Notice2026-10429
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Older Novice Driver Study
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
May 26, 2026
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Abstract
NHTSA invites public comments about our intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new 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 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 for a naturalistic driving study with younger (less than age 17) and older (ages 18 to 20) novice drivers in their first twelve months of licensure.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 100 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30780-30783]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-10429]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2026-0958]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Older Novice Driver Study
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: NHTSA invites public comments about our intention to request
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new
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 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 for a naturalistic driving study with younger (less than
age 17) and older (ages 18 to 20) novice drivers in their first twelve
months of licensure.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 27, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2026-0958 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 W58-
213, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays.
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 Christine Watson, Ph.D., Contracting
Officer's Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety Research (NPD-
320),
[[Page 30781]]
(771) 241-3210, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
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: Older Novice Driver Study.
OMB Control Number: New.
Form Number(s): Forms 2228, 2229, 2230, 2231, 2232, 2233, and 2234.
Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection request.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking approval for a one-
time voluntary information collection from older (ages 18 to 20) and
younger (younger than age 17) novice drivers to investigate their
driving performance and behavior during the first 12 months of
independent (unsupervised) driving after licensure in a State(s) that
does not apply Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws to novices 18 and
older. Naturalistic driving data for each participant will be collected
for 12 months following licensure using a smartphone-based data
acquisition system (DAS) or using both the smartphone-based system and
another, more comprehensive DAS installed in participant's personal
vehicles. The smartphone-based DAS will use Global Positioning System
(GPS) and accelerometer inputs to collect information related to
velocity, acceleration, and driver exposure. The vehicle DAS includes
video cameras and sensors; data will also be collected from the vehicle
data bus. In addition, at the beginning, at the end, and up to four
times throughout the study, participants will complete questionnaires
about demographic, psychological, or other individual characteristics,
such as attitudes and beliefs about traffic safety, that prior research
indicates is associated with increased risk of crashes or risky
driving.
While the naturalistic data collection does not create a burden to
participants, study tasks with associated burden include a 2-minute
screening questionnaire and a 10-minute informed consent briefing for
potential participants (and their parent/guardian, if under 18). At the
beginning of the study, all enrolled participants will complete a
baseline questionnaire and hazard perception test and have the
smartphone DAS installed (30 minutes); a subgroup will also have the
vehicle DAS installed (an additional 240 minutes). During the
naturalistic driving data collection period, participants will complete
a study questionnaire on their smartphones up to four times (84
minutes). Finally, at the end of the study, all participants will
complete a final questionnaire and have the smartphone app uninstalled
from their phones (two minutes); the subgroup with the vehicle DAS will
also have it uninstalled (an additional 240 minutes).
The total expected annual burden for this collection is 2,574
hours, with an estimated opportunity cost of $110,378. The total annual
cost burden is $0. Prior to conducting the study, the research team
will obtain review and approval of this data collection from an
Institutional Review Board (IRB) that meets all Federal requirements in
45 CFR 46, is registered with the Office for Human Research
Protections, and has a Federalwide Assurance. NHTSA will use the
results of this study to produce a technical report containing summary
descriptive and inferential statistics. The technical report will be
shared with State Highway Safety Offices, local governments,
policymakers, researchers, educators, advocates, and others who may
wish to use the results of this study to support their work on novice
and teen driver safety.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and
reduce health care and other economic costs from motor vehicle crashes.
To further this mission, NHTSA conducts research as a foundation for
the development of motor vehicle standards and traffic safety programs.
Because of their increased risk, novice drivers are an area of focus
for NHTSA's behavioral safety efforts. State GDL laws have been
successful at reducing crashes of younger novices, but an increasing
number of young people are delaying licensure until they are 18 or
older, when they are typically exempt from GDL provisions. Little is
currently known about the driving performance and behavior of novices
ages 18-20, but some research indicates older novices may be at higher
risk than their teen counterparts.
