[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60744-60747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21712]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0033]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for 
Comment; Government 5-Star Safety Ratings Label Consumer Research

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: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This document describes a new 
collection of information for consumer research purposes regarding the 
Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section of the Monroney label for 
which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval. A Federal Register Notice 
with a 60-day comment period was published on November 19, 2021. Seven 
(7) public comments were received before the closing date of January 
18, 2022.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 7, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection, including suggestions for reducing burden, 
should be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget at 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. To find this particular information 
collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comment'' 
or use the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access 
to background documents, contact Mike Joyce, Marketing Specialist, 
Office of Communications and Consumer Information (NCO-0200), National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W52-
238, Washington, DC 20590. Mike Joyce's phone number is 202-366-5600 
and his email address is [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), a 
Federal agency must receive approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) before it collects certain information from the public and 
a person is not required to respond to a collection of information by a 
Federal agency unless the collection displays a valid OMB control 
number. In compliance with these requirements, this notice announces 
that the following information collection request will be submitted 
OMB.
    Title: Government 5-Star Safety Ratings Label Consumer Research.
    OMB Control Number: 2127-New.
    Form Number(s): NHTSA Form 1681, NHSTSA Form 1682, NHTSA Form 1683.
    Type of Request: Request for approval of a new information 
collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval 
date.
    Abstract: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
(NHTSA) was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91-
605, 202(a), 84 Stat. 1713, 1739-40). NHTSA'S mission is to save lives, 
prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to crashes on the 
nation's highways. Part C of the Motor Vehicle and Driver Programs, at 
49 U.S.C. 32302, requires the Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by 
delegation) to provide to the public information about the safety of 
new passenger motor vehicles. Under its New Car Assessment Program 
(NCAP) and 5-Star Safety Ratings Program, NHTSA conducts frontal crash, 
side crash and rollover resistance tests of new vehicles and, based on 
the results, assigns safety ratings to the tested vehicles. The ratings 
enable consumers to consider and assess the relative safety of vehicles 
before deciding which new vehicle they want to purchase.
    In 2005, Congress enacted the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) 
(Pub. L. 109-59), which required the safety ratings assigned by NHTSA 
under NCAP or a statement that the vehicle was not assigned safety 
ratings under NCAP to be included on the window label for new vehicles, 
known as the Monroney label.\1\ Per 15 U.S.C. 1232(g), the window label 
must contain the safety ratings published or released by NHTSA's New 
Car Assessment Program, including the graphical depiction of those 
ratings, reference to the safety rating categories (e.g., frontal 
impact crashes tests, side impact crash tests, and rollover restistance 
tests), and information describing the nature and meaning of the crash 
test data presented and a reference to http://www.safercar.gov. This 
information must be presented in a legible, visible, and prominent 
fashion that covers at least 8 percent of the total area of the label, 
or an area with a minimum length of four and a half inches and a 
minimum height of three and a half inches. If a vehicle has not been 
rated by NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program, then the label much state 
that.\2\ On December 4, 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's 
Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which requires the Secretary of 
Transportation (NHTSA by delegation) to issue a rule to ensure crash-
avoidance information is provided next to crashworthiness information 
on vehicle window stickers.\3\
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    \1\ The Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958, 15 U.S.C. 
1231-1233, requires that new vehicles carry a sticker on a window 
containing specified information about the vehicle.
    \2\ 12 U.S.C. 1232(h).
    \3\ Section 24322 of Part II--Safety Through Informed Consumers 
Act of 2015. Public Law 114-94.
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    In continuing support of its mission and to assist the agency in 
meeting its FAST Act requirement, NHTSA proposes to conduct qualitative 
research using focus groups in four geographic markets located across 
the country to evaluate design and consumer information improvements to 
the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section of the Monroney label.\4\ 
This information collection will involve a one-time, voluntary phone 
screening survey involving members of the public to identify research 
participants for a one-time, in-person focus group. Participants in the 
research program will be asked to evaluate design and consumer 
information improvements to the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings 
section of the vehicle window sticker. NHTSA will use the findings from 
this research to support planned changes to the current label 
requirements and future designs for communicating vehicle safety 
ratings and advanced driver assistance systems performance assessments 
to consumers.
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    \4\ 15 U.S.C. 1232.
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    Summary of the Collection of Information: In this collection of

