[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 225 (Friday, November 24, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55920-55921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25401]


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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 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 its expected burden. A Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting public comments on the following 
information collection was published on July 17, 2017.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 26, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit 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: Dr. Kathy Sifrit, Office of Behavioral 
Safety Research (NPD-320), 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:
    Title: Visual Scanning Training for Older Drivers.
    Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
    Abstract: Older adults comprise an increasing proportion of the 
driving population and exposure-based analyses have consistently shown 
increased rates of crash involvement for drivers as they age into their 
70's, 80's and beyond. Studies have identified particular situations 
where older drivers are most at risk, including navigating 
intersections and merging. These tasks share attributes of elevated 
demand on visual search and visual attention skills.
    The visual scanning training protocol that is the focus of this 
study was designed to be delivered in one-on-one sessions by a 
generalist occupational therapist (OT) in a clinical setting, targeting 
visual field expansion, simultaneous processing of multiple visual 
stimuli, and ocular skill (visual search routine) exercises.
    A preliminary analysis of the training's effectiveness was provided 
through performance of the NHTSA study, ``Validation of Rehabilitation 
Training Programs for Older Drivers'' (See DOT HS 811 749, April 2013). 
While these results were encouraging, the sample size was small and the 
research team, program developer and NHTSA all agreed that additional 
evidence was needed before widespread promotion of this intervention 
might be warranted. That is the focus of the proposed research.
    Study staff will invite drivers 70 and older from a continuing care 
retirement community to a public meeting to describe the opportunity 
including inclusion and exclusion criteria. The project plans to 
recruit a total of 90 participants for the study. Participants will be 
randomly assigned to either a visual scanning training program (a 
series of four one-hour one-on-one training sessions) or to a control 
(placebo) activity for the same number of hours as the visual training 
protocol. All participants will undergo three, one-hour on-road 
evaluations by a Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) over 
the course of the study: One before training, one immediately after 
training, and a final evaluation three months after training. The CDRS 
will provide instructions about what route to follow and will score how 
safely the participant drives using standard procedures and criteria 
that are broadly accepted in the profession. The CDRS scores will be 
used to determine the effectiveness of the training protocol relative 
to the control (placebo) group.
    Following training, the 45 study participants enrolled in the 
visual scanning training group will complete a brief questionnaire to 
determine whether they believe the training will help them to be a 
safer driver, whether they would recommend the training to friends or 
relatives, and what they would pay for such training. The training 
feedback, as well as the CDRS road test scores, will be used to 
evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Following the second and 
third evaluations, each study participant will

[[Page 55921]]

receive a $100 gift card as compensation for his/her participation.
    Findings will provide information about whether this training 
program improves the driving performance of drivers 70 and older, and 
whether they find the training acceptable. NHTSA will use the 
information to inform recommendations to the public, and particularly 
to the OT community, regarding this training program.
    Affected Public: Participants will include 90 licensed drivers 70 
and older.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: The total burden for data collection 
would be 690 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 Department'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 of this notice.

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

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 20, 2017.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2017-25401 Filed 11-22-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P