[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 33 (Thursday, February 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10033-10036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02844]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2024-0069]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for
Comment; Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a revision of a currently
approved 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. The ICR describes the nature of
the information collection and its expected burden. This document
describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek
OMB extension approval titled ``Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision
for Safety'' and is identified by OMB Control Number 2127-0723,
currently approved through February 28, 2025. A Federal Register Notice
with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following
information collection was published on October 23, 2024. Three
comments were received in response to that notice; however, no changes
to the information collection tool, methodology, nor burden were made
as a result of those comments.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 24, 2025.
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 Debbie Sweet, Office of Vehicle Safety
Research (NSR-010), (202) 366-7179, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, W46-317, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Please identify the relevant
collection of information by referring to its OMB Control Number.
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: Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety
OMB Control Number: 2127-0723
Form Number: None
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: In September 2017, NHTSA
published a voluntary guidance document titled, Automated Driving
Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety (ADS 2.0). Recognizing the potential
for responsibly developed and deployed Automated Driving Systems (ADSs)
to enhance safety and mobility, this document outlines a safety
considerations framework to facilitate the safe deployment of ADS-
equipped vehicles. ADS 2.0 presents 12 priority safety areas, along
with safety goals and approaches that could be used to achieve these
goals. Entities engaged in ADS testing and deployment may demonstrate
how they address--via industry best practices, their own best
practices, or other appropriate methods--the safety elements by
publishing a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment (VSSA). The VSSA is the
medium of collection of information for ADS 2.0. NHTSA provides the
VSSA Index on the agency's website as a pointer system for entities'
VSSAs.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: The VSSA is intended to
[[Page 10034]]
demonstrate to the public (particularly States and consumers) that
entities are: (1) considering the safety aspects of ADSs; (2)
communicating and collaborating with DOT; (3) encouraging the self-
establishment of industry safety norms for ADSs; and (4) building
public trust, acceptance, and confidence through transparent testing
and deployment of ADSs. It also allows companies an opportunity to
showcase their approach to safety, without needing to reveal
proprietary intellectual property.
Entities collecting information and disclosing that information via
a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment have been given the flexibility to
disclose the information in a format deemed appropriate for that
particular entity. Each entity has selected the layout, presentation,
and verbiage structure that best fits its needs and goals.
Members of the public can access the VSSA in order to understand
the technology, learn how testing and safety elements are incorporated
in the design and function of a system or vehicle, and stay informed
about testing and deployments across the country.
State stakeholders have indicated that they would use the
information in the VSSA as part of assessing the safety implications of
ADSs on their roadways. Some states seeking to establish an application
and permitting process for testing and deploying ADSs within their
jurisdiction may consider information contained in the VSSA as part of
the permit issuance process. The states also use information in the
VSSA to communicate with law enforcement and first responders as well
as to educate the public.
Other consumer-based stakeholders access the information in the
VSSA to gather information to assess risks, inform decisions, educate,
and for various other purposes.
60-Day Notice: A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting public comments on the following information
collection was published on October 23, 2024 (89 FR 84669). Three
comments were received during the open comment period from Alexander
Winter, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The comment from Alexander Winter focused on vehicle lighting and
did not address any technical or burden-related aspects of this
information collection; therefore, it will not be addressed in this
discussion.
Eric Teoh, Director of Statistical Services, and David Kid, Ph.D.,
Senior Research Scientist, from IIHS stated they are ``pleased that the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will continue asking
companies developing, testing, and deploying vehicles with automated
driving systems to submit voluntary safety self-assessments'' and
further submitted a detailed comment. However, IIHS believes that the
current VSSA structure ``does not ask entities to describe a plan for
collecting and sharing information to support independent evaluations
of the real-world safety of ADS that could validate or contradict
safety claims.'' The authors further detail efforts in California to
report crashes, the NHTSA-issued Standing General Order (SGO) that
contains reporting requirements for ADS-equipped vehicles and offers
recommendations to both NHTSA and ADS entities that they believe will
improve the data quality in the SGO database. The recommendation from
IIHS for the VSSA is that NHTSA should stipulate that entities
``describe how and where they will make crash and exposure data
publicly available, independent of the reporting required by
California, the NHTSA SGO, and future collection efforts.''
