be interviewed 
over the course of this study. Interview will be conducted with persons 
at residential phone numbers selected using random digit dialing. No 
more than one respondent per household will be selected, and each 
sample member will complete just one interview. Businesses are 
ineligible for the sample and would be not be interviewed. After each 
wave is completed and the data analyzed, the findings will be 
disseminated to each state for review.

Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden 
Resulting From the Collection of Information

    NHTSA estimates that respondents in the sample would require an 
average of 8.5 minutes to complete the telephone interview. Thus, the 
number of estimated reporting burden on the general public would be a 
total of 850 hours for all three waves of the proposed survey. The 
respondents would not incur any reporting or record keeping cost from 
the information collection.

Rose A. McMurray,
Associate Administrator, Office of Traffic Safety Programs.
[FR Doc. 01-24666 Filed 10-2-01; 8:45 am]
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