
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 91 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27539-27540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11338]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency 
Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

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

ACTION: 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) for review and comment. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and the expected 
burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was 
published on November 16, 2011 (76 FR 71122-71123).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 11, 2012.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Cicchino, Ph.D., Contracting 
Officer's Technical Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety 
Research (NTI-131), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., W46-491, Washington, DC 20590. Dr. Cicchino's 
phone number is 202-366-2752 and her email address is 
jessica.cicchino@dot.gov.

[[Page 27540]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Instrumented On-Road Study of Motorcycle Riders.
    Type of Request: New information collection request.
    Abstract: Motorcycle crashes and fatalities have become a rapidly 
escalating traffic safety problem on our Nation's roads. In 2010, 4,502 
motorcyclists were killed in the United States, which is more than 
double the 2,106 motorcyclist fatalities that occurred when fatalities 
reached a low in 1997. Motorcycles made up 3% of the registered 
vehicles in the United States in 2010 but motorcyclists accounted for 
14% of the total traffic fatalities.
    Knowledge of both how riders successfully avoid crashes and of 
behaviors that correlate with and contribute to crash risk is crucial 
to developing effective countermeasures to reduce motorcycle crashes 
and fatalities. Data describing actual events are difficult to collect. 
Riders and law enforcement officers are not always aware of what caused 
a crash after the fact. It is even more difficult to identify 
behavioral factors associated with safe riding, and the actions of 
riders during evasive maneuvers that did not result in a police-
reportable crash. Studies using instrumented vehicles to collect data 
on the real-world driving of passenger car and truck drivers have 
provided unprecedented information describing actual events occurring 
for drivers as they negotiate the roadway system. The goal of this 
study is to collect similar data from motorcycle operators using 
instrumented motorcycles.
    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be 
conducting on-road instrumented vehicle data collection with a total of 
160 motorcycle riders to examine motorcycle riders' behaviors as they 
typically ride. Volunteers will be recruited to have their motorcycles 
outfitted for one year with instrumentation such as cameras, GPS, and 
accelerometers that will capture data on normal riding behavior 
whenever their motorcycles are ridden.
    Before participating in the on-road portion of the study, 
participating motorcycle riders will be asked to complete intake 
questionnaires that will ask about their demographics, riding history, 
self-reported behavior, and perceptions. After completing the on-road 
study, participants will be asked to complete a short debriefing 
questionnaire that will focus on their experiences riding with the 
instrumentation in the past year. This subjective data will be combined 
with the objective data from the instrumentation on actual riding 
behavior to help NHTSA develop a better understanding of if a rider's 
demographic characteristics, riding history, self-reported behavior, 
and perceptions are linked to his or her behavior on the road.
    Affected Public: Participation in the study will be voluntary. Each 
of the 160 participants in the on-road instrumented motorcycle portion 
of the study will be asked to complete intake questionnaires, capturing 
demographic characteristics, riding history, self-reported behavior, 
and perceptions, during his or her instrumentation session and to 
complete a debriefing questionnaire as the instrumentation is being 
removed from his or her motorcycle one year later.
    Estimated Total Burden: The intake questionnaires are estimated to 
take 75 minutes to complete, and the debriefing questionnaire is 
estimated to last 15 minutes. Intake questionnaires will be completed 
during the time when the respondent's motorcycle is being instrumented, 
and the debriefing questionnaire will be completed while the 
instrumentation is being removed from the respondent's motorcycle after 
the one-year period of on-road data collection. This results in an 
estimated burden of 200 hours of burden for the intake questionnaires 
(160 respondents x 75 minutes), and 40 hours of burden for the 
debriefing questionnaires (160 respondents x 15 minutes).
    The total estimated information collection burden for this project 
is 240 hours over one year: 200 hours for the intake questionnaires and 
40 hours for the debriefing interviews. The respondents will not incur 
any record-keeping burden or record-keeping cost from the information 
collection.
    Comments are invited 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 information collection; (iii) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (iv) 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.
    A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 
days of publication.

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

    Issued on: May 7, 2012.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2012-11338 Filed 5-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P


