[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 129 (Monday, July 7, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38358-38360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15782]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2014-0081]


Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements: Agency 
Information Collection Activity

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

[[Page 38359]]

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

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 5, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Refer to the docket notice number cited at the beginning of 
this notice and send your comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M- 30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number. 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 discussion below. We 
will consider all comments received before the close of business on the 
comment closing date indicated above. To the extent possible, we will 
also consider comments filed after the closing date.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal Holidays. Telephone: (202) 366-9826.
    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, (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit 
http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
    Confidential Business 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, 
at 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590. 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. 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).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charlene Doyle., Contracting Officer's 
Technical Representative, Office of Regulatory Analysis and Evaluation, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. 
SE., NVS-431, Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Doyle's phone number is 202-
366-1276 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 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:
    Title: Tire Pressure Monitoring System--Outage Rates and Repair 
Costs Study (TPMS-ORRC)
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously 
approved collection for which approval has expired.
    OMB Clearance Number: 2127-0626
    Form Number: This collection of information uses no standard forms.
    Required Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from the date of 
approval by OMB (i.e., estimated date of January 2018).
    Abstract. Improperly inflated tires pose a safety risk, increasing 
the chance of skidding, hydroplaning, longer stopping distances, and 
crashes due to flat tires and blowouts. Section 13 of the 
Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation 
(TREAD) Act, which Congress passed on November 1, 2000, directed NHTSA 
to conduct rulemaking actions to revise and update the Federal motor 
vehicle safety standards for tires, to improve labeling on tires, and 
to require a system in new motor vehicles that warns the operator when 
a tire is significantly underinflated.
    Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) were mandated in Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 138, so that drivers are 
warned when the pressure in one or more of the vehicle's tires has 
fallen to 25 percent or more below the placard pressure, or a minimum 
level of pressure specified in the standard, whichever pressure is 
higher, and may be informed about which of the four tires is 
underinflated. As of September 1, 2007, after a phase-in period 
beginning on October 5, 2005, TPMS was required on all new light 
vehicles (i.e., passenger cars, trucks, multipurpose passenger 
vehicles, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds 
or less, except those vehicles with dual wheels on an axle).
    Executive Order 12866 requires Federal agencies to evaluate their 
existing regulations and programs and measure their effectiveness in 
achieving their objectives. Since the phase-in of TPMS, there has been 
only one evaluation of TPMS. The TPMS-SS (OMB 2127-0626) was 
conducted in 2011, as a special study through the infrastructure of the 
National Automotive Sampling System (NASS), to collect nationally 
representative data on how effective TPMS was in reducing 
underinflation in the on-road fleet of passenger vehicles. Analysis of 
the survey results indicated that direct

[[Page 38360]]

TPMS is 55.6-percent effective at preventing severe underinflation as 
defined in FMVSS No. 138. However, effectiveness was substantially 
lower in vehicles that were 6-7 years old at the time of the survey. 
One explanation as to why this is true was the possibility that the 
drivers of these older vehicles were not taking all the maintenance 
actions (e.g., adding TPMS sensors to new vehicle tires, replacing non-
functioning sensors on current tires, having the system properly re-set 
when needed) that were needed in order to insure that they had 
functioning TPMS. Relevant data is needed to examine why the 
effectiveness of TPMSs in older vehicles is reduced and what can be 
done to increase it.
    Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, 
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information): 
This information collection will be completed via three separate 
surveys:
    Field Survey of Drivers and Vehicles. A survey of convenience, 
conducted in eight sites (two sites in each of 4 states--Colorado, 
Texas, Washington, Virginia), will collect 7,000 inspections of 
passenger vehicles of all model years from 2004 through the latest 
model year, as well as interviews of drivers of these vehicles. Focus 
will be on assessing the operating status of the TPMS in these vehicles 
and interviewing driver with and without operating TPMSs, regarding 
their knowledge about and habits related to the TPMS in their vehicle. 
Data collection is expected to take place over a six month period in 
the spring and summer of 2015, mainly at gas stations.
    Suppliers Survey. Major suppliers of TPMS sensors and systems will 
be interviewed. Focus will be on TPMS repair and maintenance issues, as 
well as cost factors. Data collection is expected to take place early 
2015 via a combination of telephone interviews, email, mail, and fax.
    Repair Facilities Survey. A sample of 500 repair/maintenance 
facilities (e.g., automobile dealerships, tire chain stores, small 
service stations with attached repair shops) will be selected for a 
Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI), with the option of 
responding by mail, based upon the respondent's preference. Focus will 
be on assessing the lifespan of TPMS, common sources of TPMS 
malfunction, typical costs to repair/replace malfunctioning systems, 
and the factors considered by customers when deciding whether to repair 
or replace TPMSs that are not working. Data collection is expected to 
take place early 2015 mostly via telephone interviews.
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden 
Resulting From the Collection of Information: The total annual 
reporting and recordkeeping burden resulting from this collection of 
information is estimated to be 1,565 hours, as outlined below.
    Field Survey of Drivers and Vehicles. NHTSA estimates that the 
average time to collect vehicle and driver data will be slightly over 
10 minutes for each interview for the 7,000 survey respondents. Some 
additional time will be needed to conduct a pilot study and to describe 
the study to drivers who do not end up participating in the study. 
Consequently, the total respondent burden hours is estimated to be 
1,365 hours. The respondents would not incur any reporting or record 
keeping costs from the information collection. For the drivers survey, 
respondents will be asked questions regarding their TPMSs, and all 
responses will be provided spontaneously. For the vehicle inspection, 
data will be obtained via observation.
    Suppliers Survey. NHTSA estimates that the average time to collect 
data on the cost of TPMS parts and systems will be slightly over 20 
minutes for each interview for the 45 respondents. Consequently, the 
total respondent burden hours is estimated to be 17 hours. The 
respondents would not incur any reporting or record keeping costs from 
the information collection. Information is only requested about records 
that the respondents already are keeping for their own purposes.
    Repair Facilities Survey. NHTSA estimates that the average time to 
collect data on the types and costs of repairing TPMS will be slightly 
over 20 minutes for each interview for the 500 respondents. 
Consequently, the total respondent burden hours is estimated to be 183 
hours. The respondents would not incur any reporting or record keeping 
costs from the information collection. Information is only requested 
about records that the respondents already are keeping for their own 
purposes.

    Authority:  The Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. chap. 35, as 
amended; and 49 CFR 1.95.

Terry T. Shelton,
Associate Administrator, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2014-15782 Filed 7-3-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P