Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements |
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Jeff Michael
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
January 21, 2015
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3008-3010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00810]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2014-0126]
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Request for public comment on 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, including
extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections.
This document describes one collection of information for which
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 23, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
NHTSA-[docket number] using any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: 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 Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9
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a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the
Docket number for this Notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov including any
personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Amanda M. Kelley, Contracting
Officer's Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety Research (NTI-
132), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., W46-495, Washington, DC 20590. Dr. Kelley's phone number is
202-366-7394 and her email address is Amanda.Kelley@dot.gov.
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, 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 public comment on
the following proposed collection of information:
Title: Evaluation of Correct Child Restraint System Installations.
Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
OMB Clearance Number: None.
Form Number: NHTSA Forms 1265, 1266, 1267.
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 individual
data collection session with 150 participants. Each session will
require participants to complete a set of questionnaires including: A
risk appraisal assessment tool specific to motor vehicle crash and
injury risks; a measure of invincibility beliefs; and a demographics
questionnaire. Then each participant will be instructed to install a
CRS (rear-facing, forward facing, high-back booster, no-back booster)
for each of the four child-size dummies (16-month-old, 3-year-old, 6-
year-old, and 8-year-old) into one of the four vehicle types (SUV,
compact SUV, mini-van, sedan) provided. By providing the participant
with the age, height, and weight of the child, and asking the
participant to select the appropriate CRS to install, NHTSA will
immediately address whether the parent has selected the best restraint
type for each child's age and physical dimensions. No verbal
instructions on how to use the CRS features or vehicle features will be
provided. Participants will be instructed to complete each installation
by securing a child-size doll in the CRS. Participants will complete a
total of 4 installations.
The order of installations for a given participant will be
randomized with respect to CRS type, vehicle type, and child's age/
weight/height in order to preclude any effects of sequence and control
for any learning or fatigue that might take place. In addition, the CRS
within each CRS type (easier, more challenging) and the vehicle type
will vary across participants.
After each installation, various types of objective and subjective
measures will be collected. Together, these measures will describe how
the participant used the CRS system, what problems were encountered,
errors identified, how acceptable the system was to the user, and the
degree of confidence each participant exhibited with correctly
installing the CRS to the vehicle and securing the child in the CRS.
Participants will convey this information by responding to a series of
ratings and open-ended questions regarding the ease of installation and
challenges related to usability of the CRS system, the CRS manual, and
the vehicle features and vehicle manual.
Each CRS installation will be video-taped using electronic
equipment. Any and all personally identifiable information will be
separated from data collected. Also, all identifying information
collected during initial scheduling will be separated from collected
information, kept on a secure server in password protected files, and
discarded when no longer needed. Access to this information will be
limited. All information collected during the sessions will be
summarized using generic categories and summary statistics.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 (23 U.S.C. 101) to
carry out a Congressional mandate 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.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death to children in
the United States. In 2012 a total of 952 children younger than 13
years died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, and two-thirds of these
fatalities occurred among children riding in passenger vehicles. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), recommends that
all children ages 12 and under be properly buckled in an age- and size-
appropriate car seat, booster seat, or seat belt in the rear seat.
Currently, there are four types of child restraint systems designed for
children: Infant, convertible, combination, and belt-positioning
booster seats. Each system is designed to protect a child within a
given height and weight category in the event of a crash. Child safety
seat (CSS) use reduces the risk for death to infants (aged <1 year) by
71%; and to toddlers (aged 1-4 years) by 54% in passenger vehicles.
Booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% for
children aged 4-8 years when compared with seat belt use alone. Infant,
convertible, and combination seats are secured to the vehicle seat
using the vehicle's seat belt system or the vehicle's LATCH system, and
the child is secured to the seat using the CRS's harness system.
Conversely, combination and booster seats provide a transition from the
child safety seat with its internal harness to the vehicle lap/shoulder
belt by repositioning the child so that the vehicle's seat belt system
holds both the child and the booster in place.
While child restraint use has increased over the years, many
children are still fatally injured as a result of motor vehicles
crashes. One possible explanation for this occurrence could be the
large number of child passengers
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who are either riding unrestrained in vehicles, improperly placed in a
CRS, or prematurely graduated to an adult vehicle seat belt system. A
NHTSA survey, the National Child Restraint Use Special Study, conducted
in 2011, observed and interviewed a nationally representative sample of
drivers with child passengers (NHTSA, 2012). The most prevalent
installation errors identified in this survey were: Incorrect harness
routing slot used, improper harness clip position, loose CRS
installation, loose harness straps, and improper lap belt placement.
