

[Federal Register: November 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 226)]
[Notices]               
[Page 66026-66028]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26no07-94]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2007-0039]

 
Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Request for public comment on proposed revision of the 
previously approved collection of information, OMB  2127-0646.

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SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from 
the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (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 reinstatements of previously approved collections.
    This document describes the collection of information for which 
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 25, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to U.S. Department of 
Transportation Dockets, 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 
Docket No. NHTSA-2007-0039

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Siegler, Ph.D., Contracting 
Officer's Technical Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety 
Research (NTI-132), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE., Washington, DC 20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB 
for approval, it must 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 regulations (at 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following:
    (i) 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;
    (ii) 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;
    (iii) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (iv) how to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, and or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks public comment on 
the following proposed revision of the previously approved collection 
of information, OMB  2127-0646:

Evaluation Surveys for Impaired Driving and Seat Belt Interventions

    Type of Request--Revision of the previously approved collection of 
information.
    OMB Clearance Number: 2127-0646.
    Form Number: NHTSA1010.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval--3 years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information--The National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to conduct telephone 
surveys to evaluate interventions designed to increase seat belt use 
and reduce impaired driving. Sample sizes would range from 200 to 2000 
depending on the geographic unit being surveyed (Nation, Region, State, 
Community) and the evaluation design for the intervention (e.g., number 
of analytic groups). Interview length would be 10 minutes. The surveys 
would collect information on attitudes, awareness, knowledge, and 
behavior related to the intervention. The surveys would follow a pre-
post design where they are administered prior to the implementation of 
the intervention and after its conclusion. Interim survey waves may 
also be administered if the duration of the intervention permits.
    In conducting the proposed surveys, the interviewers would use 
computer-assisted telephone interviewing to reduce interview length and 
minimize recording errors. A Spanish Language translation and bilingual 
interviewers would be used to minimize language

[[Page 66027]]

barriers to participation. The proposed surveys would be anonymous.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was 
established to reduce the mounting number of deaths, injuries, and 
economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation's 
highways. As part of this statutory mandate, NHTSA is authorized to 
conduct research as a foundation for the development of motor vehicle 
standards and traffic safety programs.
    The heavy toll that impaired driving exacts on the nation, in 
fatalities, injuries, and economic costs, is well documented. Strong 
documentation also exists to show that wearing a seat belt is one of 
the most important actions a person can take to prevent injury or 
fatality in the event of a crash, but a significant proportion of the 
population still does not wear them. The persistence of these traffic 
safety problems points to a continuing need for effective interventions 
to address impaired driving and non-use of safety belts. This in turn 
calls for strong evaluation efforts to identify what interventions are 
effective. This includes monitoring key interventions that have been 
shown to be effective in order to determine whether they are retaining 
their potency, as well as identifying new or refined interventions that 
may influence parts of the population that have been resistant to 
previous measures.
    Over the next few years, a number of legislative and programmatic 
changes will require NHTSA to collect public awareness information 
about its programs. Under section 410 of SAFETEA-LU, spending for State 
enforcement grants for impaired driving programs will increase almost 
100 million dollars annually, from 39.6 million in 2005 to $139 million 
in 2009. States seeking to access these grants for specific impaired 
driving activities will need to have implemented a number of programs 
in order to be eligible for these grants including; statewide 
checkpoints and/or saturation patrols, prosecution/adjudication 
outreach, increased BAC testing of drivers in fatal crashes, high BAC 
law (stronger/additional penalties), effective alcohol rehabilitation 
and/or DWI courts, under age 21 program, administrative license 
revocation or suspension, and self-sustaining programs.
    Under Section 406 of SAFETEA-LU, incentive grants to encourage 
States to enactment and enforce primary seat belt laws were $124.5 
million per year between 2006 and 2009. States were eligible for these 
grants if they passed a primary seat belt law, or achieved a state seat 
belt use rate of 85% for two consecutive years after passing a primary 
law. Under Section 405 of SAFETEA-LU, incentive grants to encourage 
States to adopt and implement effective programs to reduce deaths and 
injuries from riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor 
vehicles increased from $19.84 million annually in 2005 to $25 million 
annually in 2006 and through 2009. States can only use these grant 
funds to implement and enforce occupant protection programs.
    It is expected that such heightened activity will increase drivers' 
awareness of these programs and reduce incidents of impaired driving 
and unrestrained or improperly restrained driving. Public awareness 
surveys would enable NHTSA to evaluate the effectiveness of this 
increased spending.
    Between 2006 and 2009, SAFETEA-LU has authorized NHTSA to spend $29 
million annually on National media to promote a message of high 
visibility enforcement for both impaired driving and occupant 
protection programs. This requires NHTSA to examine public awareness of 
programs to determine whether the media messages are reaching the 
target audience.
    In order to reduce the work requirements for each State and to 
create sets of survey data that may be compared among the States, NHTSA 
will grant one or more separate awards to survey firms with expertise 
in conducting random telephone surveys. The data will be used to 
properly plan and evaluate enforcement activities directed at reducing 
the occurrence of alcohol impaired driving and increasing the use of 
safety belts. Data from National surveys will be used to assess the 
overall effectiveness of these programs, while State data will assess 
effectiveness of individual State programs. States found to have 
implemented effective programs to reduce their impaired driving 
problem, and increased their seat belt use, will prepare materials that 
highlight major features of their programs to be disseminated among 
States that want to implement an improved alcohol enforcement program 
or occupant protection enforcement program.
    It should be noted that during the past decade NHTSA has conducted 
surveys on attitudes and behaviors on impaired driving and seat belt 
use. These surveys were very useful in documenting effective programs 
that have increased awareness of occupant protection and impaired 
driving issues. Most of these surveys were conducted years ago and 
cannot be used to evaluate new programs scheduled to be initiated in 
the next few years.

Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, and 
Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)

    Over the next 3 years, NHTSA intends to conduct National telephone 
surveys to collect data from a total of 28,000 participants. For the 
impaired driving programs, 2 sets of pre/post intervention surveys, 
each with sample sizes of 1200, will be administered annually for 3 
years. For the Occupant Protection programs, 2 sets of pre/post 
intervention surveys, each with sample sizes of 1200, will be 
administered annually for 3 years. NHTSA may also select certain sub-
groups to survey, including State, Regional, and Community telephone 
surveys to monitor and evaluate occupant protection and impaired 
driving demonstration projects. Typically, a State demonstration survey 
will require 500 participants. A regional demonstration survey can 
range from as few as 200 participants for a small county to 2000 
participants for a region covering more than one State.
    Interviews will be conducted with persons at residential phone 
numbers selected using random digit dialing. No more than one 
respondent per household will be selected, and each sample member will 
complete just one interview. Businesses are ineligible for the sample 
and would not be interviewed. After each wave is completed and the data 
analyzed, the findings will be disseminated to each State for review.

Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden 
Resulting from the Collection of Information

    NHTSA estimates that respondents in the sample would require an 
average of 10 minutes to complete the telephone interviews. Thus, the 
number of annual estimated reporting burden on the general public would 
be 1,600 hours for the National surveys and a maximum of 2,800 hours 
for the State and regional demonstration surveys, or a maximum of 4,400 
hours per year for the combined National, State, and regional surveys. 
The respondents would not incur any reporting or record keeping costs 
from the information collection.


[[Page 66028]]


    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

Marilena Amoni,
Associate Administrator for Research and Program Development.
 [FR Doc. E7-22880 Filed 11-23-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
