[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 9 (Thursday, January 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2442-2444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-645]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2010-0179]


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 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 the collection of information for which 
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 14, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
NHTSA-2010-0179 using any of the following methods:
    Electronic submissions: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
    Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the 
Docket number for this Notice. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov including any 
personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan Block, Contracting Officer's 
Technical Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety Research (NTI-
131), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue, SE., W46-499, Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Block's phone number is 
202-366-6401 and his email 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 
submission of responses.
    In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks public comment on 
the following proposed collection of information:

Demonstration Tests of Different High Visibility Enforcement Models

    Type of Request--New information collection requirement.
    OMB Clearance Number--None.
    Form Number--NHTSA Forms 1121, 1122, 1123.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval--3 years from date of 
approval.

[[Page 2443]]

    Summary of the Collection of Information--The National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to collect information 
from the public to evaluate three programs of sustained enforcement of 
the drinking and driving laws. The programs will extend over a period 
of 2 years. A baseline wave of telephone interviews with residents in 3 
program sites and 2 comparison sites not carrying out a demonstration 
program will be conducted prior to the start of the enforcement 
program. Additional telephone survey waves will be conducted at each of 
the 5 sites at approximately 6 month intervals following the baseline 
survey wave until a final telephone survey wave is conducted after the 
conclusion of the program, for a total of 5 telephone survey waves 
including the baseline. Sample size for the program sites will be 1,200 
while sample size for the comparisons sites will be 500, totaling 
23,000 interviews. During the 3rd and 5th survey waves, 50 individuals 
interviewed during the baseline wave at each of the sites will be re-
interviewed. This will add 500 interviews, for a grand total of 23,500 
telephone interviews over a period of approximately 26 months. The 
survey will ask questions about drinking behavior, awareness of the 
enforcement program, impressions of the program's effectiveness and 
utility, and perceived risk of alcohol-impaired drivers being stopped 
by law enforcement officers. Interview length will average 10 minutes.
    Augmenting the telephone surveys at each of the 3 program sites 
will be data collected from individuals at locations where there is an 
increased likelihood of persons at high risk of driving while alcohol-
impaired, i.e., at bars. Data will be collected from 100 bar patrons 
concurrent with each of the 5 telephone survey waves for a total of 
1,500 face-to-face interviews. Interview length will average 5 minutes 
and ask about awareness of the program and perceived risk of alcohol-
impaired drivers being stopped by law enforcement officers.
    Data will also be collected from drivers at the program and 
comparison sites through a roadside survey before, midway, and after 
the 2-year intervention period. Breath samples will be obtained to 
identify any changes in the distribution of roadside BACs (Blood 
Alcohol Concentration) across data collection periods, and the drivers 
will also be administered a 5-minute face-to-face interview. Sample 
size will be 100 drivers per site per data collection wave, for a total 
of 1,500 drivers. The interviews will collect information on program 
awareness and perceived risk of an alcohol-impaired driver being 
stopped by law enforcement officers.
    In conducting the proposed telephone interviews, the interviewers 
would use computer-assisted telephone interviewing to reduce interview 
length and minimize recording errors. The proposed data collection at 
bars and the roadside survey would be anonymous; they would not collect 
any personal information that would allow anyone to identify 
respondents. The telephone interviews during wave 1 will include some 
collection of personally identifying information in order to conduct a 
small number of re-interviews during waves 3 and 5. However, that 
information will be held exclusively by the survey contractor, 
protected from disclosure to any other parties, and destroyed once no 
longer needed for re-contacting prospective respondents. Moreover, the 
personally identifiable information will be separated from the survey 
responses. No personally identifiable information will be collected 
during telephone survey waves 2 through 5.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information--NHTSA was established to reduce the 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.
    The heavy toll that alcohol-impaired driving exacts on the nation 
in fatalities, injuries, and economic costs is well documented. High 
visibility enforcement has historically had the strongest support in 
the research literature for effectiveness in reducing alcohol-impaired 
driving. Studies have demonstrated that prolonged commitment to highly 
visible and well-publicized enforcement of the drinking and driving 
laws, with enforcement and communication activities conducted on a 
regular basis, can result in substantial reduction in alcohol-related 
and alcohol-impaired driving crashes. In practice, however, law 
enforcement agencies have consolidated their high visibility alcohol 
enforcement efforts into a small number of enforcement waves that occur 
each year. The high visibility enforcement becomes an enhanced form of 
enforcement rather than something that the officers normally do. Thus 
attempting to sustain the high visibility enforcement over time entails 
determining how law enforcement agencies can integrate high visibility 
enforcement of the drinking and driving laws so that it is not 
producing an extra burden for officers but is rather a normal and 
regular part of their work.
    NHTSA plans to demonstrate three community programs of high 
visibility enforcement of the drinking and driving laws. Two of those 
programs will be designed as fully integrated high visibility 
enforcement programs. Since many law enforcement agencies would be 
unable to move directly to a fully integrated program, a third program 
will be demonstrated that is operating at an intermediate level between 
current common practice and full integration. NHTSA will collect 
information to assess the extent to which the programs penetrate public 
awareness, how effective the programs are perceived by residents in the 
intervention communities, and whether changes occur over the course of 
the programs in the perceived risk of an alcohol-impaired driver being 
stopped by law enforcement officers. Because the alcohol crash fatality 
problem is concentrated among certain groups, particular attention will 
be paid to assessing this information for drivers most likely to drive 
at BACs above the legal limit. In addition to self-report information, 
NHTSA will collect roadside BAC data to obtain a measure of the 
distribution of BACs among drivers on the road.
    NHTSA will use the findings from this proposed collection of 
information to assist States, localities, and law enforcement agencies 
to design and implement sustained programs of high visibility 
enforcement of the drinking and driving laws.
    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 23,500 
telephone interviews, 1,500 face-to-face interviews with bar patrons, 
and 1,500 face-to-face interviews with drivers who participate during 
roadside surveys. The telephone interviews will be conducted with 
drivers age 18 and older in the five selected communities, with over-
sampling of drivers 18 through 34. Interview length will average 10 
minutes. Interviews would be conducted with drivers at residential 
phone numbers selected through random digit dialing. Businesses are 
ineligible for the sample and would not be interviewed. A total of 250 
respondents who complete the interview during the initial baseline 
survey wave will be administered the survey two additional times 
separated

[[Page 2444]]

by 1-year intervals, for a total of three administrations of the survey 
over slightly more than a 2 year period. All other members of the 
sample will be administered the survey one time only.
    The interviews with bar patrons will be conducted with individuals 
21 years of age and older. Interview length will average approximately 
5 minutes, and each member of the sample would complete one interview. 
Businesses are ineligible for the sample and would not be interviewed.
    The roadside survey interviews will be conducted with drivers 18 
and older. Interviews would average 5 minutes, and each member of the 
sample would complete one interview. Businesses are ineligible for the 
sample and would not be interviewed.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden 
Resulting from the Collection of Information--NHTSA estimates that 
respondents would require an average of 10 minutes to complete the 
telephone interviews or a total of 3,917 hours for the 23,500 
respondents. The interviews with bar patrons will average 5 minutes or 
a total of 125 hours for the 1,500 respondents. The roadside survey 
interviews will also average 5 minutes or a total of 125 hours for the 
1,500 respondents. The total number of estimated reporting burden hours 
on the general public would be 4,167. The annual reporting burden would 
be 1,923 hours based on a 26 month data collection period. The 
respondents would not incur any reporting cost from the information 
collection. The respondents also would not incur any record keeping 
burden or record keeping cost from the information collection.

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

Jeffrey Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2011-645 Filed 1-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P