This study aims to examine the driving performance and behavior of
younger and older novice drivers during their first year of
unsupervised driving to inform the feasibility of developing GDL
provisions that apply to older novice drivers. This study will also
examine the driving performance and behavior of novices who are
consistently at higher- or lower-risk during this period to inform the
development of other behavioral countermeasures like training,
education, and messaging. Finally, this study employs the use of
smartphone telematics for the collection of naturalistic driving data
from all participants, with the goal of removing barriers to
participation and recruiting a study sample that is more representative
of the older and younger novice driver populations. Because a subgroup
of participants will also have naturalistic driving data collected from
a vehicle DAS, this study will provide methodological information about
the correspondence of driving performance and behavior data collected
with the two methods.
Affected Public: Newly-licensed drivers in one or more States,
either less than 17 years old or between 18 and 20 years old.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The study anticipates screening up
to 3,337 potential participants annually. Of this group, an estimated
1,001 potential participants annually (plus an estimated 501 parents/
guardians for potential participants younger than 18) will undergo the
informed consent briefing. Finally, of this group, about 834
[[Page 30782]]
respondents are expected to consent and enroll in the study annually.
Frequency: This study is a one-time data collection.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: A screening questionnaire to
identify respondents who are eligible for the study will be
administered in person or over the telephone. We estimate that 2,336
respondents annually will complete the screening questionnaire but will
not be eligible or interested in participating in the study. For this
group (``Screened, Ineligible''), completing the screening
questionnaire (two minutes) has an estimated annual burden of 78 hours
(Table 1).
We estimate that 30% of those who complete the screening
questionnaire will be eligible and interested in participating in the
study. These respondents will then complete the informed consent
briefing. In this briefing, a member of the research team will share an
overview of the study, explain the consent form, and answer any of the
potential participant's questions. However, we estimate that about 17%
of respondents who undergo the informed consent briefing will
ultimately decline to participate in the study (167 respondents
annually). For this group (``Eligible, Not Enrolled''), completing the
screening questionnaire (two minutes) and informed consent briefing (10
minutes) has an estimated annual burden of 33 hours (Table 1). In
addition, about half of all respondents who complete the informed
consent briefing are expected to be younger than age 18. For these
respondents, a parent or guardian must also complete the informed
consent briefing. We estimate that about 501 parent/guardians will
complete the informed consent briefing (10 minutes) annually, for an
estimated annual burden of 84 hours (Table 1).
Finally, we anticipate enrolling 834 respondents in the study
annually. Of these 834 respondents, 759 respondents will be assigned to
smartphone DAS group and will only have naturalistic driving data
collected via smartphone telematics. For the remaining 75 respondents,
in addition of being assigned to the vehicle DAS group they will have
driving data collected via in-vehicle equipment.
