Notice2021-28363
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Field Operational Test
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Published
December 30, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Abstract
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 an extension of a currently approved information collection. Before a Federal agency may 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 reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval to allow NHTSA to continue to conduct research on the development of a driver alcohol detection system. NHTSA is seeking an extension of the information collection, titled "Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Field Operational Test" (OMB Control Number 2127-0734), which is currently approved through March 31, 2022. The extension is necessary to complete data collection that was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The burden hour and cost calculations have been adjusted to reflect only the remaining data collection, adjustments for recruitment based on current experience, and adjustments in participation based on current experience.
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 248 (Thursday, December 30, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 248 (Thursday, December 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74427-74429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28363]
[[Page 74427]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0085]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Field Operational
Test
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on an extension of a
currently approved 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 an extension of a
currently approved information collection. Before a Federal agency may
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 reinstatements of previously approved collections. This
document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends
to seek OMB approval to allow NHTSA to continue to conduct research on
the development of a driver alcohol detection system. NHTSA is seeking
an extension of the information collection, titled ``Driver Alcohol
Detection System for Safety Field Operational Test'' (OMB Control
Number 2127-0734), which is currently approved through March 31, 2022.
The extension is necessary to complete data collection that was delayed
due to COVID-19 restrictions. The burden hour and cost calculations
have been adjusted to reflect only the remaining data collection,
adjustments for recruitment based on current experience, and
adjustments in participation based on current experience.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 28, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2021-0085 through any of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
<bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
<bullet> 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 <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, 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 <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/privacy">https://www.transportation.gov/privacy</a>.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> 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 Eric Traube, Vehicle Safety Research,
Human Factors/Engineering Integration Division (NSR-310), (202) 366-
5673, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, W46-424, 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 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: Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Field Operational
Test.
OMB Control Number: 2127-0734.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information
collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information
NHTSA and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS) began
research in February 2008 to try to find potential in-vehicle
approaches to the problem of alcohol-impaired driving. Members of ACTS
comprise motor vehicle manufacturers representing approximately 99
percent of light vehicle sales in the U.S. This cooperative research
partnership, known as the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety
(DADSS) Program, is exploring the feasibility, the potential benefits
of, and the public policy challenges associated with a more widespread
use of non-invasive technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving. The
2008 cooperative agreement between NHTSA and ACTS for Phases I and II
outlined a program of research to assess the state of detection
technologies that are capable of measuring blood alcohol concentration
(BAC) or Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC). The 2008 cooperative
agreement and a subsequent 2013 cooperative agreement support the
creation and testing of prototypes and subsequent hardware that could
be installed in vehicles. As part of this research program, and
pursuant to the 2013 cooperative agreement, NHTSA and ACTS developed
both breath- and
[[Page 74428]]
touch-based sensors to evaluate the potential implementation and
integration of both breath- and touch-based sensor technologies. The
sensors are to be integrated into a vehicle in a manner that does not
significantly alter the appearance of the vehicle interior. Further
research is needed to evaluate the potential implementation and
integration of both breath- and touch-based sensor technologies.
The purpose of this information collection is to collect data
needed to evaluate the functionality of the touch- and breath-based
sensors in varying operating conditions by having study participants
provide breath and touch samples in DADSS research vehicles equipped
with the sensors. Although the sensors will undergo significant
laboratory testing, it is necessary to evaluate their function in
extreme real-world environmental conditions to ensure that they will be
operational for the harshest conditions that the sensors will
encounter.
The sensor-equipped research vehicles are used to gather data
regarding sensor validity and reliability, as well as assess the real-
world use of the sensors with human participants in varying
environmental conditions, such as weather conditions, road conditions,
temperatures, altitudes, air conditioner or heater status, window up or
down, etc. These are the first vehicles ever to be equipped with
systems designed to be unobtrusive that can measure driver alcohol
levels. As such, it represents the first opportunity for researchers to
gain an understanding of the use of the sensors in the operational
context for which they were designed. Data collected from the study's
Field Operational Test (FOT or DADSS FOT) will be used to further
refine the DADSS Performance Specifications and evaluate subsystem/
sensor performance. The collection of information consists of: (1) An
eligibility interview with COVID screening questions and COVID test,
(2) a multi-day FOT of DADSS sensors, and (3) a post-test-day
questionnaire. NHTSA is currently collecting information for the study
and the data collection is ongoing. Extension of the study is necessary
due to COVID-related delays which paused data collection for a period
of time and during development of new COVID precautions.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information
A key to the establishment of effective in-vehicle alcohol
detection systems is an understanding of real-world use of the
technology. The DADSS FOT will provide a greater understanding of the
performance of both breath- and touch-based sensors with actual drivers
using the technology under varying environmental conditions.
The objectives of the DADSS FOT are to:
<bullet> Determine the effectiveness, as compared to the
standardized breathalyzer, of the DADSS sensors in a real-world driving
environment.
<bullet> Analyze DADSS touch- and breath-based sensors in real-
world driving scenarios.
<bullet> Obtain technical data to further refine the DADSS
Performance Specifications for the DADSS System that will ultimately be
used for vehicle design and development.
The data collected during the DADSS FOT is for the purpose of
validating the DADSS prototype sensors under varying environmental
conditions. The use of human participants in the DADSS FOT is for the
operation of the vehicle and to have participants testing the sensors
with and without alcohol in their systems so that the sensors''
performance may be evaluated.
