Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Distraction: Personal Electronic Device

Issuing agencies

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. This document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval to conduct research on safety-related aspects of interactions with portable electronic device integration systems that allow access to smartphone applications through the vehicles built-in display. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on March 6, 2026. NHTSA received two comments. There were no changes to the design of the information collection based on the comments.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 161 (Friday, August 21, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 161 (Friday, August 21, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54434-54439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17095]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2025-0058]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for 
Comment; Distraction: Personal Electronic Device

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 collection of information.

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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. This document 
describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek 
OMB approval to conduct research on safety-related aspects of 
interactions with portable electronic device integration systems that 
allow access to smartphone applications through the vehicles built-in 
display. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following information collection was 
published on March 6, 2026. NHTSA received two comments. There were no 
changes to the design of the information collection based on the 
comments.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 21, 2026.

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 Jeffrey Dressel Office of Vehicle 
Safety Research, Human Factors/Engineering Integration Division NSR-
310, West Building, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#503a3536362235297e3422352323353c10343f247e373f26"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e38986858591869acd8791869090868fa3878c97cd848c95">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, 202-493-0492.

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: Distraction: Personal Electronic Devices.
    OMB Control Number: New.
    Form Number(s):

<bullet> NHTSA Form 2059: Part I Advertisement
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2060: Part I Eligibility Questionnaire
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2061: Part I Scheduling Availability Form
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2062: Part I Appointment Confirmation Email
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2063: Part I Informed Consent Document
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2064: Part I Honorarium Confirmation
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2065: Part II Email Templates
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2066: Part II Advertisement
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2067: Part II Eligibility Questionnaire
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2068: Part II Informed Consent Document
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2069: Part II NASA TLX Form
<bullet> NHTSA Form 2070: Part II Debriefing and Honorarium 
Confirmation

    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing a new information 
collection consisting of a single, one-time experimental research study 
that involves voluntary participation from members of the public. 
Participants must have experience using either Android Auto or Apple 
CarPlay with in-vehicle infotainment systems. The collection consists 
of experimental data reporting and survey responses. Data collected 
will include eye tracking measurements, vehicle performance metrics, 
task completion times, error rates, participant demographics, and 
responses to questionnaires about interface usage and acceptance. The 
purpose of this research is to evaluate how safely drivers can interact 
with smartphone integration systems that allow access to smartphone 
applications through the vehicle's built-in display screen.
    This research consists of two parts. Part I consists of an 
evaluation method called an ``occlusion study'' at Westat facilities in 
the Washington DC area. In this part, 24 participants per system 
(across up to 3 vehicles, for a total of up to 56 participants) will 
perform 6-9 standardized tasks while wearing special electronic 
goggles. These goggles automatically switch between clear and blocked 
views every 1.5 seconds, simulating how drivers normally shift their 
gaze between looking at the road and looking at the vehicle's displays. 
Before testing, participants will receive thorough training on each 
task. They will then perform each task five times while wearing the 
goggles per the testing procedures outlined in the Visual-Manual NHTSA 
Driver Distraction Guidelines for In-Vehicle Electronic Devices. 
Researchers will measure how long participants need to see the display 
to complete each task (called ``Total Shutter Open Time'' or TSOT), 
document any mistakes made during the tasks, record how participants 
recover from these mistakes, and gather feedback about whether the 
tasks are reasonable to perform while driving. Participants will be 
provided a $120 honorarium upon completion of Part I.
    Part II consists of a closed-course track (CCT) evaluation 
conducted at Utah Motorsports Campus near Salt Lake City with 72 
participants. Due to the cost of missing a study session, participants 
will be overbooked for each study session, meaning that two 
participants will be invited to the same study session but only one 
participant will complete the study. Both will be compensated at the 
same rate ($120). The reason for using the overbooking strategy is 
because the cost of recruiting more participants is much less expensive 
than the cost of missing one session on the closed course track. This 
part will examine a subset of the tasks from Part I in actual driving 
conditions on a 0.84-mile stretch on a closed course tack (CCT). 
Participants will drive

