[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 94 (Friday, May 16, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21113-21115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08804]
[[Page 21113]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2024-0070]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for
Comment; Crash Avoidance Warning System Human-Machine Interface
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. The ICR describes the nature of
the information collection titled ``Crash Avoidance Warning System
Human-Machine Interface Research'' and its expected burden. This ICR is
to request approval to conduct 6 new voluntary information collections
as part of a one-time research study of drivers' interactions with
crash avoidance technology with different human-machine interface (HMI)
characteristics. This research will inform NHTSA's vehicle safety
efforts and decisions regarding rulemaking activities. A Federal
Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the
following information collection was published on November 7, 2024. Two
comments were received during the comment period: one in full support
of the collection, the other acknowledging the exclusion of motorcycles
and requesting future studies include non-4-wheeled vehicles. This
notice includes a discussion of the comments and responses. No changes
to the study nor burden calculations are necessary as a result of the
comments.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 16, 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 Alexandria Rossi-Alvarez, Ph.D.,
Office of Vehicle Safety Research, Applied Crash Avoidance Research
Division NSR-120, Vehicle Research & Test Center, 10820 State Route
347, East Liberty, OH 43319; [email protected]; 937-666-3322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), a
Federal agency must receive approval from 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 to OMB.
Title: Crash Avoidance Warning System Human-Machine Interface
Research.
OMB Control Number: New.
Form Number: NHTSA Form 2006: Interest Response Form; NHTSA Form
2007: Candidate Screening Questions; NHTSA Form 2008: Appointment
Scheduling; NHTSA Form 2009: Participant Informed Consent Form; and
NHTSA Form 2010: Post-Drive Questionnaire.
Type of Request: New information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: NHTSA is seeking approval
for this new ICR to conduct 6 new voluntary information collections as
part of a one-time research program examining drivers' interactions
with crash avoidance technology with different HMI characteristics.
This research will inform NHTSA's vehicle safety efforts and decisions
regarding rulemaking activities.
Crash avoidance warning systems aid vehicle drivers in avoiding
crashes by presenting alerts and warnings to inform drivers of
situations in which the system has determined, via sensor information,
that a crash is possible or imminent, depending on the situation. These
systems communicate the occurrence of such conditions to drivers via
sensory modalities, such as visual or auditory signals or vibration of
the seat or steering wheel. This research seeks to improve NHTSA's
understanding of how crash avoidance warning system HMI characteristics
affect system effectiveness and potential safety impacts.
The objective of this research is to examine driver behavior while
using crash avoidance warning systems and to assess effects of human-
machine interface characteristics on drivers' behavior and driver
response in crash-imminent scenarios. The research will involve driver
behavior observation while driving on a test track, public roads, or in
a simulated environment (i.e., driving simulator). Data collection may
also involve stationary laboratory measurements relating to crash
avoidance warning signal characteristics, such as stationary laboratory
measurements of individuals' visual angles when gazing at in-vehicle
visual signals (e.g., instrument panel symbols) and displays. Test
vehicles will be equipped, as needed, with instrumentation for
recording driver eye glance behavior, vehicle control inputs (steering
wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal inputs), vehicle position and
speed, and turn signal status. During dynamic testing, sensors will
determine and record the distances between the test vehicle and
surrounding vehicles, as appropriate.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: As driver assistance technologies advance, they have the
potential to dramatically reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes
and injuries, as well as the associated economic costs. The safety and
effectiveness of the crash avoidance warning systems depend on drivers
understanding the capabilities and constraints of the systems, and the
meaning of visual and auditory alerts or warnings provided.
Drivers successfully perceiving and understanding crash avoidance
warnings is important for crash avoidance system effectiveness and
crash mitigation. In particular, drivers must comprehend the situation
and respond quickly when a crash avoidance warning system indicates an
imminent collision is likely. This research aims to assess the effects
of crash avoidance warning system HMI characteristics on driver
behavior, on driver response in crash-imminent scenarios, and on crash
avoidance success. The research will compare various crash avoidance
warning system HMI characteristics and examine participants' responses
to the alerts and/or warnings.
60-Day Notice: A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting public comments on the following information
collection was published on November 7, 2024 (89 FR 88342). NHTSA
received two comments during the public comment period for the 60-day
notice. Neither comment challenged the burden calculations.
[[Page 21114]]
The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC)
commented, ``NAMIC strongly supports this effort by NHTSA. There is no
question that the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, and that the
information will have practical utility. We believe that the results of
the information collection will help NHTSA better understand and ensure
vehicle safety.'' Response: NHTSA appreciates the review,
consideration, and support of the research. No changes to the
collection were necessary as a result of the NAMIC comment.
Zero Motorcycles, Inc. noted that the current information
collection does not consider crash avoidance systems on motorcycles or
``non-4+ wheeled'' vehicles. They stated that motorcycles offer these
types of systems and that including them in a future study would be
beneficial. Response: The scope of the current research effort is
focused on light passenger vehicles. NHTSA continues to stay abreast of
advancing motorcycle crash avoidance technologies and has other current
research projects examining the performance of such technologies.
