[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 97 (Friday, May 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43505-43508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10851]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-NHTSA-2023-0062]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for 
Comment; National Traffic Safety Survey

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 six 
collections of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval 
that would be conducted as part of the National Traffic Safety Survey.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 16, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2023-0062 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 Christine Watson, Ph.D., Office of 
Behavioral Safety Research (NPD-320), 202-366-7345, 
[email protected], National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, W46-474, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (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: National Traffic Safety Survey.
    OMB Control Number: New.
    Form Numbers: NHTSA Forms #1805, 1805-S, 1806, 1806-S, 1807, 1807-
S, 1808, 1808-S, 1809, 1809-S, 1810, 1810-S.
    Type of Request: Request for approval of a new information 
collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information:

[[Page 43506]]

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes 
to collect information from the public to better understand the 
public's behavior and attitudes regarding traffic safety issues 
including seat belts, distracted driving, new and emerging vehicle 
technologies, and traffic safety and enforcement. Data would be 
collected by web and mail among a national probability sample of 
approximately 6,001 adults aged 18 and older per survey administration. 
NHTSA is proposing to conduct the full survey twice, two years apart, 
and conduct a pilot survey involving 250 individuals that would occur 
before the first full administration of the survey. Participation by 
respondents would be voluntary. Survey topics include key driving 
behaviors and experiences, behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge around 
seat belt use, distracted driving, new vehicle technologies, traffic 
safety, and traffic safety enforcement.
    As part of the NTSS, NHTSA will send out six different version of 
the survey. Each of the surveys will contain a set of core questions 
that will be asked across all surveys and a combination of two 
additional sections consisting of questions related to seat belts, 
distracted driving, new vehicle technologies, or traffic safety and 
traffic safety enforcement. Based on the target of collecting 6,001 
completed surveys, NHTSA estimates that the full administration of the 
survey will include approximately 1,000 completed surveys for each of 
the six versions.
    In conducting the proposed research, the survey would use computer-
assisted web interviewing (i.e., a programmed, self-administered web 
survey) to minimize recording errors, as well as optical mark 
recognition and image scanning for the paper and pencil survey to 
facilitate ease of use and data accuracy. A Spanish-language survey 
option would be used to minimize language barriers to participation. 
Surveys would be conducted with respondents using an address-based 
sampling design that encourages respondents to complete the survey 
online. Although web would be the primary data collection mode, a paper 
questionnaire would be sent to households that do not respond to the 
web invitations. Any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) would be 
removed as only a de-identified dataset will be delivered to NHTSA. 
This collection only requires respondents to report their answers; 
there are no record-keeping costs to the respondents. Individuals 
receiving a survey invitation will receive compensation in return for 
their activities.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information:
    NHTSA was established to reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and 
economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation's 
highways. As part of this statutory mandate, NHTSA is authorized to 
conduct research as a foundation for the development of traffic safety 
programs. Title 23, United States Code, section 403 authorizes the 
Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by delegation) to conduct research 
and development activities, including demonstration projects and the 
collection and analysis of highway and motor vehicle safety data and 
related information, with respect to all aspects of highway and traffic 
safety systems and conditions relating to vehicle, highway, driver, 
passenger, motorcyclist, bicyclist, and pedestrian characteristics; 
accident causation and investigations; and human behavioral factors and 
their effect on highway and traffic safety.
    A primary way NHTSA identifies problems and supports the 
development of effective countermeasures is through conducting 
nationally representative surveys of public attitudes, knowledge, and 
self-reported behaviors regarding various traffic safety topics. NHTSA 
has conducted seven previous iterations of the Motor Vehicle Occupant 
Safety Survey (MVOSS) to ascertain critical information on driver and 
passenger attitudes and behaviors related to safety; the MVOSS was most 
recently administered in 2016.\1\ However, recent advances in vehicle 
safety technologies, increases in portable electronic device use, and 
changes in attitudes towards enforcement have all changed the driving 
environment, and there is a need to collect up-to-date information 
about the public's attitudes and behavior on these traffic safety 
topics to better inform programs aimed at improving the safety of all 
road users. The NTSS is the ``next generation'' of NHTSA's previous 
MVOSS, expanded across more traffic safety topics to increase relevance 
to current and future traffic safety issues. NTSS will deliver highly 
relevant, actionable data on current and future topics in traffic 
safety that support the agency's mission to save lives, prevent 
injuries, and reduce economic costs resulting from traffic crashes.
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    \1\ Bailly, K., Martin, K. & Block, A. (2019, December). 2016 
Motor vehicle occupant safety survey: Volume 1, Methodology report 
(Report No. DOT HS 812 851). National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43610.
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    NHTSA will use the information collected from the NTSS to produce a 
technical report that presents the results of the survey, as well as a 
publicly available dataset that does not contain any PII. The technical 
report will provide aggregate (summary) statistics and tables as well 
as the results of statistical analysis of the information, but it will 
not include any PII. The technical report will be shared with State 
highway safety offices, local governments, policymakers, researchers, 
educators, advocates, and others who may use the data from this survey 
to support their work.
    Affected Public: Participants will be English- and Spanish-speaking 
U.S. adults (18 years old and older).
    Estimated Number of Respondents:
    Participation in this study will be voluntary, with 6,001 
participants sampled from all 50 States and the District of Columbia 
using address data from the most recent U.S. Postal Service (USPS) 
computerized Delivery Sequence File (DSF) of residential addresses. An 
estimated 28,700 households will be contacted and invited to 
participate. No more than one respondent will be selected per 
household. Prior to the main survey, a pilot survey will be 
administered to test the survey and the mailing protocol and 
procedures. Participation in the pilot study will be voluntary, with 
approximately 250 participants sampled from all 50 States and the 
District of Columbia using address data from the most recent USPS 
computerized DSF of residential addresses. An estimated 1,200 
households will be contacted and invited to participate in the pilot 
study. No more than one respondent will be selected per household.
    Frequency: The study will be conducted up to two times during the 
three-year period for which NHTSA is requesting approval, with a small 
pilot study occurring several months before the study's full launch.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:
    To estimate the annul burden of the information collection request, 
NHTSA first estimated the total number of respondents that would 
complete each of the six surveys over the course of the three-year 
period for which NHTSA is seeking approval. Assuming that there will be 
250 respondents to the pilot survey and 6,001 respondents in each of 
the two full administrations of the survey, NHTSA estimates a total of 
12,250 respondents in the three-year period, or approximately 4,084 per 
year. With this estimate, NHTSA estimates that, on average, 
approximately 681