[[Page 54435]]

specially equipped vehicles while performing the interface tasks. 
Researchers will collect several types of data: where drivers look 
while driving (using eye tracking equipment), how well they control the 
vehicle (measuring lane position, speed, and steering movements), how 
quickly they respond to simple tasks while driving (using a 
standardized ``Detection Response Task'' where drivers press a button 
in response to a signal), how quickly they react to important events, 
how long it takes to complete tasks, and how many mistakes they make. 
Each participant will complete multiple drives to test different 
aspects of the interfaces.
    For both parts, participants will complete questionnaires about 
their background, driving experience, and familiarity with these 
interfaces. The collected data will be analyzed to evaluate whether 
these interfaces meet NHTSA's guidelines for minimizing driver 
distraction and to assess their effects on driving safety. The findings 
will help inform future safety guidelines and policy decisions 
regarding in-vehicle portable device interfaces.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information: This new information request is for a multipart study to 
understand how modern smartphone mirroring systems affect driver 
distraction when compared with legacy OEM systems, as well as which 
commonly completed tasks are compliant with NHTSA distraction 
guidelines. The following components will be used to obtain the 
necessary information to achieve this purpose. The time to complete 
forms and tasks is based on the average reading rate of 238 words per 
minute, with potential buffer time for questions based on recent 
researcher experience, as well as internal pilot testing.
    (1) NHTSA Form 2059: Part I Advertisement--This form is necessary 
to recruit potential participants. This document's content will be 
published on Westat's intranet and social media channels, as well as 
distributed via email to a database of former participants expressing 
interest in future research. Participants who are interested in 
participating will be redirected to NHTSA Form 2060: Part I Eligibility 
Questionnaire to determine if they are eligible. We estimate that of 
the people who see the advertisement, about 168 people will read it and 
be sufficiently interested in the study to seek out the eligibility 
screener. For reading the recruitment text we estimate an average 
completion time of 1 minute. This results in: 168 participants x 1 
minute = 168 minutes = 2.8 hours.
    (2) NHTSA Form 2060: Part I Eligibility Questionnaire--Recruitment 
for the occlusion study is necessary to ensure the validity and 
generalizability of the findings. This process will involve online 
screening and diverse outreach efforts, such as social media 
advertisements and intranet postings, to assemble a representative 
participant pool. Eligibility criteria will include (1) participant age 
of at least 18 years old, (2) familiarity with Android Auto or Apple 
CarPlay, (3) does not regularly drive one of the study vehicles, (4) 
possesses a valid driver's license, (5) drives at least 3000 miles 
annually, (6) has normal or corrected-to-normal vision, (7) has normal 
or corrected-to-normal hearing, (8) English fluency, and (9) is in 
general good health. Recruiting participants for the study will involve 
approximately 168 individuals, each of whom will spend approximately 5 
minutes completing an online eligibility questionnaire. This results 
in: 168 individuals x 5 minutes = 840 minutes = 14 hours.
    (3) NHTSA Form 2061: Part I Scheduling Availability Form--This form 
is essential to capture participant's name, contact information and to 
ensure that participants provide their preferred time slot. Once an 
individual is deemed eligible, they will be taken to this form 
automatically. One hundred individuals are expected to be eligible and 
complete the scheduling availability form. This results in: 100 
participants x 2 minutes = 200 minutes = 3.3 hours.
    (4) Part I Scheduling Process--Scheduling is essential in 
recruitment for Part I to ensure participant readiness and efficient 
study operations. The scheduling process includes a scheduling call, 
confirmation email, and reminder email. The entire process (as seen in 
Table 2) is completed in 7 minutes.
    a. Part I Scheduling Call Process--The next step in the enrollment 
process involves calling eligible individuals to schedule their 
appointment. The call also provides the opportunity to provide 
additional study information like the location, study details, and 
answer any questions individuals may have. We estimate the call will 
last 5 minutes. To account for attrition, we plan to enroll 3 extra 
participants than our desired number. This results in 59 participants x 
5 minutes = 295 minutes = 4.9 hours.
    b. NHTSA Form 2062: Part I Appointment Confirmation Email--
Following the call, participants will be sent an appointment 
confirmation email, with pertinent study information included (i.e., 
session date, time, and location and how to reschedule or cancel). As 
an additional step, participants will be sent an a reminder email 24 
hours before scheduled sessions is a critical step in ensuring smooth 
coordination and minimizing participant no-shows for Part I. 
Participants are estimated to spend approximately 1 minute reading and 
responding to this email, which will include essential information such 
as the session time, location, materials to bring, and instructions to 
confirm their attendance. Additionally, the email provides an 
opportunity for participants to ask any last-minute questions or inform 
the research team of scheduling conflicts. This step is designed to 
reinforce participant preparedness, reduce logistical issues, and 
enhance overall study efficiency. This results in: 59 participants x 1 
minutes = 59 minutes = 0.98 hours.
    c. Part I Appointment Reminder Email--As an additional step, 
participants will be sent a reminder email 24 hours before scheduled 
sessions is a critical step in ensuring smooth coordination and 
minimizing participant no-shows for Part I. Participants are estimated 
to spend approximately 1 minute reading and responding to this email, 
which will include essential information such as the session time, 
location, materials to bring, and instructions to confirm their 
attendance. Additionally, the email provides an opportunity for 
participants to ask any last-minute questions or inform the research 
team of scheduling conflicts. This results in: 59 participants x 1 
minutes = 59 minutes = 0.98 hours.
    (4) NHTSA Form 2063: Part I Informed Consent Document--Obtaining 
informed consent upon arrival is an essential step to ensure compliance 
with ethical research standards and participant understanding for Part 
I. During this process, participants will review and sign consent 
forms, confirming their comprehension of the study's purpose, 
procedures, potential risks, and their rights as participants. This 
process also provides an opportunity for participants to ask questions 
or request clarification before the study begins, ensuring 
transparency, voluntary participation, and alignment with institutional 
and regulatory ethical guidelines. We anticipate that 3 of the people 
we schedule will not show up to complete the study. This results in: 56 
participants x 5 minutes = 280 minutes = 4.7 hours.
    (5) Part I Data Collection Activities--This process is required 
because it contains the information necessary to answer NHTSA's 
research questions. It is comprised of five subcomponents: 
familiarization process, pertaining task

