Notice2025-05666
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 2, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Abstract
The 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 can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from OMB. Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 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 a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval on the National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS).
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 62 (Wednesday, April 2, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14515-14516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05666]
[[Page 14515]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2025-0024]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for extension of a
currently-approved collection of information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The 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 can collect certain information from the public, it must
receive approval from OMB. Under procedures established by the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 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 a collection of
information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval on the
National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS).
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 2, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2025-0024 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 Lacey B. Werth, Office of Traffic
Records and Analysis (NSA-210), (202) 366-7468, National Center for
Statistics and Analysis, 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 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: National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats.
OMB Control Number: 2127-0644.
Form Number(s): N/A.
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: The NSUBS is a voluntary
collection of restraint use information for children under 13. The
purpose of the NSUBS is to gather information on restraint use for all
child occupants, in particular the use of booster seats among children
ages 4-7. NSUBS is a biennial collection that involves data collectors
visiting sampled gas stations, recreation centers, day care centers,
and seven specific fast food restaurant chains where vehicles are most
likely to have child occupants. Data collectors will observe as many
vehicles as possible that appear to have a least one child occupant
under the age of 13 in order for data collector observation of
restraint use for all occupants. For motorists who voluntarily
participate in a subsequent interview, the data collectors conduct a
brief interview with the vehicle driver or other knowledgeable adult to
determine the age, height, weight, race/ethnicity of the child
occupants and age of the driver. The survey collects data to support
estimates of restraint use for all children under 13. The collection
includes race/ethnicity breakouts of restraint use among all occupants
in a vehicle as well as age, height, and weight of children.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: The NSUBS is conducted to respond to Section 14(i) of the
Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation
(TREAD) Act of 2000. The Act directs DOT to reduce deaths and injuries
among children in the 4- to 8-year old age group that are caused by
failure to use a booster seat by twenty-five percent. Conducting the
NSUBS provides the Department with invaluable information on use and
non-use of booster seats, helping the Department to improve its
outreach programs to ensure that children are protected to the greatest
extent possible when they ride in motor vehicles. The survey data will
allow programs to better reach the caretakers whose children are
unrestrained or not using the best restraint choice for their
children's sizes. The findings may also
[[Page 14516]]
be of interest to State legislatures wanting to strengthen their child
restraint laws by enacting mandatory or enhanced booster seat use
provisions.
Affected Public: Motorists in passenger vehicles with children
under 13 who are approached at gas stations, fast food restaurants, day
care centers, and recreation centers frequented by children and asked
to participate in the survey.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Based on the average number of
respondents from the last three survey years, we estimate that there
will be approximately 4,600 respondents (i.e., 4,600 adult motorists in
passenger vehicles with children under 13 at gas stations, fast food
restaurants, day care centers, and recreation centers who agree to be
interviewed for the survey).
Frequency: Biennial.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: NHTSA estimates that each
respondent will spend approximately 4.25 minutes providing the required
information. A respondent is defined as an adult motorist providing
information about the children in their vehicle. Based on this, NHTSA
estimates the total burden for 4,600 respondents to be approximately
326 hours. The calculation is as follows:
(4.25 minutes x 4,600 respondents) / 60 minutes/hour = 325.8 hours
Since NSUBS data collection occurs biennially, dividing the total
burden hours by two results in an annual burden of 163 hours.
Table 1--Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated burden per Total burden hours Total annual Total annual burden
Total responses response (minutes) per survey responses hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4,600 4.25 326 2,300 163
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To estimate the value of the respondents' time, NHTSA uses the
average hourly wage in the United States, which is estimated to be
$31.48.\1\ Since wages represent only 61.6 percent of total
compensation (according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data), the
fully loaded hourl compensation is $51.10. Using this figure, NHTSA
calculates the total opportunity cost to respondents for each survey to
be $16,658.60 (326 hours x $51.10) or $8,329.30 annually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 3,
2024, from <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> for
May 2023.
Table 2--Opportunity Costs Estimates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated burden per Average hourly Opportunity cost per Total burden hours Total opportunity Total annual
Total responses response (minutes) opportunity cost response per survey cost per survey opportunity cost
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4,600 4.25 $51.10 $3.62 326 $16,658.60 $8,329.30
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: Participation in this study is
voluntary and there are no costs to respondents beyond the time spent
taking part in the survey.
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 PRA of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 49
CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.
Chou-Lin Chen,
Associate Administrator, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2025-05666 Filed 4-1-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 2, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.