NHTSA appreciates the thoroughness with which IIHS has accessed and
analyzed currently available data for ADS-equipped vehicles, as well as
the consideration of data gaps that could potentially enhance both data
quality and the ability to analyze safety information associated with
ADS-equipped vehicles. As NHTSA develops further programs and policies
regarding ADS, this information will serve as a valuable resource for
understanding public needs. The current VSSA content structure is based
on the safety areas outlined in the ADS 2.0 voluntary guidance document
published in 2017. This renewal request pertains to the continuation of
previously approved information collection recommended in that
document. The scope of this ICR action does not cover potential
revisions to the ADS 2.0 guidance, so the VSSA contents remain
unchanged. The IIHS comments did not address burden estimations, so no
changes were made to the information collection tool, methodology, or
burden estimates.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy submitted a comment ``support[ing] the
agency's intent to continue collecting VSSA documents.'' However, Chair
Homendy further stated that ``simply extending the collection period is
insufficient.'' NTSB has no objections to extending the period for
collection the VSSA while also highlighting the limitations of the ADS
2.0 guidance and points to the NTSB recommendations to alleviate those
limitations. The recommendations include requiring the VSSA rather than
a voluntary submission and that NHTSA establish a process for ongoing
evaluation of the VSSAs.
As stated in response to the IIHS comments, the approved
information collection for which NHTSA is requesting extension is based
on the safety elements outlined in the ADS 2.0 document published in
2017. This guidance document upholds a voluntary approach for
publishing VSSAs. As also noted previously, the purpose of the ICR
renewal action is to extend the approval of the existing information
collection, and its scope does not encompass potential revisions to the
ADS 2.0 guidance. NHTSA appreciates Chair Homendy's comments
reiterating the open NTSB recommendations \1\ to NHTSA related to this
topic and will continue to engage with NTSB regarding agency's
activities concerning recommendations H-19-47 and H-19-48. NHTSA
believes that VSSA structure offers a framework for entities to
communicate with the public and individual states about how they are
addressing the safety aspects of ADS, promoting transparency, and
fostering greater public confidence in ADS technologies. Therefore,
extending the existing information collection approval is beneficial.
NHTSA, along with interested stakeholders, continues to research and
assess potential approaches for effectively and objectively evaluating
the safety performance of ADS-equipped vehicles. The NTSB comments did
not address burden estimations for the information collection and
therefore no changes were made to the information collection tool,
methodology, or burden calculations.
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\1\ https://www.nhtsa.gov/ntsb-open-recommendations-nhtsa.
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Affected Public: Entities involved in the testing and deployment of
ADS.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 4.
Frequency: Once.
Estimated Number of Responses: 4.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,400 hours.
Estimating Respondents for this Information Collection: This
revision of a currently approved collection includes changes in the
annual respondents and thus a decrease in the annual burden hours to
the public. The changes are based on observations of the current and
past information collections.
NHTSA has combined multiple public lists of ADS entities to
determine the potential universe of potential entities that may (past
or future) develop a VSSA. Accessed on October
[[Page 10035]]
3, 2024, NHTSA combined entities that were listed on the current VSSA
Index, the California Department of Motor Vehicle Autonomous Vehicles
list of permit holders (testing with a driver, driverless testing, and
deployment), and the entities that have submitted ADS incident reports
through the Standing General Order. Staff then reviewed the list to
determine which entities were no longer operational in the United
States. This provided a universe as well as a grounding in the size of
the industry, which entities have developed a VSSA in years past, and
whether newer entrants are present in the universe such that they may
develop a VSSA. The result of these steps was 59 ADS entities.
Of the 59 entities, 27 have developed and made public a VSSA since
the collections began according to the VSSA Index. NHTSA is not aware
that any of the 27 have updated the full VSSA during that time period.
