[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 189 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59490-59495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21309]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0042]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Consolidated 
Child Restraint System Registration for Defect Notifications and 
Labeling

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments on an extension of a currently 
approved information collection.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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. NHTSA is requesting 
comments on an extension of the currently approved collection of 
information titled ``Consolidated Child Restraint System Registration 
for Defect Notifications and Labeling.'' A Federal Register Notice with 
a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following 
information collection was published on July 26, 2022 (87 FR 44494). 
One comment from the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies 
(NAMIC) was received supporting this information collection.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 31, 2022.

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 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 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 Cristina Echemendia, U.S. Department 
of

[[Page 59491]]

Transportation, NHTSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room 
W43-447, NRM-130, Washington, DC 20590. Cristina Echemendia's telephone 
number is 202-366-6345. Please identify the relevant collection of 
information by referring to its OMB Control Number (2127-0576).

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.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
public comments on the following information collection was published 
on July 26, 2022 (87 FR 44494).
    Title: Consolidated Child Restraint System Registration for Defect 
Notifications and Labeling
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0576.
    Form Number: NHTSA 1053 A, NHTSA 1053 B.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information:
    This information collection provides that manufacturers of child 
restraint systems (CRSs): (1) produce registration cards, labels and 
printed instructions (brochures), (2) collect CRS owner registration 
information, and (3) create and keep registration records so that, in 
the event of a safety recall, manufacturers can provide direct 
notification to owners. Child restraint manufacturers are required to 
provide an owner's registration card for purchasers of child safety 
seats in accordance with title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), part 571--section 213, ``Child restraint systems.'' The 
registration card is perforated into two-parts (see Figures 1 and 2). 
The top part contains a message and suitable instructions to be 
retained by the purchaser. The bottom part is to be returned to the 
manufacturer by the purchaser. The bottom part includes prepaid return 
postage, the pre-printed name/address of the manufacturer, the pre-
printed model and date of manufacture, and spaces for purchasers to 
fill in their name and address.
    Optionally, child restraint manufacturers are permitted to add to 
the registration form: (a) Specified statements informing child 
restraint system (CRS) owners that they may register online; (b) the 
internet address for registering with the company; (c) revisions to 
statements reflecting use of the internet to register; and (d) a space 
for the consumer's email address. For those CRS owners with access to 
the internet, online registration may be a preferred method of 
registering a CRS.
    In addition to the registration card supplied by the manufacturer, 
NHTSA has implemented a CRS registration system to assist those 
individuals who have either lost the registration card that came with 
the CRS or purchased a previously owned CRS. Upon the owner's request, 
NHTSA provides a substitute registration form that can be obtained 
either by mail or from the internet \1\ (see Figure 3). When the 
completed registration is returned to the agency, it is then submitted 
to the CRS manufacturer. In the absence of a substitute registration 
system, many owners of child passenger safety seats, especially any 
second-hand owners, might not be notified of safety defects and non-
compliances. These owners would be less likely to have the defects and 
non-compliances remedied without notification.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#car-seat-registration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Child seat owner registration information is retained in the event 
that owners need to be contacted for defect recalls or replacement 
campaigns. Chapter 301 of Title 49 of the United States Code specifies 
that if either NHTSA or a manufacturer determines that motor vehicles 
or items of motor vehicle equipment contain a defect that relates to 
motor vehicle safety or fails to comply with an applicable Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, the manufacturer must notify owners and 
purchasers of the defect or noncompliance and must provide a remedy 
without charge. In title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 
part 577, defect and noncompliance notification for equipment items, 
including child restraint systems, must be sent by first class mail to 
the most recent purchaser known to the manufacturer.
    Child restraint manufacturers are also required to provide printed 
instructions in a brochure containing step-by-step information on how 
the restraint is to be used. Without proper use, the effectiveness of 
these systems is greatly diminished. Each child restraint system must 
also have a permanent label. A permanently attached label gives ``quick 
look'' information on whether the restraint meets the safety 
requirements, recommended installation and use, and warnings against 
misuse. CRSs equipped with internal harnesses to restrain children, and 
with components to attach to a child restraint anchorage system, are 
also required to be labeled with a child weight limit for using the 
lower anchors to attach the child restraint to the vehicle. The child 
weight limit depends upon the weight of the CRS.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information:
    CRS manufacturers are required to label each CRS and provide 
brochures with safety information and instructions on the proper use of 
the restraint. Such information would mitigate the risk of misuse and 
consequently reduce injuries to and fatalities of children in crashes. 
This collection supports the Department of Transportation's (DOT) 
strategic goal for safety, by working towards the elimination of 
transportation related deaths and injuries involving children. FMVSS 
No. 213 requires that each CRS has an owner registration form attached. 
It permits information regarding online product registration to be 
included on the owner registration form required under the standard. 
This enhances the opportunity for restraint owners to register their 
CRSs online, which may increase registration rates and the 
effectiveness of recall campaigns. Manufacturers are also permitted to 
supplement (but not replace) recall notification via first-class mail 
with email notification, which increases the likelihood that owners 
learn of a recall. Manufacturers are also required to include a U.S. 
telephone number on a CRS label for the purpose of enabling consumers 
to register their products by telephone.
    Increasing CRS registrations is an important part to protecting 
young children and infants. By registering CRSs, product manufacturers 
will to able to directly contact owners in the event of any safety 
recalls.
    Affected Public: Businesses, Individual Consumers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 38 Manufacturers, 2,835,200 
Consumers.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ This is the number of registrations filled by consumers and 
the information collection by the CRS manufacturers of those 
received registrations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Frequency: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 109,939 hours.
    The total burden hours for this collection consist of: (1) the 
hours spent

