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

Jeff Michael
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
18 October 2016

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 201 (Tuesday, October 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71789-71790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25122]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


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

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. 
Department of Transportation (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 March 8, 2016 (81 FR 12196). The agency received one 
comment. This comment was supportive of the proposed survey and did not 
provide any suggestions for the survey's implementation or design.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 17, 2016.

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: Alan Block, Office of Behavioral 
Safety Research (NPD-310), National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W46-499, Washington, DC 
20590. Mr. Block's phone number is 202-366-6401 and his email address 
is Alan.Block@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Awareness & Availability of Child Passenger Safety 
Information Resources (AACPSIR).
    Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
    Abstract: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System shows that in 
2014 an average of 3 children under the age of 15 were killed and an 
estimated 458 children were injured each day in traffic crashes. Child 
restraint systems (CRSs) are effective at reducing the risk of injury 
during motor vehicle crashes. Child safety seats have been shown to 
reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (under 1 year old) and by 
54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. For 
infants and toddlers in light trucks, the corresponding reductions are 
58 percent and 59 percent, respectively. However, a 2002 NHTSA study 
estimated a misuse rate of 73 percent. If booster seats for older 
children were removed, the misuse figure exceeded 80 percent. The LATCH 
(Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child restraint technology was 
new at the time of the 2002 study, and few of the observed restraints 
were LATCH systems. While the purpose of LATCH is to make it easier for 
parents to correctly install child restraints, a 2006 NHTSA study still 
found loose or twisted straps/tethers and incorrect attachments when 
using LATCH. Subsequent research has found that incorrect use of a CRS 
places the child at an increased risk of both fatal and non-fatal 
injuries
    Incorrect selection of a CRS appropriate for the child's height and 
weight, and premature promotion, are additional factors that increase 
the risk of injury to a child in the event of a crash. While infants 
should always ride in rear-facing car seats, NHTSA's 2013 National 
Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS) observed 10 percent of 
children under age 1 were not in rear-facing car seats; most of these 
infants were prematurely graduated to forward-facing car seats. 
Children 1 to 3 years old should ride either in rear-facing or front-
facing car seats, but NSUBS found that 9 percent of children 1 to 3 
years old were prematurely graduated to booster seats and 3 percent to 
seat belts. Children ages 4 to 7 should either ride in forward-facing 
car seats or booster seats. However, 24 percent were observed in seat 
belts, and 9 percent were unrestrained.
    Many information resources are available to aid parents and 
caregivers with proper CRS selection, installation, and use, including 
hands-on instruction. Research has shown that hands-on instruction on 
CRS installation, such as that provided by NHTSA and Safe Kids 
Worldwide at Child Car Seat Inspection Stations nationwide, is 
effective in reducing misuse. Unfortunately, this resource seems to be 
underutilized. Only about one out of ten drivers interviewed for 
NHTSA's National Child Restraint Use Special Study reported having 
their CRS inspected at an inspection station. At present, it is unclear 
what deters and what encourages use of CRS inspection stations and 
Child Passenger Safety Technicians.
    To help increase correct use of CRS and utilization of inspection 
stations, approval is requested to conduct a national web-based survey 
to estimate parent and caregiver general knowledge of child passenger 
safety (CPS) information resources, awareness and use of CRS inspection 
stations, and barriers to CRS inspection station use. The survey will 
also examine the relationship between parent and caregiver confidence 
in installing CRSs, risk perception, and intent to visit an inspection 
station. The proposed survey is titled, ``Awareness & Availability of 
Child Passenger Safety Information Resources'' (AACPSIR).
    Affected Public: The potential respondents would be people aged 18 
years or older who regularly transport children between the ages of 0 
and 9 in their personal vehicles. NHTSA would send survey requests to a 
sufficient number of households to obtain 1,400 completed web-based 
interviews. The requests would be sent via postal mail. The screener 
would ask the member of the household who most frequently drives 
children to complete the survey. NHTSA considers this to be the person

[[Page 71790]]

in the household most likely to seek CPS information and pursue hands-
on instruction on CRS use at an inspection station, and therefore the 
most appropriate respondent for this survey. Each respondent would 
complete a single survey; there will be no request for additional 
follow-up information or response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: The total respondent burden for this 
data collection would be 990 hours. NHTSA will contact a maximum of 
32,000 households via an invitation letter to obtain 1,400 completed 
interviews. Of the 32,000 households contacted, NHTSA estimates that 
7,680 potential respondents would log onto the Web site and take a 5 
minute eligibility screener for an estimated burden of 640 hours. Of 
those who take the eligibility screener, NHTSA estimates that 1,400 
would complete the full survey, which would average 15 minutes in 
length, for an estimated burden of 350 hours.
    Comments are invited on the following:
     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;
     The accuracy of the agency'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.
    A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 
days of publication.

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

    Issued on: October 13, 2016.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2016-25122 Filed 10-17-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P