Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Best Practices for Integrating Crash and Injury Surveillance Data Systems

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Published

August 7, 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 new collections, extensions, and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes a proposed collection of information that would allow NHTSA to obtain structured information on States' and territories' practices related to linking or integrating motor vehicle crash data with injury surveillance and medical data (e.g., emergency medical services (EMS), emergency department, hospital inpatient discharge, trauma registry, and vital statistics). The collection includes virtual stakeholder meetings, an online survey, and follow-up in-depth interviews with a subset of States to document current practices, challenges, and best practices in crash and injury surveillance data linkage and integration.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 151 (Friday, August 7, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 151 (Friday, August 7, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51218-51220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-16116]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2026-1420]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Best Practices for Integrating Crash and Injury Surveillance
Data Systems

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 new collections,
extensions, and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This
document describes a proposed collection of information that would
allow NHTSA to obtain structured information on States' and
territories' practices related to linking or integrating motor vehicle
crash data with injury surveillance and medical data (e.g., emergency
medical services (EMS), emergency department, hospital inpatient
discharge, trauma registry, and vital statistics). The collection
includes virtual stakeholder meetings, an online survey, and follow-up
in-depth interviews with a subset of States to document current
practices, challenges, and best practices in crash and injury
surveillance data linkage and integration.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 6, 2026.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2026-1420 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, Suite W58-
213, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there to help
you, please call (202) 366-9826 or (202) 366-9317 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 to the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets via the internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Beau Burdett, National Center for
Statistics and Analysis (NSA-221), (202) 236-1959, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, West Building Suite W43-480, 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: Best Practices for Integrating Crash and Injury Surveillance
Data Systems.
OMB Control Number: New.
Form Number(s): NHTSA Form 2261, NHTSA Form 2262.
Type of Request: New information collection.

[[Page 51219]]

Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: NHTSA is authorized by 23
U.S.C. 403 to collect and analyze data on motor vehicle traffic crashes
and related injuries to support the identification of safety issues and
the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective motor
vehicle and highway safety countermeasures.
For decades, NHTSA has supported efforts to improve the quality,
completeness, and integration of traffic records, including linking
police-reported crash data with injury surveillance and clinical data
(e.g., EMS, trauma registries, emergency departments, hospital
discharge, vital records). Programs such as the Crash Outcome Data
Evaluation System (CODES) and, more recently, the introduction of the
Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) in the Model Minimum Uniform Crash
Criteria (MMUCC) have encouraged States to integrate crash and injury
surveillance data to better understand crash outcomes, especially
serious injuries.
NHTSA seeks to conduct a one-time information collection to obtain
structured, comparable information on States' and territories' current
practices related to crash and injury surveillance data linkage and
integration.
The collection has three components:
1. Virtual stakeholder meetings: NHTSA, through a contractor, will
facilitate virtual stakeholder meetings. NHTSA will request that State
Highway Safety Offices provide information from the meeting
participants acting in their official capacity, i.e., names and work
email addresses, so that NHTSA can send virtual meeting invitations to
the identified participants. These meetings will gather qualitative
information about States' current efforts, successes, and challenges in
linking crash and injury surveillance data and will help identify
relevant stakeholders for the subsequent survey and interviews.
2. Online survey of State stakeholders: Following the virtual
stakeholder meetings, the contractor will distribute individualized
links to an online survey to crash and injury surveillance data systems
stakeholders from the States and territories. The survey will collect
information on:

<bullet> Availability and types of injury surveillance datasets;
<bullet> Use and formats of crash and injury surveillance data;
<bullet> Staffing, skills, and training related to data analysis and
data linkage/integration;
<bullet> Current crash-injury data linkage/integration activities
(including data sources, methods, tools, frequency, and use of UUID or
other unique identifiers);
<bullet> Data governance, data sharing, and data quality control
practices; and
<bullet> Use of linked/integrated data to support traffic safety
decision-making.

The survey employs primarily checkbox, matrix, and multiple-choice
questions and includes only two open-ended questions to limit burden.
The survey will not collect personally identifiable information (PII)
about individual respondents.

3. Follow-up in-depth interviews: Based on the information gathered
from the stakeholder meetings and the survey, NHTSA will select up to
nine States for follow-up structured virtual interviews to obtain more
detailed qualitative information on their data linkage and integration
processes, use of UUID, challenges, and best practices.
The information collection is intended to provide NHTSA with a
clearer picture of the ``state of the practice'' across States and
territories regarding crash and injury surveillance data linkage and
integration, including both CODES-like programs and other data linkage
efforts. The results will inform NHTSA's technical assistance, program
planning, and development of best practice guidance to support States
in initiating, sustaining, or enhancing their data linkage and
integration activities.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: Linked crash and injury surveillance data are critical for
understanding crash outcomes (particularly serious injuries),
evaluating countermeasures, and guiding investment decisions in traffic
safety. While NHTSA has long supported data integration through
programs such as CODES and MMUCC, the agency currently lacks
comprehensive, up-to-date information on how States and territories are
linking or integrating crash and injury surveillance data, what methods
and tools are being used, how UUID and other unique identifiers are
being implemented, and what challenges and successes States are
experiencing.
This information collection will provide:

<bullet> A descriptive, national-level picture of state practices
in crash-injury data linkage and integration;
<bullet> Insight into barriers (e.g., legal, technical, resource-
related) and opportunities for improving linkage and data quality;
<bullet> Documentation of emerging technologies and methods, including
use of the UUID introduced in the National Emergency Medical Services
Information System (NEMSIS) and MMUCC; and
<bullet> Examples of effective practices, governance structures, and
data use that can inform NHTSA's technical assistance and guidance to
States.
NHTSA will use the findings to:
<bullet> Identify needs for targeted technical assistance, training, or
guidance to States;
<bullet> Inform the development or refinement of best practices and
tools to support crash-injury data linkage and integration; and
<bullet> Support broader Federal and state efforts to improve the use
of linked data for problem identification, resource allocation, program
evaluation, and performance management in traffic safety.