Two of those entities have released an appendix with separate
information not included in ADS 2.0. NHTSA assumes these entities will
not update their VSSA in the next three years. Table 1 provides a list
of VSSA publication date since 2017. The average over the lifetime of
ADS 2.0 is three VSSAs per year. Perhaps more reflective of the recent
industry, the average over the current collection (three years) is 4
VSSAs per year.
Table 1--VSSA Dissemination to Date
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Release Number
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Web page Only (no structured VSSA)................... 2
Inactive pointer location............................ 4
2018................................................. 1
2019................................................. 1
2020................................................. 3
2021................................................. 4
2022................................................. 2
2023................................................. 6
2024................................................. 4
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Seven-year average............................... 3
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Three-year Average (period of current ICR)....... 4
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Taking into account the universe established (59 entities) and
those that have disseminated a VSSA or suggested a web page through the
VSSA Index (27), NHTSA believes there is a potential for another 32
entities to publish a VSSA; however, the maturity of the entity itself,
the development of the ADS, and the partnerships established within the
industry, NHTSA does not assume all 32 will develop a VSSA over the
coming three years. This is bolstered by the fact that it has taken
seven years for dissemination of 27 VSSAs.
NHTSA will use the most recent three-year average of four VSSAs per
year for an estimation of VSSA dissemination or publication for the
duration of this information collection revision. Therefore, the number
of respondents annually is four and the frequency is once per year.
Estimating Burden for Each Respondent: Components of the Voluntary
Guidance in ADS 2.0 and public disclosure of the VSSA have not changed
since release in 2017. Therefore, these estimates of time to summarize
how an entity is addressing the safety elements remains the same as the
current information collection. NHTSA has not received comments that
these estimates are erroneous.
Development of a VSSA is expected to involve burden for format,
content, and summary, varying by safety element. NHTSA estimates that
each entity will spend approximately 600 hours to develop and
disseminate a VSSA. Table 2 provides a breakdown of burden hours by
safety element.
Table 2--Burden Hours Estimates for VSSA, per Safety Element
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Burden hours for
Safety element in voluntary guidance VSSA development
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A. System Safety..................................... 30
B. Operational Design Domain......................... 25
C. Object and Event Detection and Response........... 45
D. Fallback.......................................... 90
E. Validation Methods................................ 90
F. Human Machine Interface........................... 25
G. Vehicle Cybersecurity............................. 25
H. Crashworthiness................................... 25
I. Post-Crash ADS Behavior........................... 25
J. Data Recording.................................... 90
K. Consumer Education and Training................... 45
L. Federal, State, and Local Laws.................... 85
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Total Burden Hours Per ADS....................... 600
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Table 3--Calculation of Annual Burden Hours
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Estimated Annual Respondents............ 4.
[[Page 10036]]
Estimated Burden Hours for Voluntary 600 hours.
Assessment Dissemination.
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Total Estimated Burden Hours for 2,400 hours.
Industry per Year.
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The change reflected in this revision is a reduction of 9,600
burden hours annually.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $282,384 labor costs; no
additional burden cost.
NHTSA estimates the hourly cost associated with preparing VSSAs to
be $117.66 \2\ per hour using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' mean
hourly wage estimate for architectural and engineering managers in the
motor vehicle manufacturing industry (Standard Occupational
Classification # 11-9041). Therefore, the estimated annual burden to
each respondent is $70,596 (600 hours x $117.66). Therefore, the annual
estimated labor costs to all respondents to this collection is
$282,384. This reflects a decrease of $885,936 for labor costs
annually.
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\2\ The hourly wage is estimated to be $82.83 per hour. National
Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates NAICS
336100--Motor Vehicle Manufacturing, May 2023, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_336100.htm, last accessed October 9, 2024. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that wages represent 70.2
percent of total compensation to private workers, on average.
Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total hourly compensation cost to be
$117.66.
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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.
Cem Hatipoglu,
Associate Administrator, Office of Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2025-02844 Filed 2-19-25; 8:45 am]
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