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Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Field Study of Heavy Vehicle Crash Avoidance Systems Publication: Federal Register Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Byline: Cem Hatipoglu Date: 10 May 2022 Subjects: American Government  , Safety
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28099-28101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10012]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0044]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Field Study of Heavy Vehicle Crash Avoidance Systems
ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on an extension of a
currently approved information collection.
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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
invites public comments about our intention to request approval from
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of a
currently approved information collection. Before a federal agency may
collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval
from 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 a collection of information for which NHTSA intends
to seek OMB extension approval, titled ``Heavy Vehicle Crash Avoidance
Systems'' and identified by OMB Control Number 2127-0741, which is
currently approved through August 31, 2022. This project has been
delayed due to COVID-19 shutdowns and precautions. The extension is
necessary to continue the current data collection to completion. This
extension request updates the burden hours to reflect the numbers of
respondents that are needed to complete the study, updates to time
estimates for responses, and mean hourly rates. Additionally, this
notice provides clarification on the burden hours and the costs to the
public.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 11, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments using any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Telephone (202) 366-
9322.
Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and
Docket number identified at the beginning of this document. Note that
all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulation.gov, including any personal information provided. Please
see the Privacy heading below.
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.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov, or the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets via the internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Zhang, Office of Vehicle Safety
Research, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590, Telephone: 202-366-3973; email address jenny.zhang@dot.gov.
Please identify the relevant collection of
[[Page 28100]]
information by referring to its OMB Control Number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB
for approval, it must first 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 ask for public comment on the following: (a)
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; (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) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; (d) 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 extension of the following collection of information for which the
agency is seeking approval from OMB.
Title: Field Study of Heavy Vehicle Crash Avoidance Systems.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information
collection.
OMB Control Number: 2127-0741.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is gathering information
regarding drivers' naturalistic driving experiences and opinions about
crash avoidance systems (CAS) consisting of Lane Departure Warning,
Forward Collision Warning, Impact Alert, and Automatic Emergency
Braking for heavy vehicles.
CAS technology has been advancing rapidly since the conclusion of
the previous study, with products for heavy commercial vehicles
becoming commercially available. These systems present opportunities
for improving driver awareness and behavior, improving drivers'
responses to potential collisions, and mitigating or preventing
collisions when drivers do not respond. The newest generation of CAS
technology includes several new features, such as multiple sensors,
improvements to radar algorithms, and new features such as full braking
in response to static objects or pedestrians. However, it is unknown if
this newest generation of products has been able to reduce the
prevalence of false or nuisance alerts observed in the previous study,
if there are any issues with new types of alerts that have been added
since previous studies, or whether driver have negative perceptions of
the technology due to these issues. As these technologies become more
popular with fleets, it is important to understand their real-world
performance and any unintended consequences that may arise from them.
Data collection began in August 2021 after COVID delays and a
shortage of chips necessary for use in the data acquisition system
necessary for the naturalistic driving portion of the study. As of
December 31, 2021, one respondent has completed the study, three are in
the field study portion, and one has completed the informed consent
document and pre-field study surveys but still needs to go through the
installation portion of stage one and stages two to three of the study.
Information in this extension requests refers to the respondents and
burden associated with completing the study.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: The collection of information consists of: An informed
consent for participation, a demographic questionnaire, an initial CAS
technology questionnaire, and a post-study CAS technology
questionnaire.
The information to be collected will be used as follows:
Informed Consent is collected from respondents who agree
to participate in the study; the informed consent has been approved by
an Institutional Review Board.
Demographic questionnaire is used to obtain demographic
information so that potential analysis may account for participants
from various groups (e.g., age, self-identified gender, driving
experience, and experience with CAS technology).
Initial CAS technology questionnaire is used to get
information about drivers' beliefs and attitudes towards the CAS
technology installed on the commercial vehicle they use for their job
prior to data collection. This questionnaire assesses perceived
usability of the systems in terms of acceptance and satisfaction, as
well as willingness to have this technology in their vehicle.
