[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 44 (Monday, March 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12772-12774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04755]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0018]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for 
Comment; Title: FMVSS Considerations for Vehicles With Automated 
Driving Systems: Seating Preference Study

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for approval of a 
new information collection.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
invites public comments about our intention to request approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new information 
collection. Before a Federal agency can collect certain information 
from the public, it must receive approval from 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 reinstatement of 
previously approved collections. This document describes a collection 
of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval to conduct 
an experiment to gather both objective and subjective data regarding 
occupant/passenger seat preference in Automated Driving System-
Dedicated Vehicles (ADS-DVs).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 6, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2022-0018 through any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions 
for submitting comments.
     Fax: (202) 493-2251.
     Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management, U.S. Department 
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except on Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there to help 
you, please call (202) 366-9322 before coming.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
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. 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 https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
    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 via internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access 
to background documents, contact Arryn Robbins, Office of Behavioral 
Safety Research (NPD-320), (202) 366-8996, National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration, W46-466, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before an agency submits a proposed 
collection of information to OMB for approval, it must first 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 regulation (at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must 
ask for public comment on the following: (a) 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; (b) 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; (c) how to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (d) 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 for public comments on the following proposed collection of 
information for which the agency is seeking approval from OMB.
    Title: FMVSS Considerations for Vehicles with Automated Driving 
Systems: Seating Preference Study.
    OMB Control Number: New.
    Form Number(s): NHTSA Forms 1624, 1625, and 1626.

                 Table 1--Forms To Be Used in the Study
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHTSA Form 1624........................  Eligibility Questionnaire--
                                          FMVSS Considerations for
                                          Vehicles with Automated
                                          Driving Systems: Seating
                                          Preference Study.
NHTSA Form 1625........................  Demographic Questionnaire--
                                          FMVSS Considerations for
                                          Vehicles with Automated
                                          Driving Systems: Seating
                                          Preference Study.
NHTSA Form 1626........................  Post Experiment Questionnaire--
                                          FMVSS Considerations for
                                          Vehicles with Automated
                                          Driving Systems: Seating
                                          Preference Study.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Type of Request: New collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information: 49 U.S.C. 30181, 30182, 
and 30183 authorize the Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by 
delegation) to conduct research, development, and testing programs, 
including activities related to new and emerging technologies that 
impact, or that may impact, motor vehicle safety. NHTSA proposes to 
collect information from the public regarding occupant/passenger seat 
preference in Automated Driving System-Dedicated Vehicles (ADS-DVs). 
Adults aged 18 and older will participate in an on-road study after 
giving informed consent. Participants will ride in one passenger 
vehicle and two ADS-DVs on a closed test track. Questionnaire data will 
be collected at the beginning and end of participation for each 
participant. Objective data will be collected via the data acquisition 
systems installed in each study vehicle. The data from each participant 
will be combined, stratified by demographic information and analyzed.
    There are four information collections for the study. The (1) 
Eligibility

[[Page 12773]]