Table 1--Annual Burden Estimates
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Burden per Hourly Opportunity Total annual
Information collection NHTSA form # response Annual number opportunity cost per opportunity Total annual
(minutes) of respondents cost response cost burden (hours)
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Screened, Ineligible.................... 2228 2 2,336 $42.88 $1.43 $3,341 78
Eligible, Not Enrolled.................. 2228, 2229 12 167 42.88 8.58 1,433 33
Parent/Guardian Consent (if under 18)... 2229 10 501 42.88 7.15 3,579 84
Eligible, Enrolled--Smartphone DAS Only. 2228, 2229, 128 759 42.88 91.48 69,434 1,619
2230, 2232,
2233
Eligible, Enrolled--Smartphone & Vehicle 2228, 2229, 608 75 42.88 434.54 32,591 760
DASs................................... 2231, 2232,
2234
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Annual Total........................ .............. .............. 3,838 .............. .............. 110,378 2,574
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Table 2--Burden by Form
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Burden
NHTSA form No. Form name (minutes)
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2228..................................... Screening Questionnaire.............................. 2
2229..................................... Informed Consent Briefing............................ 10
2230..................................... Baseline Questionnaire--Smartphone DAS Only.......... 30
Baseline questionnaire 15
Hazard perception test 10
Smartphone DAS installation 5
2231..................................... Baseline Questionnaire--Smartphone & Vehicle DASs.... 270
Baseline questionnaire 15
Hazard perception test 10
Smartphone DAS installation 5
Vehicle DAS installation 240
2232..................................... Study Period Questionnaire (up to 4 times)........... 84
2233..................................... Final Questionnaire--Smartphone DAS Only............. 2
Final questionnaire 1
Smartphone DAS uninstallation 1
2234..................................... Final Questionnaire--Smartphone & Vehicle DASs....... 242
Final questionnaire 1
Smartphone DAS uninstallation 1
Vehicle DAS uninstallation 240
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All respondents enrolled in the study will complete the screening
questionnaire (two minutes), the informed consent briefing (10
minutes), and all other study activities. These study activities
include (Table 2):
<bullet> Completing a baseline questionnaire (15 minutes), a hazard
perception test to measure the respondent's ability to correctly
identify driving hazards in static images (10 minutes), having the app
that will collect naturalistic driving data installed on their
smartphone (five minutes), and, for the vehicle DAS group, having the
in-vehicle data collection equipment installed in their personal
vehicles (240 minutes). These baseline activities have an estimated
total burden of 30 minutes for the smartphone DAS group and 270 minutes
for the vehicle DAS group.
<bullet> Completing a study period questionnaire up to four times
during the 12-month study period (up to 84
[[Page 30783]]
minutes). This questionnaire asks participants to self-report a variety
of information that prior research indicates is associated with
increased risk of crashes or risky driving, including mindfulness,
anxiety, depression, parental involvement, sense of purpose,
neighborhood collective efficacy, perceived community support, safety
attitudes and behaviors, sensation seeking personality, and sleep
quality.
<bullet> Completing a final questionnaire that asks participants
about any crashes or citations they experienced during the study period
(one minute), having the data collection app uninstalled from their
smartphones (one minute), and, for the vehicle DAS group only, having
the in-vehicle data collection equipment uninstalled from their
vehicles (240 minutes). These final study activities have an estimated
total burden of two minutes for the smartphone DAS group and 242
minutes for the vehicle DAS group.
Overall, we estimate that for the 759 annual respondents in the
smartphone DAS group, the burden per response is 128 minutes, for a
total annual burden of 1,619 hours. For the 75 annual respondents in
the vehicle DAS group, the burden per response is 608 minutes, for a
total annual burden of 760 hours.
The total hour burden for all respondents is 2,574 hours annually
(Table 1). A summary of the number of study participants expected to
complete each stage of the study (i.e., screening, informed consent,
and enrollment) is shown in Table 3.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $0.
The subset of participants (n = 225) who will have both the
smartphone DAS and vehicle DAS installed will need to travel to and
from a study location where the vehicle DAS equipment installation will
occur. While at the study location, these participants will also have
the smartphone DAS installed and complete the baseline questionnaire
and hazard perception test. Then, at the end of the study, this
subgroup of participants will again travel to and from the study
location to have the DASs uninstalled and complete the final
questionnaire. NHTSA estimates that each of the 225 participants will
travel less than 10 miles one-way to the study location (20 miles round
trip), for a total of 40 miles for the two days. Using the IRS standard
mileage rate of $0.725 per mile, each participant is expected to incur
no more than $29 in transportation costs. Therefore, NHTSA estimates
that the total costs to the respondents enrolled in the study will be
no more than $2,175 annually ($6,525 total). The costs associated with
this travel are minimal and are expected to be offset by the
compensation that will be provided to participants (i.e., $220 for the
smartphone DAS group and $340 for the vehicle DAS group).
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.
Jane Terry,
Acting Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2026-10429 Filed 5-22-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
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