[[Page 54436]]

error evaluation, occlusion training task assessment process, and 
honorarium and debriefing process. Each subcomponent is discussed in 
greater detail below. The subcomponents of burden can be seen below. 
The entire procedures (as seen in Table 2) are completed in 115 
minutes.
    a. Part I Familiarization Process--The familiarization process 
following the consent procedure is a critical step to ensure 
participant readiness and comfort for Part I. Participants will be 
provided with an overview of the study procedures, including the tasks 
they will perform and the purpose of using occlusion goggles to 
simulate real-world driving behavior. They will familiarize themselves 
with the vehicles by adjusting their seating positions, understanding 
the layout of the interfaces (OEM, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto), 
and practicing basic controls. This step ensures that participants are 
oriented to the study environment, reducing potential variability in 
performance, and improving the reliability and consistency of collected 
data. Participants will then complete a practice task with the 
occlusion goggles powered on. This is to limit their learning effects 
during the experiment. The familiarization process is expected to take 
approximately 15 minutes per participant. This results in: 56 
participants x 15 minutes = 840 minutes = 14 hours.
    b. Part I Pretraining Task Error Evaluation Process--Pretraining 
task error evaluations are a critical step in Part I, providing 
baseline data on participant performance and error recovery strategies 
before formal training. Participants will attempt each task once using 
their most familiar interface platform, allowing researchers to 
document initial error rates, types of errors, and recovery approaches. 
This process ensures that common errors and participant strategies can 
be identified, which informs subsequent task design and training 
adjustments to improve study validity and reliability. This step is 
expected to take a maximum of 15 minutes per participant, with an 
average of 3 minutes per trial and a maximum of 5 trials. This results 
in: 56 participants x 15 minutes = 840 minutes = 14 hours.
    c. Part I Occlusion Training Process--Occlusion training is a 
necessary component of Part I to ensure participants are proficient in 
using the occlusion goggles and navigating the interfaces. Participants 
will be introduced to the goggles and their operation, including how 
they alternate between open and closed states to simulate glances 
between the road and the device. Training includes task demonstrations 
by the experimenter, hands-on practice with the tasks, and repeated 
trials to achieve proficiency. This ensures participants are 
comfortable with the equipment and task procedures, reducing 
variability in performance and enabling accurate data collection. Each 
participant is expected to spend a maximum of 20 minutes on this 
training. The average time to complete a training session is 2.22 
minutes with maximum of 9 training sessions. This results in: 56 
participants x 20 minutes = 1,120 minutes = 18.6 hours.
    d. Part I Task Assessment Process--Task execution is a core 
component of Part I, designed to evaluate participant performance 
across different interface platforms. Participants will complete six-
to-nine predefined tasks on two platforms (Android Auto or Apple 
CarPlay and one of three OEM systems) in one of three vehicles or 
complete six-to-nine tasks across all three OEM systems, ensuring 
comprehensive coverage of interface interactions. Each task will be 
performed five times to ensure data stability and allow researchers to 
analyze performance consistency and learning effects. This structured 
approach ensures robust and reliable data collection to assess task 
performance metrics and compliance with NHTSA guidelines. Each 
participant is expected to spend a maximum of 60 minutes completing 
task assessments, with an average task assessment taking 6.67 minutes 
and a maximum of 9 task assessments. This results in: 56 participants x 
60 minutes = 3,360 minutes = 56 hours.
    e. NHTSA Form 2064: Part I Honorarium Confirmation--Debriefing is 
an essential component of Part I which is designed to gather 
participant insights and refine study outcomes. Following task 
completion, participants will engage in a structured debriefing session 
where they will provide feedback on task difficulty, interface 
usability, and their overall study experience. This process allows 
researchers to identify potential issues, capture subjective 
perspectives, and gain insights into interface design features, 
ensuring comprehensive evaluation and improving the quality of study 
findings. Participants will complete this step to ensure that they are 
compensated for their time. Each debriefing session is expected to take 
approximately 5 minutes per participant. This results in: 56 
participants x 5 minutes = 280 minutes = 4.7 hours.
    (6) NHTSA Form 2066: Part II Advertisement--This step is necessary 
to recruit participants from Red Scientific's participant database (via 
email see NHTSA Form 2065: Part II Email Templates) and social media 
(via NHTSA Form 2066: Part II Advertisement) as needed. Participants 
will be directed to NHTSA Form 2067: Part II Eligibility Questionnaire 
to determine if they are eligible to participate. We estimate 288 
individuals will read the advertisement and express sufficient interest 
to seek the eligibility screener. We anticipate it will take 1 minute 
to read the advertisement text about the study. This results in 288 
participants x 1 minute = 288 minutes = 4.8 hours.
    (7) NHTSA Form 2067: Part II Eligibility Questionnaire--
Administering the online eligibility questionnaire is a critical step 
in the recruitment for Part II to efficiently identify qualified 
participants. Recruitment efforts will include advertisements posted in 
local newspapers, on community boards, through social media, and within 
an existing participant database. These advertisements will direct 
interested individuals to an online questionnaire, highlighting the 
eligibility criteria: (1) participant age of at least 21 years old, (2) 
familiarity with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, (3) do not regularly 
drive one of the study vehicles, (4) possess a valid driver's license, 
(5) drive at least 3000 miles annually, (6) have normal or corrected-
to-normal vision, (7) have normal or corrected-to-normal hearing, (8) 
English fluency, (9) are in general good health, (10) ability to 
abstain from alcohol and recreational substance use (e.g., marijuana) 
for 12 hours before the session, (11) do not take sedative or 
psychotropic medication, (12) no more than 2 at-fault accidents in the 
last 2 years, (13) do not wear corrective lenses while driving 
(contacts are allowed), (14) do not require specialized driving 
equipment, (15) no medical conditions that might impact driving (i.e., 
heart condition, back or neck pain, recent back or neck pain treatment, 
disorders, disability or seizures), and (16) no false eyelashes or 
mascara. The questionnaire is designed to filter out ineligible 
candidates by providing immediate feedback on their status. 
Approximately 50% of those who begin the questionnaire are expected to 
meet the eligibility criteria. To identify 144 participants, 
approximately 288 individuals will begin the questionnaire. Each 
individual will spend an average of 10 minutes

[[Page 54437]]

