[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 9, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37288-37289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16602]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements: Agency 
Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
abstracted below will be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of 
the information collection and the expected burden. The Federal 
Register notice with a 60-day comment period was published on December 
7, 2016.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 8, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, within 30 days, to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention NHTSA Desk Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeremy Gunderson, Office of Safety 
Programs (NPD-210), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W44-213, Washington, DC 20590. Mr. 
Gunderson's telephone number is 202-366-0521 and his email address is 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Education on Proper Use of Seat Belts on School Buses.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Abstract: Between 2004 and 2015, an average of six school-age 
children per year were killed in collisions while riding in a school 
bus. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is undertaking 
a project to understand the factors considered by state and local 
agencies when deciding whether to require seat belts on school buses 
and the funding mechanisms that are used to pay for seat belt 
installation. To accomplish this, NHTSA proposes to conduct discussions 
and informal interviews to identify school districts that have seat 
belts on school buses and to gather information on both implementation 
and funding mechanisms. NHTSA also recognizes the importance of 
reaching out to school districts who do not currently require seat 
belts in order to gain a broader picture of the priorities and 
challenges that jurisdictions face. Therefore, NHTSA will also be 
gathering feedback from school districts that are not considering 
implementation, or are considering but struggling to implement, as 
their perspectives will be helpful in developing model policies. These 
discussions will be held via telephone, email, and/or in-person 
throughout the course of the project. The findings will be used to 
develop a model policy and a best practices guide to assist 
jurisdictions that are considering a requirement regarding seat belts 
on school buses.
    The project also aims to obtain data related to the effect that 
seat belt use may have on school bus driver distraction. Therefore, 
NHTSA proposes to conduct a Web-based survey to gather information 
about bus driver distraction as related to student behavior and seat 
belt use to see if the use of seat belts has influenced disruptive 
behavior. The project will culminate with a report to explain the 
findings.
    Affected Public: In order to identify school districts who have 
implemented, or are planning to implement, seat belts on their school 
buses, NHTSA will reach out to organizations such as the National 
Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services 
(NASDPTS), the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT), the 
National School Transportation Association (NSTA), American School Bus 
Council (ASBC), and school bus manufacturers and dealers. NHTSA 
anticipates contacting approximately 100 individuals across the country 
to ask general questions related to seat belt use in their 
jurisdictions. To the extent possible, NHTSA will also identify 
appropriate contact(s) in each school district.
    NHTSA will reach out to school districts who have agreed to provide 
the agency with more information on their decisions to require seat 
belts on school buses and the funding mechanisms that are used to pay 
for seat belt installation. Informational interviews will be conducted 
with approximately 25 people, including State directors of pupil 
transportation and local school district professionals, to identify 
policy

[[Page 37289]]

components that influence seat belt acquisition and use. Participants 
for the Web-based survey will include school bus drivers from 
participating school districts. NHTSA expects to distribute the survey 
to one or more bus drivers in each of the school districts that 
participate in the aforementioned interview.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 133 hours total; approximately 44 
hours per year.
    The initial discussions would take approximately 5 minutes with 100 
people for a total of 8 hours. The informational interviews with school 
districts would take an average of approximately 4 hours with 25 people 
for a total of 100 hours. (In some cases, the necessary information may 
be retrieved through a one-time telephone or in-person discussion, 
while in other cases discussions may continue via telephone and email 
as an on-going discussion throughout the course of the project as 
school districts provide additional information). The bus driver survey 
would take 15 minutes with approximately 100 people for a total of 25 
hours.

Comments Are Invited 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 information collection;
    iii. ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    iv. ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 
days of publication.

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

    Issued on: August 1, 2017.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2017-16602 Filed 8-8-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P