Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements |
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Claude H. Harris
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
May 27, 2014
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30230-30231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12096]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2014-0033]
Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for public comments on a proposed collection
of information.
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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. NHTSA invites
public comments about our intention to request OMB approval for a new
collection of information. The collection involves eligibility,
demographic, scheduling preferences, and debriefing questionnaires. The
information will be used to recruit participants for a research study
that focuses on driver response with various automatic transmission
gear selector designs during routine and emergency simulated driving
scenarios.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 28, 2014.
ADDRESS: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2014-0033 through one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on the electronic
docket site by clicking ``Help'' or ``FAQs.''
Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. Hand delivered
documents accepted between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday
through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Telephone: (202) 366-9826.
Fax: (202) 493-2251
Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the
Docket number for this proposed collection of information. Note that
all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000
(65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For background documents, contact Lisa
Gavin, Office of Crash Avoidance Standards (NVS-121), U.S. Department
of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, West
Building, W43-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Ms. Gavin can be reached at (202) 366-9291.
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. OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must be
included in such a document. Under OMB's regulation (at 5 CFR
1320.8(d)), an agency must request 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;
(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, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.
In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public
comments on the following proposed collection of information:
Title: Recruitment and Debriefing of Human Subjects for Research
Related to Motor Vehicle Gear Selection Controls
Type of Request: New information collection.
OMB Control Number: 2127-New.
[[Page 30231]]
Form Number: N/A.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Upon completion of the
study.
Abstract: The introduction of electronically-controlled
transmissions has allowed much greater freedom in the design of driver
interfaces, with the result that drivers are being confronted with new
and different types of gear selector controls--joysticks, push buttons,
rotary knobs, etc. This information collection is incidental to the
recruitment of participants for human-factors studies designed to
measure the ability of drivers to adapt to unfamiliar types of gear-
selection controls. There is no known published usability research
related to these new types of driver interfaces.
The proposed studies will examine driver response to non-
traditional gear selector configurations in routine and emergency
simulated driving scenarios, noting driver confusion, distraction and
unintended consequences due to the unconventional gear selector
configuration. The research method consists of driving simulations to
collect objective and subjective data about six different gear selector
types. Approximately 500 drivers will respond to the request for
participants. It is estimated that of the 500 respondents, 360 will
ultimately be recruited and participate. The estimated burden hours
were calculated for the pre and post experiment questionnaires and for
performing the driving tasks for the 500 respondents accordingly.
Participants will be tested individually in a driving simulator
located at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe
Center), which will conduct this research under an Intra-Agency
Agreement (IAA) with NHTSA. The information being collected consists of
that required for scheduling appointments and for balancing the subject
sample across age groups, gender, and previous driving experience with
various motor vehicle gear selector configurations. The experimental
data will contain the demographic and past-experience descriptors for
each participant, but no personally identifiable information. During or
after the experimental sessions, participants may be queried regarding
their perceptions and preferences about various aspects of gear-
selection controls.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: The collection of information consists of: (1) An
eligibility questionnaire, (2) a demographic questionnaire; (3)
scheduling preferences; and (4) post-experiment questionnaires. The
information to be collected will be used to:
Eligibility questionnaire will be used to obtain self-
reported driving history information. Individuals interested in
participating in the study will be asked to provide information about
their driving history (e.g., years of driving experience, daily driving
usage, familiarity with different types of gear selectors). Individuals
will be excluded from participating in the experiment if they do not
have a valid driver license.
Demographic questionnaire will be used to obtain
demographic information to confirm that the study group includes
participants from various age groups and both genders.
Scheduling preferences will be used to establish a
convenient time for the participants to visit the Volpe Center.
Post-experiment questionnaire will be used to gather
information about drivers' beliefs and attitude towards each gear
selector configuration tested, and to explore respondent knowledge of
how a motor vehicle will likely respond when shifted to positions other
than Drive at highway speed. These questionnaires will also be used to
assess perceived usability of the various gear selector configurations
in terms of acceptance and satisfaction, as well as willingness to have
a particular gear selector configuration in their vehicle.
Respondents: drivers with a valid driver license.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 500.
Estimated Number of Respondents Selected: 360.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 595 hours (1 hour and 38 minutes per
selected respondent and 3 minutes per respondent not selected.)
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the agency's performance of
its functions; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for
the agency to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways that the burden could be
minimized without reducing the quality of the collected information.
The agency will summarize your comments and the agency's responses in
the request for OMB clearance of this information collection.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. chap.
35; 49 U.S.C. 30181-83; under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.95
Claude H. Harris,
Acting Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2014-12096 Filed 5-23-14; 8:45 am]
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