completing the form: 288 individuals x 10 minutes = 2,880 minutes = 48 
hours.
    (8) Part II Scheduling Process--Scheduling is essential in 
recruitment for Part II to ensure participant readiness and efficient 
study operations. The scheduling process includes a scheduling call, 
confirmation email, and reminder email. The entire process (as seen in 
Table 3) is completed in 9 minutes.
    a. Part II Scheduling Call--Once 144 eligible participants are 
identified through the eligibility questionnaire, they will proceed to 
the scheduling phase, where the research team will call eligible 
individuals to schedule their session. The call provides the 
opportunity to provide additional study information like the location, 
study details, and answer any questions individuals may have. We 
estimate the call will last 5 minutes. To ensure that all available 
sessions are double booked, two individuals will be scheduled for each 
session. This results in 144 participants x 5 minutes = 720 minutes = 
12 hours.
    b. Part II Confirmation Email--After each individual is scheduled, 
they will receive an email confirming their study session (from NHTSA 
Form 2065: Part II Email Templates). During this phase, each 
participant will spend an average of 2 minutes reading and responding 
to this email. The email will include information including the session 
time, location, materials to bring, and instructions to confirm their 
attendance. Participants are encouraged to ask any additional questions 
they may have. This confirmation ensures a well-coordinated schedule 
and minimizes the risk of no-shows or miscommunication, supporting the 
successful execution of the study. This results in: 144 participants x 
2 minutes = 288 minutes = 4.8 hours.
    c. Part II Reminder Email--Sending a reminder email 24 hours before 
scheduled sessions (from NHTSA Form 2065: Part II Email Templates) is a 
critical step in Part II to ensure smooth coordination and participant 
preparedness. The email will provide detailed information about session 
logistics, including directions to the testing location, session time, 
and any specific instructions or requirements, such as materials to 
bring or preparatory steps. This reminder also offers participants the 
opportunity to confirm their attendance or notify the research team of 
any last-minute conflicts, reducing the likelihood of no-shows and 
ensuring the study proceeds as planned. Participants are expected to 
spend approximately 2 minutes reading and responding to these emails to 
confirm their attendance. This results in: 144 participants x 2 minutes 
= 288 minutes = 4.8 hours.
    (9) Part II Initial Setup & Intake Process--This procedure is 
necessary because it prepares participants for their study session. The 
initial setup and intake process includes informed consent, study setup 
and route familiarization. The entire process (as seen in Table 3) is 
completed in 50 minutes. Note, this process includes the double booked 
participants, so there is attrition at the end of this process 
(reduction of 72 participants) for the rest of the data collection 
activities from Part II Task Assessment Process onward.
    a. NHTSA Form 2068: Part II Informed Consent Document will be 
completed in this step to ensure participants are informed of their 
rights, as well as the study details and what information will be 
collected from them and obtain their written consent. The informed 
consent document will be printed on paper for participants to 
physically sign at the beginning of their session. Further, 
participants will be introduced to the vehicle, vehicle controls, 
interfaces and safety information they will be using as well as the eye 
tracker and tactile detection response system. We anticipate 72 
participants will complete this procedure and it will average 20 
