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Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and Non-Traffic Surveillance (NTS) Publication: Federal Register Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Byline: Chou-Lin Chen Date: 4 April 2022 Subjects: American Government  , Safety
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 64 (Monday, April 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19573-19576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06986]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0031]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and Non-Traffic
Surveillance (NTS)
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for extension with
modification 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 can
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 reinstatement of previously approved collections. This
document describes two collection of information for which NHTSA
intends to seek OMB approval that collect data on motor vehicle crashes
involving fatalities.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 3, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2022-0031 through any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there to help
you, please call (202) 366-9322 before coming.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
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. Please see the Privacy Act 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 https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
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 internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Barbara Rhea, State Data Reporting
Systems Division (NSA-120), (202) 366-2714, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, Room W53-304, U.S. Department of Transportation,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Please identify the
relevant collection of information by referring to its OMB Control
Number (2127-0006).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), 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. The 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;
and (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 following proposed collection of
information for which the agency is seeking approval from OMB.
Title: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and Non-Traffic
Surveillance (NTS)
OMB Control Number: 2127-0006.
Form Number(s): N/A.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection of
information.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: NHTSA is authorized by 49
U.S.C. 30182 and 23 U.S.C. 403 to collect data on motor vehicle traffic
crashes to aid in the identification of issues and the development,
implementation, and evaluation of motor vehicle and highway safety
countermeasures to reduce fatalities and the property damage associated
with motor vehicle crashes. Using this authority, NHTSA established the
Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the Non-Traffic Surveillance
(NTS), which collect data on fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Among
other things, the information aids in the establishment and enforcement
of motor vehicle regulations and highway safety programs.
The FARS is in its forty-sixth year of operation and is a census of
all defined crashes involving fatalities. The FARS collects data from
all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. NHTSA
established cooperative agreements with the 50 States, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico to report a standard set of data on each fatal
crash within their jurisdictions.
[[Page 19574]]
State employees extract and transcribe information from existing State
files including police crash reports as well as driver license, vehicle
registration, highway department, and vital statistics files. This
collected information comprises a national database, Fatality Analysis
Reporting System (FARS), that is NHTSA's and many States' principal
means of tracking trends involving motor vehicle traffic fatalities and
quantifying problems or potential problems in highway safety.
The Non-Traffic Surveillance (NTS) is a data collection effort for
collecting information about counts and details regarding fatalities
and injuries that occur in non-traffic crashes and non-crash incidents.
Non-traffic crashes are crashes that occur off a public trafficway
(e.g. private roads, parking lots, or driveways), and non-crash
incidents are incidents involving motor vehicles but without a crash
scenario such as, carbon monoxide poisoning and hypo/hyperthermia. NTS
non-traffic crash data are obtained through NHTSA's data collection
efforts for the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS),\1\ the Crash
Investigation Sampling System (CISS),\2\ and FARS. NTS also includes
data outside of NHTSA's own data collections. NTS' non-crash injury
data is based upon emergency department records from a special study
conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National
Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) All Injury Program. NTS
non-crash fatality data is derived from death certificate information
from the Centers for Disease Control's National Vital Statistics
System.
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\1\ NHTSA's information collection for CRSS is covered by the
ICR with OMB Control No. 2127-0714.
\2\ NHTSA's information collection for CISS is covered by the
ICR with OMB Control No. 2127-0706.
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Data is collected differently under each of NHTSA's three data
collection efforts that feed into NTS. The CRSS and CISS data
collection efforts obtain NTS applicable reports received from the
sample sites during their normal data collection efforts for CRISS and
CISS. The FARS data collection effort uncovers NTS applicable reports
received from the State during their normal data collection activities
for FARS. Therefore, the burden for NTS is included in each study's
calculation. This notice only seeks comment on the part of the NTS data
that comes from the FARS data collection effort.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and
reduce economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. In order
to accomplish this mission, NHTSA needs high-quality data on motor
vehicle crashes. The FARS supports this mission by providing the agency
with vital information about all crashes involving fatalities that
occur on our nation's roadways. The FARS does this by collection
national fatality information directly from existing State files and
documents and aggregate them for research and analysis.
FARS data is used extensively by all the NHTSA program and research
offices, other DOT modes, States, and local jurisdictions. The highway
research community uses the FARS data for trend analysis, problem
identification, and program evaluation. Congress uses the FARS data for
making decisions concerning safety programs. The FARS data are also
available upon request to anyone interested in highway safety.
Affected Public: States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 52.
Frequency: On occasion.
NHTSA has established cooperative agreements with the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to report a standard set of
data on each fatal crash in their jurisdictions. State respondents
report based on the occurrence of crashes involving fatalities. When a
fatal crash occurs, State employees extract and transcribe information
from existing files and input the information into FARS, with the
frequency of reporting determined by the frequency of fatal crashes
occurring in the respondent's jurisdiction.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 107,209.
For both FARS and NTS, there are 52 respondents (50 States, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) reporting on approximately
34,790 fatal crash cases per year. Of these cases, 34,205 are reported
to FARS and approximately 585 are identified and reported as non-
traffic fatal crashes (NTS).
The State employee (or employees depending on the number of fatal
crashes per year occurring in the jurisdiction) acquires and codes the
required information, as fatal crashes occur, in the FARS records-based
system. For FARS, although there is only one information collection,
NHTSA calculates the total burden using four burden categories: (1)
FARS Manual Protocol Case Entry, (2) overhead burden for FARS in States
without EDT, (3) FARS coding in States with EDT, and (4) FARS EDT
mapping maintenance.