Affected Public: General public.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,787.
When NHTSA sought approval for the currently approved information
collection, it described its plan for collecting data from 480 unique
respondents. In order to recruit 480 participants who would complete
the field operational test, NHTSA estimated that 600 respondents would
need to complete the initial eligibility screening (a 75% recruitment
rate). Based on experience, NHTSA has found that the actual recruitment
rate is much lower than anticipated. As of August 31, 2021, 62
participants had been successfully recruited and participated in the
FOT. Successful recruitment involved a screening of 420 individuals,
for a recruitment rate of 15 percent. Since NHTSA needs to recruit 418
more participants, NHTSA estimates that the research team would need to
screen 2,787 individuals.
Frequency: Varies.
There are four different components to this information collection
and the frequency for response varies across the components: The
initial eligibility screening is conducted one-time; the full
orientation is conducted one-time; the health screening is conducted
each time that an individual participates in the FOT; and the FOT is
conducted as many times as the individual wishes, up to 60 times.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,249.
When NHTSA originally obtained clearance for this ICR, the agency
did not expect to need to renew the collection. Instead, it was
expected that the data collection would have been completed within the
three-year clearance period. However, COVID-19 delayed the research
effort, necessitating this request for extension. Accordingly, NHTSA is
requesting an extension of this currently approved information
collection for the portion of the planned data collection that still
needs to be completed. As of August 31, 2021, collection is complete
for 62 participants of the necessary 480 participants. Therefore, NHTSA
is requesting approval for the collection of information from 418
remaining participants and individuals screened in order to recruit the
418 participants. In estimating the burden of this collection, NHTSA
has made adjustments, based on its experience with recruitment and data
collection under the current collection, to its estimates for numbers
of screenings, duration associated with information collection, and
frequency of data collection of various phases of the study. NHTSA has
also added new COVID-19 screening questions and a COVID-19 test
requirement for the safety of both researchers and study participants.
These new COVID-19 safety measures will be carried out in accordance
with CDC guidelines and the data from the screening questions and tests
will not be retained nor used for analytic purposes.
When NHTSA originally sought approval for this research study, it
estimated that each initial eligibility/demographic interview would
take approximately 15 minutes. With experience, NHTSA is now revising
the estimate to be 30 minutes. NHTSA is also revising its burden
estimates to include time for health screenings each time a respondent
participates in the FOT after their first day. On the first day,
participants will go through a full orientation, which is expected to
last 1 hour and includes both a health screening and in-vehicle
instruction. NHTSA estimates that the health screening portion takes
approximately 30 minutes.
NHTSA originally estimated burdens associated with this collection
assuming that each participant would complete the FOT 60 times. This
was based on the maximum amount of participation. However, based on the
experience of the data collection through August 31, 2021, participants
are, on average, completing the FOT 2.13 times. Of the 62 participants
who have completed the FOT thus far, 27 participated only once. The
remaining 35 participated an
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average of 3 times each. Using this average, NHTSA estimates that the
remaining 418 participants will complete a total of 890 operational
tests.
Based on experience, NHTSA has also revised the estimated burden
hours for the FOT. NHTSA now estimates the average duration of the pre-
drive, drive, and post-drive recovery to be five hours (this estimate
does not include orientation time, which is estimated separately).
NHTSA has also revised estimates to include the time for test-day
questions in the burden estimate for FOT. These questions were counted
separately in the initial ICR. However, the question responses are
collected during the post-drive recovery time and included in the
average time for participants in the FOT portion of the study.
NHTSA estimates the total burden for the remaining data collection
to be 6,498 hours. The research team expects the data collection to
take place over 24 months, for an average of 3,249 hours per year. This
is longer than initially estimated due to observed difficulty in
recruitment.
NHTSA estimates the opportunity cost associated with this
information collection using the median hourly wage for the Southwest
Virginia nonmetropolitan area of $15.34 per hour for all
occupations,\1\ resulting in a total opportunity cost of $99,679.32 and
an annual opportunity cost of $49,839.66.
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\1\ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. May 2020
Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and
Wage Estimates--Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area. U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2020/may/oes_5100001.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/2020/may/oes_5100001.htm</a>. Last Accessed 12/27/21.
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Table 1 provides a summary of the remaining burden hours for this
information collection.
Table 1--Estimated Burden Hours and Associated Opportunity Costs
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Estimated Estimated
Instrument Number of Number of Duration burden Cost per burden hour
responses respondents hours hour cost
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Eligibility/Demographic 2,787 2,787 30 min (0.5 1,393.5 $15.34 $21,376.29
Interview. hrs).
Full Orientation.............. 418 418 1 hour...... 418 15.34 8,151.00
Health Screening Only......... 468 234 30 min (0.5 234 15.34 4,563.00
hrs).
Field Operational Test........ 890 418 5 hours..... 4,452 15.34 86,814.00
Total (covering a 24-month ........... ........... ............ 6,497.5 ........... 99,679.32
period). (6,498)
Estimated Annual Burden....... ........... ........... ............ 3,249 ........... 49,839.66
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $0.
NHTSA estimates that there are no additional costs to respondents
beyond those associated with opportunity cost. To offset these costs,
NHTSA is paying respondents who participate in the FOT $19.50 per hour.
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. 2021-28363 Filed 12-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
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