[[Page 60745]]

information, NHTSA is seeking approval to conduct qualitative focus 
groups with 66 consumer participants. The focus groups aim to achieve 
the following objectives:
    (1) Evaluate the overall appeal of each label concept and identify 
specific likes and dislikes associated with specific components of the 
label;
    (2) Measure the ease of comprehension for each label concept and 
understand which visual and text features are most effective at 
conveying vehicle safety information;
    (3) Assess the distinctiveness of how the information is displayed 
and understand how best to make the vehicle safety information stand 
out on the Monroney label; and,
    (4) Identify additional areas of improvement related to the three 
main label sections relating to safety protection, safety technology, 
and overall vehicle safety performance.
    Description of the Need for the Information and the Proposed Use of 
the Information: This collection of information will allow NHTSA to 
obtain critical information to assist the agency in fulfilling the 2015 
FAST Act's requirement that NHTSA issue a rule to ensure that crash-
avoidance information is provided next to crashworthiness information 
on vehicle windows stickers.\5\ Specifically, the data from this 
collection will be used to not only enhance consumer understanding of 
NHTSA's vehicle safety ratings and advanced driver assistance systems 
performance assessments, but also guide the development of 
communications that will help consumers as they consider this 
information in their vehicle purchase decisions.
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    \5\ Section 24322 of Part II--Safety Through Informed Consumers 
Act of 2015 requires the Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by 
delegation) to issue a rule to ensure that crash-avoidance 
information is indicated next to crashworthiness information on 
stickers placed on motor vehicles by their manufacturers. Public Law 
114-94, December 4, 2015.
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    60-Day Notices:
    On April 28, 2020, NHTSA published a notice in the Federal Register 
soliciting public comments with a 60-day comment period (85 FR 23598). 
NHTSA received 4 public comments submitted to the docket during this 
period. Given the extended time period since the initial publication of 
that notice, NHTSA published a new 60-day notice on November 19, 2021 
(86 FR 64989) seeking comment on the same ICR. The November 19, 2021 
notice sought public comment on the ICR and also responded to the 
comments received on the original notice.
    The comment period for the November 19, 2021 notice closed on 
January 18, 2022. NHTSA received seven (7) public comments. NHTSA 
received public comments from General Motors (GM), National Safety 
Council (NSC), National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), Motor & 
Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), VERITY Now, Auto Innovators 
and a member of the general public.
    In addition to receiving general comments about the ICR, NHTSA 
received comments on the following topics: (1) selection of and number 
of research participants (2) study methodology; and (3) suggestions 
regarding the content of the labels presented to research particpants. 
NHTSA also received comments regarding topics not directly related to 
the ICR. The public comments and NHTSA's responses are summarized 
below.
    NHTSA received general support for conducting the research from two 
commentors. NSC's comment stated that they ``applaud the proposed 
action of NHTSA to conduct qualitative research to identify ways to 
improve the information displayed and communicated through the 5-Star 
Safety Ratings.'' Auto Innovators stated that it supports the proposed 
collection of information as it is both necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency in ensuring a modernized 
approach to NCAP, and because the information can have practical 
utility in informing the structure and content of the Monroney label. 
The comment from Auto Innovator also encouraged NHTSA to prioritize 
this information collection effort to ensure that it is completed in a 
timely manner.
    Participant Selection:
    NHTSA received three comments regarding participant selection. NADA 
urges NHTSA to pre-screen potential participants to ensure they are 
prospective purchasers. GM stated that it believes participants should 
be drawn from the population of households that acquired a new vehicle, 
not used as the window label is more relevant to new vehicle buyers. GM 
also recommended reducing the number of participants from 9 to 6 to 
provide for better engagement of participants.
    The comment from the National Safety Council (NSC) suggests that 
NHTSA should conduct the research to improve the sharing of information 
by engaging a diverse set of the consumers and having representative 
selection in each focus group to ensure the best input with all 
consumers. GM suggested reducing cities and suggested that conducting 
the research in 4 cities may be unnecessary.
    NHTSA Response: The study will use focus groups to collect insights 
to guide potential redesign of the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings 
section of the Monroney label (vehicle window sticker). The target 
audience for the research will include licensed drivers, ages 18+ who 
are either a primary or shared decision-maker for vehicle purchases in 
the household, have either recently purchased a motor vehicle (last 6 
months) OR who are likely to do so in the next 12 months AND reside in 
one of the four target markets where the research will be conducted. 
NHTSA will use a total of four markets to provide a mix of geographies 
(east coast, mid-west, southwest and west coast). Additionally, 
participants will be recruited to represent a mix of demographics (age, 
gender, ethnicity, etc.).
    Research Methodology:
    NHTSA received several comments on research methodology. 
Specifically, GM and NADA noted that the 60-day notice did not outline 
the specific changes it will present to the focus groups. GM's comment 
stated that NHTSA's research plan in the public notice did not discuss 
the specific content or how the content will be presented to 
participants. GM also states that NHTSA did not specify the number or 
format of the concepts or mention the qualifications to participate in 
the research study.
    Response: NHTSA notes that the study will use data driven insights 
from the qualitative research to guide potential redesign of the 
Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section of the Monroney label (vehicle 
window sticker). The research will evaluate a variety of concept 
executions to explore both graphical and text-based communications as 
potential modifications to the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section 
of the Monroney label with the intent of finding the most effective way 
to display information related to vehicle safety.\6\ During the focus 
groups participants will first review an example (poster-sized version 
of a window sticker and smaller version in a respondent workbook) of 
the current design of the Monroney Label to help identify what areas 
are effective at grabbing their attention and which areas (if any) are 
unclear or confusing. The discussion will then focus on the section of 
window sticker featuring the Government 5-star safety ratings to

