
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 184 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58864-58865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24310]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0138]


Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Emergency Federal Register Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requesting emergency processing 
for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information 
collection and its expected burden. OMB approval has been requested by 
October 31, 2011.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 24, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send comments, within 30 days, to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725-17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: NHTSA Desk Officer.
    Comments are invited on: 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; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and 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.

[[Page 58865]]

    A Comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 
days of publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kil-Jae Hong, NHTSA, 1200 New Jersey 
Avenue SE., W52-232, NPO-520, Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Hong's 
telephone number is (202) 493-0524 and e-mail address is kil-jae.hong@dot.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents, go 
to http://www.regulations.gov, or the street address listed above. 
Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, NHTSA 
conducted Phase 1 of the Consumer Research, which included Focus Groups 
and Tire Retailer Interviews. Based upon the Phase 1 research results, 
NHTSA developed the materials for Phase 2 of the Consumer Research 
plan. This notice announces that the ICR for Phase 2 consumer research, 
abstracted below, has been forwarded to OMB requesting emergency 
processing for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the 
information collection and its expected burden. This is a request for 
new collection.
    Title: 49 CFR 575.106--Consumer Information Regulations--Tire Fuel 
Efficiency Quantitative Research--Online Survey.
    OMB Control Number: Not Assigned.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Affected Public: Passenger vehicle tire consumers.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval 
date.
    Abstract: The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), 
enacted in December 2007, included a requirement that NHTSA develop a 
national tire fuel efficiency program to educate consumers about the 
effect of tires on automobile fuel efficiency, safety and durability. A 
critical step in developing the consumer information program is to 
conduct proper market research to understand consumers' knowledge of 
tire maintenance and performance, understand the tire purchase process 
from both the consumer and retailer's perspectives, evaluate 
comprehension of ratings, explore the clarity, meaningfulness and the 
likely resulting behaviors, and evaluate the informational and 
educational materials and the channels for communication. NHTSA 
proposed a dual-phased research project to gather the data and apply 
analyses and results from the project to develop the consumer 
information program. Phase 1 has been completed and the final reports 
from this phase have been posted to this docket. The Phase 2 research 
plan, resulting from Phase 1 data and analyses, is posted to this 
docket.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,300 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 5,200.
    NHTSA completed qualitative research that included two phases--
focus groups and retailer interviews. The reports from each of those 
phases informed the questions that are included in this quantitative 
research phase. NHTSA will conduct this research via an online survey 
that will be administered once. The online survey will take 
approximately 15 minutes for respondents to complete and will require 
4,000 general population participants and up to an additional 1,200 
respondents for the tire purchaser oversample. The total burden hours 
for this survey is 1,300 hours (5,200 participants x 15 min).
    The estimated annual burden hour for the online survey is 1,300 
hours. Based on the Bureau of Labor and Statistics' median hourly wage 
(all occupations) in the May 2010 National Occupational Employment and 
Wage Estimates, NHTSA estimates that it would cost an average of $16.27 
per hour if all respondents were interviewed on the job. Therefore, the 
agency estimates that the cost associated with the burden hours is 
$21,151 ($16.27 per hour x 1,300 interviewing hours).

    Issued on: September 16, 2011.
Gregory A. Walter,
Senior Associate Administrator, Policy and Operations.
[FR Doc. 2011-24310 Filed 9-21-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P


