[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 32 (Thursday, February 19, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7737-7738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-3470]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0037]


Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements: Agency 
Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

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 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 April 20, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Refer to the docket notice number cited at the beginning of 
this notice and send your comments by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, 
West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 
Washington, DC 20590.
    Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charlene Doyle, Contracting Officer's 
Technical Representative, Office of Regulatory Analysis and Evaluation, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., 
SE., NVS-431, Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Doyle's phone number is 202-
366-1276 and her e-mail address is [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 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 submissions of responses. In 
compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks public comment on the 
following proposed collection of information:
    Title: An In-Depth Examination of Pedestrian-Involved Hit-and-Run 
Crashes
    Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
    OMB Clearance Number: None.
    Form Number: This collection of information uses no standard forms.
    Abstract: 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. Between 1994 and 
2006, nearly 66,000 pedestrian deaths were identified within the United 
States, 12,000 of those by hit-and-run crashes. Furthermore, the number 
of pedestrians injured was as high as 61,000 for the year 2006. The 
annual number of pedestrian deaths has decreased in the aforementioned 
period, but the number of hit-and-run deaths has remained roughly 
steady. Thus, the proportion of hit-and-run-related deaths every year 
has increased. Hit-and-run crashes can be very difficult to identify in 
existing data sources, and they are also likely to be underreported 
whenever there are no serious injuries. Even a modest reduction in such 
crashes would result in improved safety for pedestrians, as well as a 
reduction in the costs to society and the victims of these crashes. 
Little previous information or research characterizes hit-and-run 
crashes, particularly research that provides a set of recommendations 
and tools to reduce the magnitude of the problem. Most of the 
background literature centers on describing magnitude, temporal 
occurrence, and some gender and age trends of people involved in hit-
and-run crashes. However, information about the physical environment, 
driver motivations, and countermeasures has not been extensively 
discussed in the literature.
    Solnick and Hemenway (1995) conducted one of the most comprehensive 
studies on hit and run crashes. The authors noted that most hit-and-run 
crashes occurred during the weekend nights. Similarly, they determined 
that the likelihood of a senior driver leaving the scene is about half 
of that of a young driver. Likewise, this study found that male drivers 
tend to be more likely to run than their female counterparts--there 
were eight male hit-and-run drivers for every five female hit-and-run 
drivers. Although hit-and-run crashes are a significant component of 
crashes and crash-related pedestrian injuries and fatalities, the 
available research on these crashes is limited.
    NHTSA is committed to developing effective programs that can reduce 
the incidence of pedestrian hit-and-run crashes. The best way to do 
this is to conduct an in-depth analysis of pedestrian-involved hit-and-
run crashes to identify the characteristics, magnitude, and impacts on 
traffic

[[Page 7738]]

safety. This study identifies the top 15 locations with high 
pedestrian-related hit-and-run fatalities. Then with a subset of these 
locations, an in-depth analysis will be conducted which will include a 
telephone survey of 900 drivers involved in a pedestrian collision 
where there are no current pending legal proceedings. Principal 
subgroups for analysis will be drivers who remained at the scene of the 
crash and those who fled, but were later identified. Participation by 
respondents would be voluntary. The sample would be drawn from court 
records in ten jurisdictions; the ten jurisdictions to be selected 
based upon an analysis of national crash data. NHTSA's information 
needs require a sampling approach that will identify drivers in hit-
and-run crashes in the United States to allow a preliminary description 
of the differences between drivers who run and those who do not.
    The questionnaire focuses on the circumstances leading up to the 
crash, the condition of the driver before and after the crash, the 
extent of any pedestrian injuries that resulted from the crash, and the 
response to the crash of the driver, the driver's passengers or 
bystanders. Standard demographics are asked at the beginning of the 
interview. In conducting the proposed survey, the interviewers would 
use computer assisted telephone interviewing to reduce interview length 
and minimize recording errors. The proposed survey would be anonymous 
and confidential.
    Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, 
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information): 
Under this proposed effort, the Contractor would conduct 900 telephone 
interviews averaging approximately 30 minutes each. We expect to need 
to contact 9000 drivers to obtain this number of responses. The 
respondent sample would be selected from among drivers identified from 
police and court records as having been convicted of an offense 
resulting from a pedestrian-involved crash in jurisdictions having high 
numbers of such crashes. Using publicly available data sources drivers 
would be matched with telephone numbers. Each member of the sample 
would complete one interview.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden 
Resulting From the Collection of Information: NHTSA estimates a 10% 
response rate, due to the sensitivity of the survey subject matter. In 
order to achieve a sample size of 900, a total of 9,000 individuals 
must be contacted and screened. The 8,100 individuals who are 
contacted, but who refuse or are otherwise ineligible for the survey, 
would require an average of 3 minutes to complete the screener 
questionnaire for a total of 405 hours. Each respondent in the final 
survey sample of 900 drivers would require an average of 30 minutes to 
complete the telephone interview or a total of 450 hours. Thus, the 
number of estimated reporting burden hours a year on the general public 
would be 855 for the proposed survey (405 for the incomplete surveys, 
and 450 for the full survey administration). The respondents would not 
incur any reporting cost from the information collection. The 
respondents also would not incur any recordkeeping burden or 
recordkeeping cost from the information collection.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

James F. Simons,
Director, Office of Regulatory Analysis and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. E9-3470 Filed 2-18-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P