[[Page 60746]]

capture reactions (clarity of information, size, color, ability to grab 
attention, etc.). The remaining discussion will focus on evaluating 
concepts for new designs. The research expects to test label concepts 
for improvement on three main sections related to safety protection, 
safety technology and overall vehicle safety performance and will 
include up to three alternative design concepts. NHTSA is also 
considering additional quantitative market research to further confirm 
and validate the findings.
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    \6\ For more detailed information about the research 
methodology, please see the background documents available 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. To find this particular 
collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for Public 
Comment'' or use the search function.
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    One of the core objectives of the research is to measure the 
clarity and ease of comprehension for each concept and understand which 
visual and text features are most effective at conveying safety 
information. This will be accomplished through a mix of workbook 
activities where each participant can identify specific elements, 
visuals, words or phrases that are unclear or confusing and a 
subsequent group discussion to debrief on any problem areas. 
Furthermore, the research will examine the vehicle safety information 
in the current window sticker design along with several alternative 
concepts that use different ways of displaying safety information to 
determine the most effective way to communicate the relative safety 
performance. The use of different visual designs will allow NHTSA to 
better understand consumer reactions to the size and orientation of 
safety content on the label and to determine the importance of various 
elements along with and potential trade-offs to be considered when 
prioritizing safety information.
    Label Content:
    Several commenters included specific recommendations about the 
different designs that study participants would be asked to evaluate. 
The comment from Auto Innovators urges NHTSA to explore testing 
different ratings formats that differ from the current U.S. star rating 
to determine whether consumers can easily interpret information 
presented in different formats on the same label. Auto Innovators 
suggests that NHTSA should consider whether safety information can be 
effectively communicated both in the presence or absence of color. Auto 
Innovators also suggests that NHTSA's research should assess 
differentiation between various levels of performance. The comment from 
the Auto Innovators also discussed results from a consumer survey they 
conducted and stated that the results of the survey suggests that the 
assessment criteria should be structured to allow for differentiation 
between various levels of performance. Specifically, 84% of respondents 
to their survey indicated that half stars would be helpful with few 
indicating they would be unhelpful. Auto Innovators urged NHTSA to 
consider this, and other results from their suvery, as part of its 
focus group engagement.
    NHTSA also received general comments regarding the label from MEMA 
and NSC. MEMA suggests that NHTSA should utilize common, consumer-
friendly technology nomenclature, and maintain the use of star ratings 
on the label/program. NSC suggested that NHTSA's new label(s) should be 
approachable and include well understood language that all people can 
understand. Both Auto Innovators and MEMA suggested leveraging QR codes 
to provide more detailed information to consumers.
    Response: The research will examine the vehicle safety information 
in the current window sticker design along with several alternative 
concepts that use different ways of displaying safety information to 
determine the most effective way to communicate the relative safety 
performance. The use of different visual designs will allow NHTSA to 
better understand consumer reactions to the size and orientation of 
safety content on the label and to determine the importance of various 
elements along with and potential trade-offs to be considered when 
prioritizing safety information. This, in turn, will help to inform 
changes to the label requirements as well as future consumer 
communications on vehicle safety ratings and safety technology systems 
performance assessments to assist the public when making vehicle 
purchasing decisions.
    The research will include several alternative designs and consumer 
reaction to the different elements will help illustrate which format(s) 
are effective at helping the consumer quickly assess differentiation 
between various levels of safety performance.
    As part of the research, NHTSA specifically plans to examine the 
role of color and see if there is any evidence to suggest concerns over 
the ability to understand the differences when showing information in 
black and white (versus displaying it in color).
    Other Comments:
    NHTSA also received several comments that were not relevant to the 
information collection, but rather commented on NCAP more generally. 
NSC's comment stated their support for changes to NCAP to include, a 
minimum, changes for crash avoidance, crashworthiness, and pedestrian 
detection. And recommended that NHTSA should work with manufacturers at 
no additional cost to consumers. NHTSA also received a comment from 
VERITY Now, and an individual, Maria, Kuhn, suggesting that NHTSA's 
test should be more equitable to account for women. VERITY Now's 
comment suggested that the 5-star program does not test for women in 
the driver's seat and that the crash test dummies NHTSA uses to 
represent women in other vehicle positions are based on male 
physiology.
    Response: While these comments are not directly relevant to this 
ICR, NHTSA notes that the agency does use female crash test dummies in 
various crash tests in both the 5-star safety ratings program and the 
compliance crash test program. The focus of this consumer research, 
however, is to refine the vehicle safety information currently included 
in the 5-star safety ratings program on the Monroney label from a 
consumer-focused perspective. The comment proposed here is outside the 
scope of this consumer research effort. However, the agency continues 
to evaluate this matter from a technical research perspective.
    Affected Public: Members of the public 18 years of age or older 
with a driver's license, who are a decision-maker for vehicle purchases 
for their household, has either purchased or leased a vehicle in the 
last six months or is planning to do so in the next 12 months and lives 
in one of the four markets to conduct the research (Arlington, VA; 
Dallas, TX; Columbus, OH; or San Jose, CA).
    Frequency: One time.
    Number of Respondents: 500.
    For this information collection, NHTSA plans to conduct a total of 
eight focus group sessions (two groups in each of the following 
recommended markets: Arlington, VA; Dallas, TX; Columbus, OH; and San 
Jose, CA), each lasting approximately 90 minutes. NHTSA intends for 
each focus group to consist of approximately nine participants (six 
participants in Arlington, due to social distancing restrictions) for a 
total of 66 participants in the focus group sessions. Based on 
experience, NHTSA will need to recruit up to 14 people per focus group 
in order to ensure that the desired number will appear at the focus 
group facility at the appointed time. If more than the desired number 
of participants show up at the facility for a given session, the 
research team will select nine participants (six in Arlington) based on 
their profile information provided in the recruitment grid to seat. The 
remaining participants will be paid their honorarium, thanked for their 
willingness to participate, and informed that they are free to go.