[[Page 43507]]

respondents will complete each of the six surveys annually.
    The first survey administration will be a pilot survey will assess 
the entire survey administration system prior to launching the full 
survey and will include an experimental condition examining the 
effectiveness of different messaging techniques used in contact 
materials to increase survey response rates. The pilot administration 
will survey approximately 250 randomly selected respondents. This will 
be followed by a first administration of the survey with approximately 
6,001 randomly selected respondents during the main data collection 
effort. NHTSA may exercise an option to survey approximately 6,001 
randomly selected respondents during a second survey administration. 
For purposes of this information collection request, NHTSA assumes that 
it will conduct the second administration.
    For the pilot survey, a mass mailing using USPS DSF to 1,200 
addresses, of which 1,140 are expected to be valid contact addresses, 
is expected to reach about 250 willing respondents ages 18 and older. 
Respondents are expected to take 30 minutes to complete the survey (250 
people, 30 minutes average length, 125 hours total).
    For each survey administration, a mass mailing using USPS DSF to 
28,700 addresses, of which 27,265 are expected to be valid contact 
addresses, is expected to reach about 6,001 willing participants ages 
18 and older. As with the pilot survey, participants are expected to 
take 30 minutes to complete the survey.
    Table 1 provides an overview of the survey administrations.

                                 Table 1--Overview of the Survey Administrations
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                                                                                    Burden per
                     Information collection                          Number of       response      Total burden
                                                                    respondents      (minutes)         hours
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Pilot Survey....................................................             250              30             125
Survey Administration 1.........................................           6,001              30           3,001
Survey Administration 2.........................................           6,001              30           3,001
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          12,252  ..............           6,127
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    Since the survey administrations would occur over three years, 
NHTSA averaged the number of respondents responding to each of the six 
surveys over the three-year period to estimate that each of the surveys 
would have approximately 681 respondents per year. The burden estimates 
are based on this estimate.
    NHTSA estimates that each of the six versions of the survey will 
have approximately 681 respondents each year and estimates that it 
takes approximately 30 minutes to complete each survey. Accordingly, 
NHTSA estimates that each of the surveys will have a burden of 341 
hours per year, for a total of 2,046 hours of annual burden for all six 
of the surveys.
    NHTSA estimates the opportunity cost to respondents using an 
average hourly wage. The May 2022 mean hourly wage for all occupations 
in the United States was $29.76 per hour.\2\ Therefore, NHTSA estimates 
the total annual opportunity cost to be approximately $60,889 ($29.76 x 
2,046 = $60,888.96). Table 2 provides a summary of the estimated annual 
burden hours and labor costs associated with those submissions.
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    \2\ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, April 25). May 2022 
National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. U.S. Bureau of 
Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000.

                                        Table 2--Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                Burden per       Hourly      Opportunity      Total       Total
   Information collection        Number of       response      opportunity      cost       opportunity   burden
                                respondents      (minutes)        cost        response        cost        hours
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Survey Version 1............             681              30        $29.76        $14.88    $10,148.16       341
Survey Version 2............             681              30         29.76         14.88     10,148.16       341
Survey Version 3............             681              30         29.76         14.88     10,148.16       341
Survey Version 4............             681              30         29.76         14.88     10,148.16       341
Survey Version 5............             681              30         29.76         14.88     10,148.16       341
Survey Version 6............             681              30         29.76         14.88     10,148.16       341
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    Total...................  ..............  ..............  ............  ............     60,888.96     2,046
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: Participation in this study is 
voluntary, and there are no costs to respondents beyond the time spent 
completing the questionnaires.
    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

[[Page 43508]]

amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2024-10851 Filed 5-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P