Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; National Traffic Safety Survey

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Published

July 29, 2024

Issuing agencies

Transportation DepartmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Abstract

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. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to conduct a new information collection, the National Traffic Safety Survey, a national probability sample of approximately 6,001 adults aged 18 and older per survey administration. This information will be used 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. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on May 17, 2024. NHTSA received one comment in support of the proposed information collection.

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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 145 (Monday, July 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60967-60969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16633]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 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: 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. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to conduct a new
information collection, the National Traffic Safety Survey, a national
probability sample of approximately 6,001 adults aged 18 and older per
survey administration. This information will be used 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. A Federal
Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the
following information collection was published on May 17, 2024. NHTSA
received one comment in support of the proposed information collection.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 28, 2024.

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
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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 Christine Watson, Ph.D., Office of
Behavioral Safety Research (NPD-320), 202-366-7345,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#24674c564d57504d4a410a734550574b4a64404b500a434b52"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3b78534952484f52555e156c5a4f4854557b5f544f155c544d">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, W46-474, 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: 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: 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,

[[Page 60968]]

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. <a href="https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43610">https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43610</a>.
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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.
60-Day Notice: A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting public comments on the following information
collection was published on May 17, 2024 (89 FR 43505). One
organization, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
(NAMIC), provided comments.
NAMIC expressed support for the project, specifically, that the
information collection is ``necessary for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency'' and that ``the information will have
practical utility.'' NAMIC also suggested that insurance industry
representatives may be able to provide input on potential applications
of results from the proposed information collection.
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 12,252 respondents in the three-
year period, or approximately 4,084 per year. With this estimate, NHTSA
estimates that, on average, approximately 681 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

[[Page 60969]]

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
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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. <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000</a>.

Table 2--Annual Burden Estimates
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Burden per Hourly Total
Information collection Number of response opportunity Opportunity opportunity Total burden
respondents (minutes) cost 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 amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2024-16633 Filed 7-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P

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