[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 152 (Monday, August 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39991-39992]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19029]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0142]


Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping 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 procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), 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 submitted on or before October 9, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation Dockets, 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE., W46-474, Washington, 
DC 20590. Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0142.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Roberts, PhD, Contracting 
Officer's Technical Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety 
Research (NTI-132), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE., W46-495, Washington, DC 20590. Dr. Roberts' 
phone number is 202-366-5594 and his 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;

[[Page 39992]]

    (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:

Evaluation Surveys for Distracted and Unsafe Driving Interventions

    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: December 31, 2012.
    Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to conduct a series of 
telephone surveys that will examine the effectiveness of high 
visibility enforcement demonstration programs to increase public 
awareness of the dangers of distracted and unsafe driving behaviors 
associated with mobile electronic devices like cell phones. 
Participation by respondents would be voluntary. Survey topics would 
include awareness of program activities, awareness of enforcement 
activities, attitudes towards distracted driving, understanding of 
relevant traffic laws, and the frequency of various unsafe driving 
behaviors.
    In conducting the proposed survey, 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 survey would be anonymous; the survey would 
not collect any personal information that would allow anyone to 
identify respondents. Participant names would not be collected during 
the interview and the telephone number used to reach the respondent 
would be separated from the data record prior to its entry into the 
analytical database.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
was established by the Highway Safety Act of l970 (23 U.S.C. 101) to 
carry out a Congressional mandate to reduce the mounting number of 
deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle 
crashes on the Nation's highways. In support of this mission, NHTSA 
proposes to conduct information collections to assess the effectiveness 
of interventions designed to assess the public's awareness of the 
dangers of distracted driving and of using mobile electronic devices 
including cell phones. An essential part of this evaluation effort is 
to compare baseline and post-intervention measures of attitudes, 
intervention awareness, and (relevant) self-reported behavior to 
determine if the interventions were associated with changes on those 
indices. The proposed study, to be administered in the first quarter of 
2010, and in each of the next three quarters thereafter, will collect 
data on topics included in NHTSA's annual studies on the effectiveness 
of Click It or Ticket safety belt campaigns (and some additional 
topics), including: whether the driving public saw or heard paid media 
advertising about the high visibility enforcement campaign, whether 
they saw or heard increased law enforcement about the high visibility 
enforcement campaign, frequency of engaging in electronic mobile 
communication devices while driving, understanding of cell phone laws, 
attitudes about driving risk, and whether they had personally 
experienced increased law enforcement.
    The findings from this proposed collection of information will 
assist NHTSA in addressing the problem of distracted 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 distracted driving, and to provide informational support 
to States, localities, and law enforcement agencies that will aid them 
in their efforts to reduce distracted driving crashes.
    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 pre-
intervention and post-intervention surveys four times over the course 
of a year in demonstration sites and comparison sites. A total of 18 
telephone pretest interviews averaging 10 minutes in length would be 
administered to test the computer programming of the questionnaire, and 
to determine if any last adjustments to the questionnaire are needed. 
Following any revisions carried out as a result of the pretest, the 
Contractor would conduct telephone interviews averaging approximately 
10 minutes in length with 9,600 randomly selected member of the general 
public residing in the State(s) in which the demonstration program is 
taking place, age 16 and older, in telephone households and in cell 
phone only households. Interviews would be conducted with persons at 
residential phone numbers selected through random digit dialing. 
Federal law prohibits the use of auto dialing to call cell phones. 
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 Recordkeeping Burden 
Resulting From the Collection of Information--NHTSA estimates that the 
pretest interviews would require an average of 10 minutes apiece, or a 
total of 3 hours for the 18 respondents. Each respondent in the final 
survey sample would require an average of 10 minutes to complete the 
telephone interview or a total of 1,600 hours for the 9,600 
respondents. Thus, the number of estimated reporting burden hours a 
year on the general public would be 1,603 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 recordkeeping cost from the information collection.

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

Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. E9-19029 Filed 8-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P