[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 160 (Thursday, August 19, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51544-51545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-19020]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-04-18675]


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 October 18, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to U.S. Department of 
Transportation Dockets, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Plaza 401, Washington, 
DC 20590. Docket No. NHTSA-04-18675.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan Block, Contracting Officer's 
Technical Representative, Office of Research and Technology (NTI-131), 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Room 5119, Washington, DC 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 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:

Increasing Safety Belt Use Among Children Ages 8-15

     Type or Request--New information collection requirement.
     OMB Clearance Number--None.
     Form Number--This collection of information uses no standard 
forms.
     Requested Expiration Date of Approval--October 30, 2007.
     Summary of the Collection of Information--NHTSA proposes to 
conduct immersion sessions with 27 families and triad interviews with 
288 children as part of a study on safety belt use by children 8-15 
years old. Participation by respondents would be voluntary. NHTSA's 
information needs require research to reveal the best interventions for 
influencing children 8 years and older to wear safety belts at all 
times when riding in a motor vehicle.
    Immersion sessions will be conducted with 27 different families: 9 
African-American, 9 Hispanic, and 9 White. Immersion is a research 
technique that involves ``immersing'' oneself in the environment of 
one's research subjects in order to better understand them. For this 
project, each immersion session will consist of interviewing a child 
and that child's family with his/her home environment over a two-hour 
period, while at the same time observing interactions among the family 
participants.
    A total of 96 triad interviews will also be conducted, using a 
sample independent from the immersion session sample. The triads will 
consist of 75-minute sessions with groups of three children in an 
information collection setting similar to that of a focus group. One-
third of the triads will be composed of African-American participants, 
one-third by Hispanic participants, and one-third by White 
participants. The triads will also be segmented by the sex of the 
participants, their age (8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15), and their level of 
safety belt use (full time use, part time use, and non-use).

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information

    Wearing a safety belt when riding in a motor vehicle is the single 
most effective action that a person can take to prevent injury or 
fatality in the event of a motor vehicle crash. Research has shown that 
lap/shoulder belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to 
front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of 
moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For light truck occupants, 
safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and 
moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.
    While more than 90 percent of infants and toddlers use safety 
restraints when riding in motor vehicles, the percentage drops 
significantly for older children. In 2003, 81 percent of children ages 
8-15 sitting in the front seat of passenger motor vehicles were using a 
safety belt according to observation data collected by the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Moreover, NHTSA's 
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) has consistently found more 
than one-half of child fatalities in the 8-15 age range not using a 
safety belt.
    Little is currently known about the context of safety belt use and 
non-use by 8-15 year olds as occupant protection studies have tended to 
focus on older or younger subjects. Yet encouraging safety belt use by 
8-15 year olds will not only help save young lives, but also help to 
establish health and safety behaviors that will be maintained for the 
rest of their lives.
    In order to meet the objective of increasing safety belt use among 
8-15 year olds, NHTSA needs additional information from formative 
research to assist in the development of programs, message, and 
strategies addressing this issue. If approved, results from the 
proposed research would be used to (a) reveal opportunities and 
barriers to 8-15 year old safety belt usage; (b) identify strategies 
and interventions that will motivate children 8-15 years old to wear 
their safety belts; and (c) reveal the most effective channels for 
reaching and influencing children 8-15 years old to wear their safety 
belts.

[[Page 51545]]

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

    Under this proposed effort, information collection would be 
conducted with members of the general public. Businesses are ineligible 
for the study and would not be interviewed.
    Immersion sessions two hours in length would be conducted with each 
of 27 families meeting sample selection criteria. The immersion 
sessions would be conducted in three different metropolitan areas. The 
families participating in the immersion sessions would have one or more 
children in the 8-15 age range. The sample would be selected to include 
families that differ on demographic factors as well as the child's 
frequency of safety belt use. Interviewing would be conducted in-person 
at the home of the families. Multiple family members would be 
interviewed during the immersion session. Each participating family 
member would complete one immersion session.
    In addition, triad interviews of 75 minutes in length per triad 
would be conducted with 288 children meeting sample selection criteria. 
Three children would be interviewed per triad. The triad interviews 
would be conducted in four metropolitan areas. The age, race and 
ethnicity, sex, and frequency of safety belt use would be the same for 
the three children in any triad; but would vary across triads. Each 
child participant would complete one triad interview.

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

    NHTSA estimates that each immersion session would be two hours in 
length. Family members would participate concurrently in the immersion 
sessions, with an average of 3.5 participants per family. Thus the 
number of reporting burden hours a year on the general public for the 
immersion sessions (27 families multiplied by 3.5 family members 
multiplied by 2 hours) would be 189 hours for the proposed study.
    NHTSA estimates that each triad interview would be 75 minutes in 
length. The three members of each triad would participate concurrently. 
Thus the total number of reporting burden hours a year on the general 
public for the triad interviews (288 children multiplied by 1 interview 
multiplied by 75 minutes) would be 360 hours for the proposed study.
    The combined reporting burden hours a year for the immersion 
sessions (189) and triad interviews (360) would be 549. The respondents 
would not incur any reporting cost for the information collection. The 
respondents also would not incur any record keeping burden or record 
keeping cost from the information collection.

Marilena Amoni,
Associate Administrator, Program Development and Delivery.
[FR Doc. 04-19020 Filed 8-18-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-M