NHTSA does not intend to use the information collected to produce
statistical estimates that are generalizable to a broader population in
the sense of a probability-based survey. Instead, the collection is a
one-time, descriptive assessment of identified state-level stakeholders
and their practices.
Affected Public: State and territorial crash and injury
surveillance data systems stakeholders who manage, link, integrate, or
use these data as part of their professional responsibilities. This
includes staff from State Highway Safety Offices, Departments of
Transportation, Departments of Public Safety or Police, Departments of
Motor Vehicles, Departments of Health, hospital associations, trauma
systems, and related organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: NHTSA estimates a total of 129
respondents participating in all three project components, broken down
as follows:

<bullet> Virtual stakeholder meetings: 10 virtual meetings with an
average of 20 participants per meeting, for an estimated total of 200
respondents (participants are counted once, although some may also
complete the survey or interviews).
<bullet> Online survey: Approximately 100 respondents, including
participants from the meetings and additional relevant stakeholders
identified by NHTSA Regions and State partners.
<bullet> Follow-up in-depth interviews: Up to nine States, with an
average of four stakeholders per State, for an estimated total of 36
interview respondents.

[[Page 51220]]

Because some individuals will participate in more than one activity
(e.g., a stakeholder may attend a virtual meeting, complete the survey,
and participate in a follow-up interview), the total number of unique
individuals will be somewhat less than the sum of activity-specific
counts.
Frequency: This is a one-time collection of information.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 378 hours.
This information collection includes three components: virtual
stakeholder meetings, an online survey, and follow-up interviews.

Virtual Stakeholder Meetings

<bullet> Number of virtual stakeholder meetings: 10.
<bullet> Estimated participants per meeting: 20.
<bullet> Duration per meeting: 1.5 hours.
<bullet> Total burden hours: 300 hours (10 meetings x 20 participants/
meeting x 1.5 hours).

Online survey

<bullet> Based on the number and type of questions, skip logic, and
instrument review, NHTSA estimates that it will take an average of 25
minutes (0.42 hours) for each respondent to complete the survey.
<bullet> Estimated number of survey respondents: 100.
<bullet> Burden per response: 0.42 hours.
<bullet> Total burden hours: 42 hours (100 respondents x 0.42 hours =
42 hours).

Follow-Up in-Depth Interviews

<bullet> NHTSA estimates that each follow-up interview will last
approximately 60 minutes and that an average of four stakeholders will
participate per State.
<bullet> Number of States: up to nine.
<bullet> Participants per State: four.
<bullet> Duration per interview session: one hour.
<bullet> Total burden hours: 36 hours (9 States x 4 participants x 1
hour = 36 hours).

Estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) were used to
estimate the labor costs for each component \1\. The BLS estimates that
wages represent an average 61.5 percent of total compensation for State
and local government workers. To determine the fully loaded hourly
labor cost, which encompasses both base wages and fringe benefits, the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration divides the BLS
estimated average hourly wage rate by 0.615. Based on an estimated
average hourly wage of $40.00, dividing this rate by 0.615 results in a
total estimated fully loaded hourly labor cost of approximately $65.04
per hour.
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\1\ Employer Costs for Employee Compensation-June 2025,<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf</a>. Accessed 2/17/2026.
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Using this hourly labor cost, the estimated labor cost for each
component is:
1. Virtual meetings: $19,512.00 (300 burden hours x $65.04 hourly
labor cost).
2. Online survey: $2,731.68 (42 burden hours x $65.04 hourly labor
cost).
3. Follow-up in-depth interviews: $2,341.44 (36 burden hours x
$65.04 hourly labor cost).
The total labor cost is approximately $24,585.12. Table 1 provides
a summary of the estimated burden hours and labor costs associated with
those respondents.

Table 1--Burden Estimates
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Number of
Activity Annual responses per Annual number Estimated burden per Total burden Avg. hourly Total labor
respondents respondent of responses response hours labor cost costs
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Virtual regional stakeholder 20 10 200 1.5 hours........... 300.0 $65.04 $19,512.00
meetings.
Online survey..................... 100 1 100 0.42 hours (25 42.0 65.04 2,731.68
minutes).
Follow-up in-depth virtual 9 4 36 1 hour.............. 36.0 65.04 2,341.44
interviews (up to 9 States).
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Total......................... 129 .............. 336 .................... 378.0 .............. 24,585.12
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Because this is a one-time collection, these burden and cost
estimates represent the total (and thus annual) burden associated with
this effort.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: This collection is not expected
to result in any additional costs to respondents beyond the opportunity
cost of their time, which is captured in the burden hour estimates
above. Respondents are professionals who already possess the
information needed to participate, and the collection does not require
the purchase of any equipment or services, the development of new data
systems, or the retention or submission of records beyond what agencies
already maintain for their own purposes.
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.

Rajesh Subramanian,
Acting Associate Administrator, The National Center for Statistics and
Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2026-16116 Filed 8-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P

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