Questionnaire will be used to identify eligible participants for this 
study; results from this questionnaire will not be kept or analyzed. 
Candidates who are selected for the study will participate in a single 
test-track experiment and will complete two additional questionnaires 
while participating in the experiment. The (2) Demographic 
Questionnaire will be used for description of the participant sample 
(e.g., number of males and females in the dataset, final age range for 
all participants, and driving experience range for all participants). 
This is necessary to compare the sample collected to the general 
driving population. The (3) objective data collected via data 
acquisition systems installed in each study vehicle during the test-
track experiment is necessary for collecting information about 
participants' seat selection, any seat changes during the ride, seat 
belt use, and how participants interact with the HMI. The (4) Post 
Experiment Questionnaire will be used to analyze the perceptions and 
opinions of ADS-DV technology within the participant sample, as well as 
to gather any comments regarding their seat preference and seat belt 
use. This data will be used to determine how and why participants 
choose seating preferences in ADS-DVs.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) 
mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic losses 
resulting from motor vehicle crashes. ADS technology is rapidly 
developing, and current Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) 
and/or NHTSA guidance may need to be adapted to ensure this technology 
is deployed safely. Many of NHTSA's FMVSS focus on particular seating 
positions and thus, changes in seating preferences could impact those 
FMVSS. This study will provide NHTSA information about the seating 
preferences of occupants in vehicles that do not require a human driver 
in the left front seat. Several safety outcomes stem from occupant 
seating preference, which may change in the future as Automated Driving 
Systems (ADS) change seating configurations and the way people use 
vehicles. ADS-Dedicated Vehicles (ADS-DVs) are vehicles that lack 
manually operated driving controls, and therefore do not require a 
human driver or occupant to drive the vehicle or sit in the left front 
seat (the ``driver's seat'' in conventional vehicles). In conventional 
vehicles, there is the basic assumption that a human will always be in 
the left front seat while the vehicle is operating because a human 
driver would be necessary to operate those vehicles. ADS-DVs provide 
the opportunity for occupants to sit in any seat they choose in the 
vehicle. It is currently unknown where occupants may choose to sit when 
riding in an ADS-DV. Moreover, new seating configurations for occupants 
of ADS-DVs may necessitate changes to how and where information is 
presented to occupants about their responsibilities as occupants (e.g., 
closing doors, fastening seatbelts). Furthermore, occupants will need a 
human-machine interface (HMI) to provide input that they are ready for 
the ride to begin, or to request that the ride stop. At present, no 
standardized or otherwise commercially produced HMIs exist for this 
purpose. Therefore, in order to conduct the research, a prototype HMI 
will be developed. The two main goals for this study are to:
    1. Describe the occupant distribution for ADS-DVs (i.e., seating 
distribution).
    2. Use the prototype HMI to evaluate whether occupants would choose 
to initiate a ride in an ADS-DV without a seatbelt.
    Affected Public: Adults ages 18 and older who meet eligibility 
criteria such as holding a valid driver's license and having used a 
ride-sharing application at least once in the past year.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: An expected total of up to 100 
participants will be recruited to participate in the study. It is 
estimated that 200 respondents will be needed in order to identify 100 
eligible participants.
    Frequency: One-time collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 268.
    The eligibility questionnaire will have a maximum of 28 questions 
and NHTSA estimates it will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. 
Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total time associated with completing 
eligibility questionnaires to be 67 hours (200 responses x 20 minutes = 
66.7 hours). Study Intake, (reading study information sheet and 
obtaining participant consent, general study instruction) is expected 
to take 10 minutes to complete. Both the demographic and post-
experiment questionnaires will have a maximum of 20 questions and NHTSA 
estimates that it will take each eligible participant 10 minutes to 
complete the demographic questionnaire and 10 minutes to complete the 
post-experiment questionnaire. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total 
burden for Study Intake to be 17 hours (100 responses x 10 minutes = 
16.67 hours), Demographic Questionnaire to be 17 hours (100 responses x 
10 minutes = 16.67 hours), and The Post Experiment questionnaire to be 
17 hours (100 responses x 10 minutes = 16.67 hours). Accordingly, NHTSA 
estimates the total burden hours for this information collection to be 
268 hours.
    The table below shows the estimated burden hours for this 
information collection, which accounts for the maximum number of 
expected responses and drop-outs.

                         Estimated Burden Hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Estimated      Total
                                     Maximum     individual   estimated
            Instrument              number of      burden       burden
                                   respondents   (minutes)      hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eligibility Questionnaire........          200           20           67
Study Intake.....................          100           10           17
Demographic questionnaire........          100           10           17
Study Participation..............          100           90          150
Post Experiment Questionnaire....          100           10           17
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total........................          200           60          268
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: The only cost burdens 
respondents will incur are costs related to travel to and from the 
study location. The costs are minimal and are expected to be offset by

[[Page 12774]]

the honorarium that will be provided to all research participants.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of 
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate 
of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) 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.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.

Cem Hatipoglu,
Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2022-04755 Filed 3-4-22; 8:45 am]
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