minutes to complete. This process is expected to take approximately 20 
minutes per participant. This results in: 144 participants x 20 minutes 
= 2,880 minutes = 48 hours.
    b. Part II Study Setup--The study setup is a critical preparatory 
phase in Part II to ensure participants are ready and equipped for 
testing. Following the consent process, participants will receive a 
comprehensive introduction to the study procedures, including a 
detailed safety briefing that covers equipment use, driving protocols, 
and emergency procedures. Participants will then be seated in the test 
vehicle, where they will be fitted with eye-tracking equipment to 
monitor visual behavior, as well as tactile motors and response 
switches for the Detection Response Task (TDRT). This step ensures 
participants are fully prepared to proceed safely and effectively with 
the study tasks. The study setup is expected to take approximately 15 
minutes per participant. This results in: 144 participants x 15 minutes 
= 2,160 minutes = 36 hours.
    c. Part II Route Familiarization--The route familiarization drive 
is a critical preparatory step in Part II to ensure participants are 
comfortable with the vehicle and test route. Participants will complete 
a guided familiarization drive along the 0.84-mile test route to learn 
the vehicle's handling characteristics and route-specific safety 
considerations. This process ensures that participants are confident in 
operating the vehicle and are adequately prepared for the task 
evaluations, promoting both safety and reliable data collection. This 
results in: 144 participants x 15 minutes = 2,160 minutes = 36 hours.
    d. Part II Double Booked Participants--Each session will be double 
booked to ensure there is a participant for each session given the 
limited track time. After completion of the setup and intake process, 
half of the participants will be thanked for their time and compensated 
$120 since only 72 participants are needed for the study.
    (10) Part II Task Assessment Process--This set of procedures is 
essential because this is where the study data will be collected. The 
task assessment process consists of the task assessments, NASA TLX, and 
buffer time. The entire process (as seen in Table 3) is completed in 
160 minutes.
    a. Part II Task Assessments--Task execution within the interface 
blocks is a central component of Part II designed to evaluate 
participant performance across three distinct interfaces: OEM, Apple 
CarPlay, and Android Auto. Each interface evaluation begins with a 10-
minute orientation, during which participants are introduced to the 
interface layout and controls. This is followed by four task segments, 
with each segment lasting 9 minutes and involving task performance 
under real-world driving conditions. This structured approach ensures 
consistent evaluation across interfaces, enabling a comprehensive 
comparison of usability, cognitive workload, and safety-relevant 
metrics. Each interface requires a total of 10 minutes for orientation 
and 36 minutes (4 x 9 minutes) for task performance, for a total of 46 
minutes per interface. Across all three interfaces, participants will 
spend 138 minutes (46 x 3 interfaces), or 2.3 hours per participant. 
This results in: 72 participants x 2.3 hours = 165.6 hours.
    b. NHTSA Form 2069: Part II NASA TLX Form--The NASA TLX (Task Load 
Index) form is a necessary component of Part II to assess the cognitive 
workload associated with each interface. The NASA TLX is a widely used 
self-reported tool designed to measure perceived workload across 
dimensions such as mental demand, physical demand, and effort. 
Participants will complete the form after each of the four task 
segments for the OEM, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto interfaces, with 
each form requiring approximately 1 minute to complete. This totals 4