[[Page 59492]]

by consumers filling out the registration form, (2) the hours spent 
collecting registration information and (3) the hours spent determining 
the maximum allowable child weight for lower anchor use and adding the 
information to the existing label and instruction manual.
    (1) Annual Burden for filling out registration card. NHTSA 
estimates that 16,000,000 CRSs are currently sold each year by 38 CRS 
manufacturers. Of the CRSs sold each year, NHTSA estimates that 
2,369,660 are registered using registration cards and 465,540 are
    registered online. A consumer spends approximately 60 seconds (1 
minute) filling out the registration form. The estimated annual number 
of burden hours for consumers to fill out the registration form is 
47,253 hours (= 2,835,200 x (60 seconds/3,600 seconds/hour)).
    (2) Annual Burden for Reporting (collecting registration 
information). Manufacturers must spend about 90 seconds (1.5 min) to 
enter the information from each returned registration card; while, 
online registrations are considered to have no burden for the 
manufacturer, as the information is entered by the purchaser. 
Therefore, the estimated annual number of burden hours for CRS 
registration information collection is 59,242 hours (= 2,369,660 x (90 
seconds/3,600 seconds/hour)).
    (3) Annual Burden for Reporting (determining maximum allowable 
child weight). About 12,400,000 of the CRSs sold each year are equipped 
with internal harnesses. About half of the CRSs equipped with internal 
harnesses sold annually (6,200,000 = 12,400,000 x 0.5) would require a 
label with the maximum allowable child weight for using the lower 
anchors. Manufacturers must spend about 2 seconds to determine the 
maximum allowable child weight for lower anchor use and to add the 
information to the existing label and instruction manual. Therefore, 
the total annual burden hours for the information on the maximum 
allowable child weight in the existing label and instruction manual is 
3,444 hours (= 6,200,000 x (2 seconds/3,600 seconds/hour)).
    The estimated total annual number of burden hours is 109,939 (= 
47,253 + 59,242 + 3,444) hours. The total estimated hour burden 
increased from 99,330 hours to 109,939 hours (a 10,609--burden hour 
increase). The increase in burden is due to an increase in CRS sales. 
In 2018, NHTSA estimated that approximately 14,500,000 CRSs are sold 
each year while NHTSA's estimate in 2022 increased to 16,000,000 CRSs.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $8,781,987.85.
    The total burden cost for this collection consists of printing and 
material costs of labels and registration cards and the mailed-in 
registration cards postage costs.

Printing and Material Costs of Labels and Registration Cards, and 
Postage Costs

    The total annual printing and material cost to the respondents is 
estimated to be $8,000,000. NHTSA estimates that the printing and 
material cost of $0.20 per CRS labels and $0.30 per CRS registration 
card. The total annual printing and material cost to respondents is 
calculated by multiplying the printing and material cost ($0.50 = $0.20 
+ $0.30) by the estimated 16,000,000 responses (CRSs produced) per year 
($0.50 x 16,000,000). The total estimated annual printing and material 
costs are detailed in the table below:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Printing and
                                                                 Printing and    material cost   Annual printing
               Number of CRS produced annually                  material cost      per CRS--       and material
                                                                  per CRS--       registration         cost
                                                                    labels            card
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16,000,000...................................................           $0.20            $0.30    $8,000,000.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The total annual postage cost for the mailed in registration cards 
is estimated to be $781,987.85. Approximately, 16,000,000 CRSs are sold 
each year with an estimated registration rate of 17.72% (2,835,200). Of 
the total registrations received, 83.58% (2,369,660) are from mailed in 
registration cards. The rests are from online registrations. CRS 
manufacturers are required to provide printed mail-in registration 
cards with pre-paid postage. The total annual postage cost is 
calculated by multiplying the number of mailed in registration cards 
(2,349,660) by the postage cost ($0.33). The total estimated postage 
cost is detailed in the table below:

                                              Annual Postage Costs
                                         [Mailed-in registration cards]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Annual number    Registrations
                                              of returned CRS   received from     Registration
      Number of CRS produced each year         registrations     registration     card postage   Annual  postage
                                               (registration    cards (83.58%)        cost             cost
                                              Rate of 17.72%)         *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16,000,000..................................       2,835,200        2,369,660            $0.33      $781,987.85
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The estimated total annual cost burden is $8,781,987.85. The total 
annual cost burden is calculated by adding the annual printing and 
material costs ($8,000,000) and the mailed-in registration card postage 
cost ($781,987.85).
    The total estimated burden cost increased from $0 to $8,781,987.85 
(a $8,781,987.85 burden cost increase). The increase in burden is due 
to the addition of printing and material costs for labels and 
registration cards and the mailed-in registration card postage costs 
which had not been taken into consideration in the past.
    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

[[Page 59493]]

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.
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN30SE22.009


[[Page 59494]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN30SE22.010


[[Page 59495]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN30SE22.011

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.

Raymond R. Posten,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2022-21309 Filed 9-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-C