FARS Manual Protocol Case Entry
NHTSA estimates that there are currently 33 States providing crash
reports (including case materials) via manual protocol. For these
respondents, NHTSA estimates that it takes analysts approximately 4.25
hours to collect fatal crash information and code a FARS case entry in
the FARS data entry system. This estimate is based on information, over
a five-year period, of the average number of analysts, full- and part-
time, back-up analysts, FARS supervisors, and coding assistance
respondents needed to complete an annual FARS file. NHTSA estimates
that, on average, 16,205 cases are collected and coded annually using
this access method. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total annual burden
associated with FARS Manual Protocol case entry to be approximately
68,871 hours annually (16,205 cases x 4.25 hours = 68,871 hours).
FARS Manual Protocol In-Kind Process Support
In addition to the time for each crash entry, some respondents
using the FARS Manual Protocol are also expected to incur overhead
burden time. NHTSA estimates that 8 States provide overhead support and
that the total annual burden for this support is 2,000 hours, or an
average of 250 hours per respondent. This burden includes hours spent
by supervisors and State managers responding to and supporting FARS
operations that are not accounted for in the coding hours every year,
including supporting data acquisition and other associated tasks.
FARS EDT Mapping Maintenance
NHTSA estimates that there are approximately 19 States already
participating in Electronic Data Transfer (EDT). For these respondents,
PAR data is automatically transferred from the State's centralized
crash database to NHTSA's CDAN system. The crash data is then
prepopulated in NHTSA's crash data systems, including FARS.
NHTSA estimates the burden to maintain the protocol is estimated at
two hours per State (respondent) or a total of 38 hours per year (19
States x 2 hours). This represents time to monitor case quality and
timeliness, conduct quality control processes, and maintain
communications with NHTSA and its contractors to ensure accurate data
transfer. The specific task associated with this maintenance of effort
is referred to as ``mapping''. Upon becoming an EDT State, the
respondent
[[Page 19575]]
participates in an initial mapping process. The process requires an
alignment between the State Specific Coding Instructions and the FARS
Coding and Validation guidance.\3\ During quality control processes,
which are conducted year-round, data anomalies may be detected, at
which time action must be taken to review and ultimately correct the
shifts in the data. This process, while managed by the Office of Data
Acquisition, requires concurrence from the respondent, which is what
the burden represents.
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\3\ The burden associated with this task is accounted for under
NHTSA ICR that covers EDT (OMB Control Number 2127-0753).
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FARS EDT Manual Case Entry for Supporting Case Materials
Participation in EDT reduces but does not eliminate the manual
entry of data into FARS. Although information from PARs is pre-
populated into the system, EDT State respondents must still collect and
enter supporting case materials, such as driver records, toxicology
reports, death certificate information, and coroner's/medical examiners
reports to complete a FARS case. NHTSA estimates that completing each
case entry in an EDT States takes 2 hours, which is slightly less than
half the time the process is estimated to take for non-EDT States. On
average, NHTSA estimates that 18,000 FARS cases will have pre-populated
data. Accordingly, NHTSA estimates the total burden associated with
completing the FARS case entries for these cases to be 36,000 hours
(18,000 cases x 2 hours).
Total Burden for FARS
The collective and cumulative efforts of all 52 respondents results
in an estimated annual burden of 106,909 hours (68,871 hours + 2,000
hours + 38 hours + 36,000 hours). Table 1 provides a summary of the
burden associated with FARS.
Table 1--Burden Category Estimates and Total Burden for FARS
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Burden per
Burden category Cases Participating response Hours per Total hours
processed respondents (hours) respondent
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FARS EDT (mapping maintenance).. N/A 19 N/A 2 38
FARS EDT Manual Case Entry 18,000 19 2.00 1,895 36,000
(supporting case materials)....
FARS Manual Protocol Case Entry 16,205 33 4.25 2,087 68,871
Process (including supporting
case materials)................
FARS Manual Protocol In-kind N/A 8 N/A 250 2,000
Process Support................
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Total....................... 34,205 52 3.13 2,056.94 106,909
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NTS Data Collection
Non-traffic fatal crashes are collected by approximately 25 States
as part of the FARS data collection process. NHTSA estimates that it
takes twelve hours per respondent annually to account for NTS cases.
Therefore, NHTSA estimates that the total burden for NTS case
identification and coding is 300 hours annually (25 respondents x 12
hours).
Burden for FARS and NTS
NHTSA estimates the total annual burden for the two information
collections, FARS and NTS, is 107,209 hours per year (106,909 hours +
300 hours). Table 2 provides a summary of the burdens for the two
information collections.
Table 2--Summary of Burdens for FARS and NTS
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Burden per Hours per Total burden
Information collection Responses Respondents response respondent (hours)
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FARS............................ 34,205 52 3.13 2,056.94 106,909
NTS............................. 585 25 0.5 12 300
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Total....................... 34,790 52 .............. .............. 107,209
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The annual burden and associated costs for this information
collection have increased from 106,244 to 107,209 hours due to the
increase in the complexity of coding the FARS cases along with an
increase in the number of fatal crashes across most jurisdictions, and
accounting for the processing of the non-traffic fatalities.
Furthermore, over the past two years, there has been an increase in
staff turnover at the State level, adding an increase in administrative
hours to provide for State field personnel turnover, training, and
coding assistance to continue operations. This is an increase of 965
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $0.
NHTSA estimates that there are no costs associated with this
information collection other than labor costs associated with burden
hours. This is a decrease of $100,000 from when NHTSA last sought
approval for this information collection. The decrease in costs is a
result of removing labor costs associated with labor hours that were
incorrectly included in response to question 13, which was incorrect.
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 performance of
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate
of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity
[[Page 19576]]
of the information to be collected; and (d) 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.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.
Chou-Lin Chen,
Associate Administrator, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2022-06986 Filed 4-1-22; 8:45 am]
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