[[Page 54438]]

minutes of form completion time per interface. The data collected 
through the NASA TLX is essential for evaluating usability and workload 
demands, providing critical insights into driver-interface interactions 
and their impact on performance and safety. For all three interfaces, 
participants will spend 12 minutes (4 minutes x 3 interfaces) 
completing the NASA TLX forms. This results in: 72 participants x 12 
minutes = 864 minutes = 14.4 hours
    c. Part II Buffer Time--For each participant an additional 10-
minute time buffer is necessary to account for unforeseen delays, 
equipment adjustments, or additional breaks. This buffer ensures that 
transitions between activities are smooth and that participants have 
sufficient time to complete all tasks. This results in: 72 participants 
x 10 minutes = 720 minutes = 12 hours.
    (11) NHTSA Form 2070: Part II Debriefing and Honorarium 
Confirmation--The debriefing process is a necessary final step in Part 
II to ensure participants are allowed to ask any final questions and 
receive their honorarium. Participants will complete NHTSA Form 2070: 
Part II Debriefing and Honorarium Confirmation during this step to read 
the debriefing materials and ensure that they are compensated for their 
time. Additionally, a researcher will briefly review the collected data 
to ensure proper acquisition and verify data integrity and adherence to 
the established collection protocols. The debrief is expected to take 
approximately 5 minutes per participant. This results in: 72 
participants x 5 minutes = 360 minutes = 6 hours.

