[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 66 (Friday, April 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16487-16488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8341]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2002-11733]


Notice of Request for Renewal of a Currently-Approved Information 
Collection: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, Accident 
Recordkeeping Requirements

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
FMCSA is requesting public comment on its intent to request the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew a currently-approved 
information collection (IC) for commercial motor vehicle crash 
(accident) data collected and maintained by motor carriers. The request 
to renew the IC is necessary since OMB's current approval to collect 
this information will soon expire on August 31, 2002.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 4, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Signed, written comments should refer to the docket number 
that appears at the top of this document and must be submitted to the 
Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001. All comments received will be available for 
examination at the above address between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., e.t., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Those desiring 
notification of receipt of comments must include a self-addressed, 
stamped envelope or postcard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Deborah M. Freund, Office of Motor 
Carrier Research and Standards, (202) 366-4009, Department of 
Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 7:45 
a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Availability

    You can mail or deliver comments to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. You can also submit comments 
electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. Please include the docket number 
that appears in the heading of this document. You can examine and copy 
this document and all comments received at the same Internet address or 
at the Dockets Management Facility from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., e.t. Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. If you want to know that we 
received your comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped 
postcard or include a copy of the acknowledgement page that appears 
after you submit comments electronically.
    Title: Accident Recordkeeping Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-0009 (formerly 2125-0526).
    Background: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), 
at section 390.15 of title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 
require motor carriers to make all records and information pertaining 
to crashes (accidents) available to an authorized representative or 
special agent of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 
(FMCSA) upon request or as part of an inquiry. For the purposes of 
Sec. 390.15, the word ``accident'' is defined as an occurrence 
involving a commercial motor vehicle operating on a public road in 
interstate or intrastate commerce which results in: (1) A fatality; (2) 
bodily injury to a person who, as a result of the injury, receives 
medical treatment away from the scene of the accident; or (3) one or 
more motor vehicles incurring disabling damage as a result of the 
accident, requiring the motor vehicle to be transported away from the 
scene by a tow truck or other motor vehicle (49 CFR 390.5). Occurrences 
involving only boarding and alighting from a stationary motor vehicle 
or involving only the loading or unloading of cargo are not included in 
the definition.
    Motor carriers are required to maintain an accident register for 
one year after the date of the accident. The register must include a 
list of each accident. The information for each accident must include, 
at a minimum, the following elements: Date of accident; city or town in 
which or most near where the accident occurred and the State in which 
the accident occurred; driver name; number of injuries; number of 
fatalities; and whether hazardous materials, other than fuel spilled 
from the fuel tanks of motor vehicles involved in the accident, were 
released. In addition, the register must contain copies of all accident 
reports required by State or other governmental entities or insurers.
    There are no prescribed forms. The records are used by the FMCSA 
and its representatives as a source of information for investigations 
or special studies, and to assess the effectiveness of motor carriers' 
safety management controls.
    Respondents: Motor carriers.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden per Record: The FMCSA estimates 
approximately 155,000 accidents involving trucks and 17,000 accidents 
involving buses as defined in section 390.5 of the FMCSRs occur 
annually (source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
General Estimates System). Of these, approximately 80 percent involve 
trucks and buses operated by interstate motor carriers. About 85 
percent of the buses involved in crashes are school or transit buses 
and are not subject to this recordkeeping requirement. The number of 
accidents is therefore estimated to be 126,040 [124,000 (0.80  x  
155,000) + 2,040 (0.80  x  0.15  x  17,000) = 126,040].
    The agency estimates it takes approximately 18 minutes for 
interstate motor carriers to collect and record the seven elements of 
information on the accident register. Based on these assumptions, the 
agency estimates a time burden of 37,812 hours (126,040  x  18 minutes 
divided by 60 minutes) per year for accident report register 
information.
    Interested parties are invited to send comments regarding any 
aspect of these information collections, including, but not limited to: 
(1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the FMCSA, including whether the 
information has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the estimated 
burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
collected information; and (4) ways to minimize the collection burden 
without reducing the quality of the collected information.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; 49 U.S.C. 31132, 31133, 31136, 31502 and 
31504; and 49 CFR 1.73.


[[Page 16488]]


    Issued on: April 1, 2002.
Julie Anna Cirillo,
Acting Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-8341 Filed 4-4-02; 8:45 am]
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