[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 120 (Thursday, June 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37471-37472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15228]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0084]


National Automotive Sampling System

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The NHTSA is conducting a comprehensive review of the National 
Automotive Sampling System (NASS) research design and data collection 
methods as part of a major effort to modernize the system. Users of 
NASS and crash data may comment on the future utility of current data 
elements, recommend additional data elements and attributes, and 
describe their anticipated data needs.

DATES: Please submit all comments to the Docket by July 20, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to the docket number identified in 
the heading of this document by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Note that all comments received will be posted without change to 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. Please see the ``Privacy Act'' heading below.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit http://DocketInfo.dot.gov.
    Confidential Information: If you wish to submit any information 
under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit three copies of 
your complete submission, including the information you claim to be 
confidential business information, to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001. In addition, you 
should submit two copies, from which you have deleted the claimed 
confidential business information, to Docket Management at the address 
given above under ADDRESSES. When you send a comment containing 
information claimed to be confidential business information, you should 
include a cover letter setting forth the information specified in our 
confidential business information regulation. (49 CFR part 512.)
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the street 
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the 
dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions relating to the redesign 
effort, please contact Donna Glassbrenner, Mathematical Analysis 
Division, NHTSA, telephone: (202) 366-3962, email: 
[email protected]. She may also be reached at 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA is undertaking a modernization effort 
to upgrade the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) by improving 
the information technology (IT) infrastructure, updating and 
prioritizing the data collected, reselecting the sample sites and 
sample sizes, re-examining the electronic formats in which the crash 
data files are made available to the public, and improving data 
collection methods and quality control procedures, among other 
activities.
    NASS collects crash data on a nationally representative sample of 
police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes and related injuries. 
NASS data are used by Federal, State, and local government agencies, as 
well as by industry and academia in the U.S. and around the world. The 
data enable stakeholders to make informed regulatory, program, and 
policy decisions regarding vehicle design and traffic safety. The NASS 
system currently has two components: The General Estimates System (GES) 
and the Crashworthiness Data System (CDS).

[[Page 37472]]

While the GES captures information on all types of traffic crashes, the 
CDS focuses on more severe crashes involving passenger vehicles to 
better document the consequences to vehicles and occupants in crashes--
i.e., crashworthiness.
    NASS was originally designed in the 1970's, and has not received 
significant revision since that time with regard to the type of data 
collected and the sites of data collection. Over the last three 
decades, NHTSA understands that the scope of traffic safety studies 
have expanded and the data needs of the transportation community have 
increased and significantly changed. In addition, the distribution of 
the U.S. population has shifted over the past 23 years, and there is a 
growing need for the collection of information that addresses issues of 
crash avoidance. Recognizing the importance of this data, NHTSA is 
pursuing data improvement initiatives that will enhance the quality of 
the data collected and the overall effectiveness of the NASS.
    This modernization effort includes the following major objectives:
     Propose data elements for the crash investigation portion 
of NASS that are responsive to the current and future needs of both 
internal and external data users;
     Develop a detailed, executable sample design and data 
collection protocol blueprint that meets data needs in an effective and 
efficient manner while still maintaining national representativeness;
     Modernize the information technology (IT) infrastructure;
     Re-examine the electronic formats in which the crash data 
files are made available to the public; and
     Examine using new data collection methods and quality 
control procedures to improve data quality and timeliness.
    In order to meet these objectives, NHTSA invites stakeholders to 
comment on the current data elements, propose new data elements, make 
suggestions on the research design and data collection protocol for the 
modernized study, and make any other suggestions they feel NHTSA should 
consider to improve crash data.
    Current NASS data elements, coding instructions, and descriptive 
materials can be reviewed on NHTSA's Web site at: http://nhtsa.gov/NASS.

Terry Shelton,
Associate Administrator for the National Center for Statistics and 
Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2012-15228 Filed 6-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P