Affected Public: Research participants will be volunteers from the
Columbus, OH area who are licensed drivers aged 25-65 years
(inclusive), drive at least 11,000 miles annually, are in good health,
and do not require assistive devices to safely operate a vehicle and
drive continuously for a period of up to 2 hours.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Candidate participant recruitment
information will be collected in an incremental fashion to permit the
determination of which individuals meet the criteria for research
participation. All interested candidates (estimate: 250 annually) will
complete the Interest Response Form. A subset of individuals (estimate:
125 annually) meeting the criteria for the Interest Response Form will
be asked to complete Candidate Screening Questions. Those who complete
and are eligible based on the Candidate Screening Questions will be
contacted for Appointment Scheduling to be study participants, with a
goal of 67 participants annually. These same 67 participants will also
complete the Experimental Data Collection and the Post-Drive
Questionnaire.
Frequency: Once.
This research will be conducted once in phases corresponding to the
different crash avoidance warning system types to be examined (i.e.,
forward, lateral, and rear crash avoidance).
Estimated Number of Responses: 643 responses.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 239 hours.
The annual estimated burden for the information collection is 239
hours. This is the aggregate of the estimated annual burden for 6
information collections that would be part of the one-time study. The 6
information collections include: (1) Interest Response Form to be
administered to up to 250 potential research respondents; (2) Candidate
Screening Questions to be administered to up to 125 research
participants; (3) Appointment Scheduling to be administered to up to 67
research participants; (4) Participant Informed Consent Form to be
administered to up to 67 research participants; (5) Experimental Data
Collection; and (6) Post-Drive Questionnaire to be administered to up
to 67 research participants.
The study will begin with a screening process to identify eligible
participants. As stated above, the research team intends to identify
250 eligible participants to account for potential attrition to ensure
that the target sample of 67 participants is achieved. Participant
recruitment will be accomplished via online, print advertisements, and
as needed, mailings to registered Ohio vehicle owners. Individuals
interested in participation will respond to the recruitment
advertisement by visiting a secure website containing a brief study
description. The study description includes a web link that interested
candidate participants can follow to begin the screening process. NHTSA
estimates that the Interest Response Form takes, on average, 5 minutes
to complete. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the annual burden for Interest
Response Form to be 21 hours (5 minutes x 250 respondents).
Individuals whose responses meet participation requirements will be
selected to take the Candidate Screening Questions. The research team
intends to identify 125 eligible participants to account for potential
attrition to ensure that the target sample of 67 participants is
achieved. Candidate participants are emailed a link to the
electronically presented question set hosted on a secure website. NHTSA
estimates that the Candidate Screening Questions takes, on average, 7
minutes to complete. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the annual burden for
Candidate Screening Questions to be 15 hours (7 minutes x 125
respondents).
Upon review of response data for the Candidate Screening Questions,
candidates meeting the criteria will be contacted to schedule the study
participation appointment. The research team intends to identify 67
eligible candidates. NHTSA estimates that the Appointment Scheduling
takes, on average, 2 minutes to complete. Therefore, NHTSA estimates
the annual burden for Appointment Scheduling to be 2 hours (2 minutes x
67 respondents).
Each respondent will begin with a consenting process, which is
completed on-site at the testing facility at the beginning of the study
session. This consenting process includes an overview of the study and
an explanation of the Informed Consent Form. This consenting process is
expected to take 35 minutes. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total
burden for obtaining informed consent to be 39 hours (35 minutes x 67
respondents).
Following consent, the participant will receive instructions on the
study protocol. For driving data collection, the participant will be
shown the vehicle, seated in the driver seat, and an eye-tracking
system calibration will be performed. Driving will then commence while
data are recorded to document vehicle performance and driver behavior.
For stationary measurements, the individual would be seated in a
stationary vehicle and asked to look at and/or listen to different
crash avoidance warnings and provide verbal feedback as appropriate.
This Experimental Data Collection will be conducted once and take
approximately 130 minutes. Therefore, NHTSA estimates that the total
burden for the Experimental Data Collection to be 145 hours (130
minutes x 67 respondents).
At the end, participants will complete a Post-Drive Questionnaire,
estimated to take approximately 15 minutes. The total burden for the
Post-Drive Questionnaire is estimated to be 17 hours (15 minutes x 67
respondents). The total annual burden for the entire study is estimated
to be 239 hours.
The estimated annual burden time is summarized in Table 1 below.
The number of respondents and time to complete each question set are
estimated as provided.
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Table 1--Annual Burden Estimates
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Annual
Annual Frequency of Annual Time per estimated
Information collection number of response responses response burden hours
respondents (min) (rounded)
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Interest Response Form.................. 250 1 250 5 21
Candidate Screening Questions........... 125 1 125 7 15
Appointment Scheduling.................. 67 1 67 2 2
Participant Informed Consent Form....... 67 1 67 35 39
Experimental Data Collection............ 67 1 67 130 145
Post-Drive Questionnaire................ 67 1 67 15 17
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Total Annual Burden................. ............ .............. 643 ........... 239
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $0.
There is no cost to respondents for this information collection.
The costs associated with travel are minimal and expected to be offset
by the compensation that will be provided to the 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 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, Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2025-08804 Filed 5-15-25; 8:45 am]
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