60-Day Notice

    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
public comments on the following information collection was published 
on March 6, 2026 (91 FR 11120). NHTSA received a total of two comments, 
one from an individual and one from Consumer Reports. These comments 
are summarized and responded to below.
    In his comment Bob Scopatz supported this NHTSA collection effort 
and stated that, ``The information gathered will have value for 
regulating the in-vehicle connected devices and for OEMs designing the 
next generation of in-vehicle systems.''
    NHTSA appreciates the public support for research on this topic.
    The following excerpt summarizes the key points submitted by 
Consumer Reports (CR) in their comment for NHTSA's consideration; all 
cited references have been removed for brevity. To facilitate a clear 
mapping of the agency's response to the specific issues raised, the 
points are numbered to correspond with the numbered responses below.
    1. CR is concerned that this study, would mostly focus on whether 
these systems are simply conforming to existing NHTSA driver 
distraction Guidelines instead of exploring questions regarding the 
nature of distraction as it relates to these interfaces. They stated 
that it might be more valuable to understand what specific aspects of 
these interfaces are actually driving distraction, and identify 
precisely where these systems break down for the user and how drivers 
might adapt to various interface designs.
    2. CR also suggested that it may be worth exploring the role of 
more dynamic approaches to manage access to certain functions, as well 
as shaping how tasks are paced and completed, within the context of 
this research. They stated that drivers in real-world scenarios often 
self-pace their interactions or break tasks into smaller segments to 
manage attentional demands.
    NHTSA appreciates CR's feedback on this topic. While the 60-day 
notice provides a high-level summary, several of CR's suggestions will 
be addressed in the full research and analysis plan. Regarding specific 
points:
    1. NHTSA acknowledges the importance of capturing the nature of 
distraction with regard to these interfaces. Comparison to the existing 
NHTSA distraction Guidelines is one portion of this data collection; 
however, the study is designed to go beyond conformity to explore the 
underlying mechanisms of distraction. Utilizing the occlusion method in 
Part I with prescribed pacing allows for an understanding of task time 
and visual demand for a larger number of tasks across both smartphone 
mirroring systems and native OEM systems. Part II takes place on a 
closed course to examine driver eye glance behavior, cognitive 
workload, and driving performance measures to understand the potential 
impacts of performing various self-paced tasks across both of these 
interfaces. This self-paced environment allows for the observation of 
how users adapt their behavior to various interface designs.
    2. NHTSA acknowledges that gathering data on how drivers self-pace 
while completing non-driving related tasks is important. In Part II, 
participants will complete various tasks at their own pace while 
driving on the closed course to gather more naturalistic interactions 
with the interfaces. This allows data to be collected that reflects how 
individuals segment tasks and manage attentional demands in real-time. 
For experimenter and participant safety, interactions with personal 
smartphone devices will not be included as part of this study. 
Participants will be trained on how to complete the non-driving related 
task, however, for any errors made, we will identify the specific error 
and sequence of recovery steps. Analyzing these sequences allows us to 
better understand the common errors and the effectiveness of various 
error recovery strategies. Furthermore, Part II will include some of 
the feature lockouts and delays that are built into the interfaces when 
the vehicle is in motion that are not captured in Part I. This allows 
us to observe how users navigate these dynamic restrictions and will 
provide insight into how existing system management affects task pacing 
and completion.
    After thoughtful consideration of all the above comments, NHTSA 
will ensure that appropriate discussion of findings relevant to the 
broad nature of distraction and to self-pacing of task performance are 
included in the final report. These modifications yield no changes in 
the participant burden estimate from that which was published in the 
60-day notice.
    Affected Public: Individuals either in the Washington, DC 
metropolitan area or the Salt Lake City, Utah area who have volunteered 
to take part in driving studies or who have opted in to receive 
research-related emails from Red Scientific or Westat's participant 
database will be contacted for participation. Recruitment efforts will 
be supplemented by advertisements placed on company intranet sites and 
via social media posts and advertisements. Respondents must meet 
specific eligibility criteria to be included in this information 
collection. For both studies, respondents must (1) be at least 18 years 
old for Part I or 21 years old for Part II, (2) have familiarity with 
Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, (3) not regularly drive one of the study 
vehicles, (4) possess a valid driver's license, (5) drive at least 
3,000 miles annually, (6) have normal or corrected-to-normal vision, 
(7) have normal or corrected-to-normal hearing, (8) be fluent in 
English, and (9) be in general good health. Additionally for Part II, 
respondents must (10) abstain from alcohol and recreational substance 
use (e.g., marijuana) for 12 hours before the session, (11) not take 
sedative or psychotropic medication, (12) have no more than 2 at-fault 
accidents in the last 2 years, (13) not wear corrective lenses

[[Page 54439]]

while driving (contacts are allowed), (14) not require specialized 
driving equipment, (15) have no medical conditions that might impact 
driving (i.e., heart condition, back or neck pain, recent back or neck 
pain treatment, disorders, disability or seizures), (16) refrain from 
wearing false lashes or mascara during scheduled session. Businesses 
are ineligible for the sample and will not be contacted.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: For Part I we estimate a maximum 
of 168 respondents, with 59 eligible participants targeted for 
recruitment and 5% attrition, resulting a final sample of 56 
respondents. For Part II, we estimate a maximum number of respondents 
to be 288 participants with 144 eligible participants targeted for 
recruitment. For Part II we plan to overbook participant sessions to 
ensure maximum use of test track time, no attrition is planned, 
resulting in a final sample size of 72.
    Frequency: One-time collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: The total estimated burden for 
Part I is 139 hours and 392.4 hours for Part II. All data collection is 
estimated to occur within the same year, so the annualized hours equal 
the total hours. The total study burden hours is estimated at 531.4 
hours.
    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 and travel costs for the visits to the 
study facility. The costs are minimal and are expected to be offset by 
the compensation that will be provided to the research participants.
    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 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) 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 appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

Cem Hatipoglu,
Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2026-17095 Filed 8-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P


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