Final CAS technology questionnaire is used to get
information about drivers' beliefs and attitudes towards the CAS
technology installed on the commercial vehicle they use for their job
at the end of data collection. These questionnaires will also be used
to assess perceived distraction potential of the systems in terms of
acceptance and satisfaction, as well as willingness to have this
technology in their vehicle. Each driver will complete a post-study
questionnaire once, after the completion of his or her data collection.
The post-study survey will gauge how drivers' attitudes and preferences
may have changed over the course of participation.
Each participating driver will have a data acquisition
system (DAS) installed in their vehicle for approximately three months
while they perform their normal work duties. This system will collect
video of the driver and forward roadway, telemetry and vehicle network
data related to driving, and activations of the vehicle's CAS.
Respondents: Respondents for this study are drawn from a
convenience sample from trucking fleets across the United States.
Drivers are recruited from fleets that have signed agreements with the
research team and have trucks that are outfitted with CAS technologies.
Recruitment will attempt to balance the number of vehicles using
particular brands of CAS technology but will be subject to fleet
availability and scheduling constraints. Requirements of drivers
involved in the study do not extend beyond employment requirements for
each fleet.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 170 remaining respondents for
initial phases of the study; anticipating some drop-out, the end-goal
number of remaining respondents is 149.
Estimated Number of Responses: 170 for the consent form (one per
respondent); 170 for the Demographic Questionnaire (one per
respondent); 170 for the Initial CAS Questionnaire (one per
respondent); 149 for the Final CAS Questionnaire (one per respondent)
that completes the study.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 123.6 hours total.
Estimated Frequency: The Informed Consent Form, Demographic
Questionnaire, and Initial CAS Technology Questionnaire are completed
once at the start of participation and data collection. The
[[Page 28101]]
Final CAS Technology Questionnaire is completed once at the completion
of participation, approximately three months later.
Table 1--Burden Calculations and Estimated Opportunity Cost
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Estimated
Instrument Number of time for Total estimated burden hours Hourly wage Estimated total
respondents completion [dagger] opportunity cost
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Stage One:
Informed Consent Form...................... 170 20 57 hours............................ $23.42 $1,334.94
Demographic Questionnaire.................. 170 5 15 hours............................ 23.42 351.30
Initial CAS Technology Questionnaire....... 170 25 71 hours............................ 23.42 1,662.82
Stage Two:
Naturalistic Driving Study................. 171 N/A N/A................................. N/A N/A
Stage Three:
Final CAS Technology Questionnaire......... 149 25 63 hours............................ 23.42 1,475.46
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Total Burden Remaining..................... .............. .............. 206 hours........................... .............. 4,824.52
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Months Remaining............................... .............. .............. 20.................................. .............. .................
Annual Burden Remaining........................ .............. .............. 123.6 hours......................... .............. 2,894.71
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The above table reflects the annual burden hours to be 123.6 to
complete data collection. While the table reflects opportunity costs,
this is not a burden incurred by the public for this information
collection. The annual burden cost to respondents is zero.
The previous notice estimated total burden hours for this study to
be 193.5 total. The total number of burden hours to complete data
collection is now 206 based on updates to the time for the Informed
Consent and the Demographic Questionnaire. Opportunity costs have been
updated to reflect current average hourly wages; however, this is not a
burden to respondents for the information collection.
Due to COVID-19 shutdowns and precautions, data collection efforts
were suspended. NHTSA anticipates additional time beyond the August 31,
2022, expiration date of the currently approved collection to complete
this effort. The federal government began this study at $2,581,075 in
contract expenses and has added expenses due to the time delays and
resulting changes in technology. The total cost expected at this time
is $2,954,970 with an annualized cost to the federal government over
the expected study time-to-completion of $402,950.
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 Department's
performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the
Department to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized
without reducing the quality of the collected information. The agency
will summarize and/or include your comments in the request for OMB's
clearance of this information collection.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44. U.S.C. Chapter
35, as amended; 5 CFR part 1320; and 49 CFR 1.95.
Issued in Washington DC.
Cem Hatipoglu,
Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2022-10012 Filed 5-9-22; 8:45 am]
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