[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58341-58342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24038]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0129]


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 the 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 November 21, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
NHTSA-2011-0129 using any of the following methods:
    Electronic submissions: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., 
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 changes to http://www.regulations.gov including any 
personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Traube, Contracting Officer's 
Technical Representative, Office of Human-Vehicle Performance Research 
(NVS-331), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Traube's phone number is 
202-366-5597. His e-mail address is [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

[[Page 58342]]

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:

National Survey of Driver Attitudes and Opinions of Advanced In-Vehicle 
Alcohol Detection Systems

    Type of Request--New information collection requirement.
    OMB Clearance Number--None.
    Form Number--NHTSA Form 1157.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval--Three years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information--NHTSA proposes to collect 
information from the public to assess attitudes and opinions of 
innovative vehicle-based technology for detecting drivers whose blood 
alcohol level exceeds the limit. A national telephone survey will be 
administered to 1,000 randomly selected drivers, age 21 and older, 
drawn from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national 
survey will be preceded by a pretest administered to 25 respondents. 
Participation by respondents will be voluntary. Survey topics will 
include public perceptions of advanced in-vehicle alcohol detection 
technologies currently being developed, and preferences and concerns 
regarding technology design and potential installation in vehicles. 
Interviews will average 15 minutes.
    In conducting the proposed survey, the interviewers will use 
computer-assisted telephone interviewing to reduce interview length and 
minimize recording errors. Interviews will be conducted with 
respondents using landline phones and with respondents using cell 
phones. The proposed survey will be anonymous; the survey will not 
collect any personal information that would allow anyone to identify 
respondents.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 
(NHTSA) mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce 
healthcare and other economic costs associated with motor vehicle 
crashes. In 2009, 10,839 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving 
crashes. Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood 
alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or 
higher. These alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 32 
percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United 
States.
    In a continuing effort to reduce the adverse consequences of 
alcohol-impaired driving, NHTSA in conjunction with the Automotive 
Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) is undertaking research and 
development to explore the feasibility of, and public policy challenges 
associated with, use of in-vehicle alcohol detection technology. The 
agency believes that use of vehicle-based, alcohol detection 
technologies could help to significantly reduce the number of alcohol-
impaired driving crashes, deaths and injuries by preventing drivers 
from driving while their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is at or 
above the legal limit. Alcohol detection technologies suitable for 
installation in new vehicles must be able to measure BAC in a no-
intrusive manner: that is, they must be seamless with the driving task, 
be highly accurate, fast, reliable, durable, and require little or no 
maintenance. In 2008, ACTS and NHTSA entered into a 5-Year Cooperative 
Agreement to ``explore the feasibility, the potential benefits of, and 
the public policy challenges associated with a more widespread use of 
unobtrusive technology to prevent drunk driving''. The goal of the 
Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) project is, through 
a step-by-step, data-driven process, to develop and test prototypes 
that may be considered for vehicle integration thereafter. Two 
technologies are being investigated; a touch-based approach allowing 
assessment of alcohol in human tissue and a breath-based approach 
allowing assessment of alcohol concentration in the driver's exhaled 
breath.
    As technology development progresses and decisions are being made 
about best practices for integrating such technology into vehicles, 
NHTSA is soliciting public opinions about the proposed in-vehicle 
alcohol detection devices. Optimization of technology and public 
acceptance of it once deployed will depend on the extent to which 
public attitudes are taken into account during the development process. 
Thus NHTSA seeks input from drivers to:
     Gauge public perceptions of advanced in-vehicle alcohol 
detection technology;
     Guide the technology design; and
     Guide a strategy for introduction of this technology.
    Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, 
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)--
Under this proposed effort, the Contractor will conduct 25 pretest 
telephone interviews and 1,000 national survey telephone interviews for 
a total of 1025 interviews. Interviews will be 15 minutes in length. 
The respondent sample will be selected from all 50 States and the 
District of Columbia. Interviews will be conducted with randomly 
selected persons with residential phones or cell phones. Businesses are 
ineligible for the sample and will not be interviewed. No more than one 
respondent will be selected per household. Each member of the sample 
will complete one interview.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden 
Resulting From the Collection of Information--NHTSA estimates that 
respondents will spend an average of 15 minutes each to complete the 
survey, for a total of 256 hours 15 minutes for the 25 pretest 
respondents and 1000 survey respondents. All interviewing will occur 
during a two-month period during 2012. Thus the annual reporting burden 
would be the entire 256 hours and 15 minutes. The respondents will not 
incur any reporting cost from the information collection. The 
respondents also will not incur any recordkeeping burden or 
recordkeeping cost from the information collection.

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

John Maddox,
Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2011-24038 Filed 9-19-11; 8:45 am]
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