Other potential installation errors may include: Improper routing of
the vehicle's seat belt system or lower LATCH straps, and twisting of
the seat belt or LATCH. While these errors can be classified as
improper installation and/or securement errors, researchers have also
identified errors related to caregivers selecting the correct CRS for
the children's ages, heights, and weights.
Evaluating the causes of the various selection and installation
errors can be challenging. That is, one or more factors may contribute
to any one type of installation error. There are numerous CRS makes and
models marketed to the consumer, each with its own installation
procedures/manual. In addition, vehicle manufacturers design vehicle
restraint systems and vehicle seats that are incompatible with various
CRSs. New vehicles are continually introduced to the fleet, and CRSs
continue to evolve each year. Finally, there is a never-ending flow of
new parents/caregivers who need to be educated on child passenger
safety. Despite their inexperience, new parents may overestimate their
own accuracy in selecting and securely installing a CRS to the vehicle
and securing the child in the CRS.
While it might be hard to control for some factors, such as the
continuing flow of new parents, and the number and variety of vehicles
and CRSs, others might be more easily examined. For example, among the
large variety of CRS designs, CRS and vehicle labeling, vehicle seating
attachments, and manual designs and instructions, there may be ways to
better convey information to the caregivers. In addition, specific
features or designs that minimize installation errors could improve the
ease of use for CRS for the parent or caregiver. In an effort to reduce
the number of errors, NHTSA is undertaking a study to gain some insight
into the causes of errors related to selecting and installing CRSs. To
accomplish this, NHTSA will evaluate installation performance and
caregiver confidence in both experienced and novice CRS users and
determine which factors contribute to both installation and securement
errors and to determine what factors related to the CRS, vehicle, and
user confidence contribute to errors. Identifying these causal factors
that contribute to errors related to selecting and installing CRSs, as
well as those factors that contribute to accurately selecting and
properly installing CRSs for both novice and experienced users, will be
the first step in increasing the safety of child passengers in moving
vehicles. In addition, overall findings can be made available to CRS
manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers related to improvements to
specific CRS and vehicle design features that may foster a better fit
in the vehicles and securement for children.
Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number,
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)--
Under this proposed effort, a total of 150 individuals evenly
distributed among experienced and novice CRS users. ``Experienced''
users will be defined as individuals who regularly care for a child
under the age of 4 years, transport the child in a vehicle at least
twice a week, and also have installed any CRS a minimum of five times
in the past 6 months. ``Novice'' users are defined as individuals who
do not regularly transport children and have not installed a CRS in the
past 6 months.
NHTSA estimates that each session will last 120 minutes. Each
participant will complete four installations, resulting in 600 total
installations distributed across vehicle type, CRS type, and child's
age, weight, and height. Each CRS installation will be video recorded.
Prior to installing the CRS's, participants will complete a set of
questionnaires including a risk appraisal assessment tool specific to
motor vehicle crash and injury risks, an invincibility beliefs index,
and demographics.
Throughout the project, the privacy of all participants will be
protected. Personally-identifiable information (names, telephone
numbers, email addresses, etc.) will be kept separate from the data
collected, and will be stored in restricted folders on secure password
protected servers that are only accessible to study staff who have need
to access such information. In addition, all data collected from
participants will be reported in aggregate, and participant names will
not be used in any reports resulting from this project. Rigorous de-
identification procedures will be used during summary and feedback
stages to ensure no officers will be identified through reconstructive
means.
Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden
Resulting from the Collection of Information--NHTSA estimates that the
total time for each respondent to participate in the data collection
effort will likely not be more than 2 hours. Staff estimates that the
travel time for participants will not be more than 30 minutes one-way.
Therefore, a maximum of 3 hours of burden will be placed on any one
participant. The duration of the study for each participant will be 3
hours, or a total of 450 hours for the 150 participants. The
participants will not incur any reporting cost from the information
collection. The participants also will not incur any record keeping
burden or record keeping cost from the information collection.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. Section 3506(c)(2)(A)
Dated: January 15, 2015.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2015-00810 Filed 1-20-15; 8:45 am]
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