[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 248 (Thursday, December 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78504-78505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30851]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0122]


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 February 24, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
NHTSA-2013-0122 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: Dr. Kathy Sifrit, Contracting 
Officer's Technical Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety 
Research (NTI-132), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W46-472, Washington, DC 20590. Dr. Sifrit's 
phone number is (202) 366-0868 and her 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

[[Page 78505]]

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:

Mild Cognitive Impairment and Driving Performance

    Type of Request--New information collection requirement.
    OMB Clearance Number--None.
    Form Number--NHTSA Form 1240.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval--3 years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information--The National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to collect information 
from licensed older drivers about their driving habits in order to 
determine whether they are eligible to participate in a study of the 
effects of mild cognitive impairment on driving performance. Study 
participation will be voluntary and solicited through driver 
rehabilitation specialist (DRS) referrals of drivers suspected of 
having some degree of cognitive impairment by the State of Virginia 
Department of Motor Vehicle (VA DMV). A comparison group of drivers 
matched on age and sex who have not been diagnosed with cognitive 
impairment will also be recruited, either by contacting individuals who 
participated in other studies and gave their consent to be contacted 
about future research opportunities or by posting notices describing 
the research opportunity at Area Agency on Aging Senior Centers. People 
interested in in participating will contact a designated staff member 
through a toll-free number to enroll. During a brief telephone pre-
screening, a project assistant will explain inclusion and exclusion 
criteria for study participation. Candidate participants who meet these 
criteria will be enrolled in the study.
    A project assistant will make appointments to visit each enrollee 
to explain the study, answer questions about study participation and 
obtain his/her signature on the informed consent agreement. The 
remaining data for this study will be collected through both clinical 
and on-road evaluations by the DRS. At the completion of each on-road 
performance evaluation, an in-vehicle data collection system will be 
installed in the subject's own car to obtain driving exposure 
information. The in-vehicle system will include a device to collect the 
vehicle's Global Positioning System coordinates and a companion device 
to capture an image of the driver to confirm that the driver for each 
trip is the study participant.
    The Government may decide to fund an optional task to collect 
additional data. This Optional Task, if funded, would be conducted 
thorough monthly telephone interviews with a subset of the same 
drivers. In addition, a second set of clinical, driving exposure, and 
performance data would be collected one year after the initial set was 
collected, for the subset of participants in the Optional Task.
    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.
    Older adults comprise an increasing proportion of the (driving) 
population and there is reason for concern about the consequences of 
early stage dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and driver 
performance and safety, as these conditions become markedly more 
prevalent with advancing age. The objective in this project is to 
document differences in driving performance and exposure between 
participants with MCI and a comparison group of drivers. Analyses of 
these data will provide information about the relationship between 
scores on clinical measurements of cognitive impairment and multiple 
levels of driving performance and exposure among older adults. The 
improved understanding of changes in driving behaviors associated with 
MCI will help physicians, driving rehabilitation specialists, and 
others who provide guidance to older adults regarding driving safety to 
know when to recommend driving cessation. The findings from this study 
also will help clinicians to identify and intervene when a client with 
dementia begins to exhibit potentially risky driving behaviors. NHTSA 
will use the information to inform recommendations to health care 
providers and to the public regarding when the progression of a disease 
or condition causing cognitive impairment results in the need to 
transition from driving, with the ultimate goal of reducing injuries 
and loss of life on the highway.
    Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, 
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)--
Respondents will include individuals who have been identified by the VA 
DMV's medical referral and review practices as potentially cognitively 
impaired, have been required to obtain a DRS evaluation to retain their 
driving licenses, and have been diagnosed with mild cognitive 
impairment (MCI). Control respondents will include participants matched 
for age and sex who do not suffer from clinically diagnosed cognitive 
impairment. It is estimated that 90 telephone conversations will be 
conducted with respondents to descriptive solicitations, to yield 60 
participants; this assumes that up to half of those initially 
indicating interest will ultimately not meet inclusion criteria or be 
uninterested in participating.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden 
Resulting from the Collection of Information--The 90 telephone 
conversations will average 10 minutes in length including introduction, 
qualifying questions, potential participant questions, logistical 
questions, and conclusion. The total estimated annual burden will be 15 
hours. Participants will incur no costs from the data collection and 
participants will incur no record keeping burden and no record keeping 
cost from the information collection. If the Optional Task is funded, 
we assume a subset of 50% of the original sample would participate. 
These participants will be contacted by phone once a month for the 
period of one year. The resulting 12 contacts (approximately 10 minutes 
in length) of an estimated 50% of the original sample (30 participants) 
will result in a total estimated annual burden of 60 hours.

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

    Issued on December 20, 2013.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2013-30851 Filed 12-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P