[[Page 60747]]

Therefore, in order to ensure that there are approximately nine 
participants (six in Arlington) per focus group session, a total of 100 
potential participants (eight per focus group in Arlington and 14 per 
focus group in other markets) will be recruited via telephone screening 
calls, which are estimated to take five minutes per call. In order to 
recruit 100 potential participants, NHTSA estimates that it will be 
necessary to initially reach out to and screen 500 people. This is 
based on experience that demonstrates that, of the people who are 
contacted, 20% will qualify for the study, be available and be 
interested in participating in the focus group.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 141 hours.
    NHTSA estimates the total burden per person actually participating 
in this focus group research is estimated to be 95 minutes (five 
minutes for the screening/recruiting telephone call plus 90 minutes in 
the focus group discussion session). Additionally, the total burden per 
person recruited (but not participating in the discussions) is five 
minutes. Therefore, the total annual estimated burden imposed by this 
collection is approximately 141 hours.

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                                                   Number of     Participation
            Category of respondent                respondents   time (minutes)               Burden
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Recruit/screening call (assumes 20% qualify,               500               5  41.7 hours, or 42 hours
 are available and interested in participating                                   (rounded).
 in the focus group).
Participation in 90-minute group..............              66              90  99.0 hours.
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    Total Burden..............................  ..............  ..............  141 hours.
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $3,360.00.
    The only cost burdens respondents will incur are costs related to 
travel to and from the research location. The costs are minimal and are 
expected to be offset by the honorarium that will be provided to all 
research participants. NHTSA estimates that each of the focus group 
participants will travel less than 30 miles one-way to the focus group 
location (60 miles round trip). Using the IRS standard mileage rate of 
$0.56 per mile,\7\ each respondent is expected to incur no more than 
$33.60 in transportation costs. Therefore, NHTSA estimates that the 
total costs to all respondents will be $3,360.00.
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    \7\ From Internal Revenue Services' 2021 Standard Mileage Rate 
for business miles driven. https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates, last accessed May 7, 2021.
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    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 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) 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 appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

    Issued on: September 30, 2022.
Juliette Marie Vallese,
Associate Administrator, Office of Communications and Consumer 
Information.
[FR Doc. 2022-21712 Filed 10-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P