[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69815-69817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32276]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-99-6485]
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 new 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 February 14, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to U.S. Department of
Transportation
[[Page 69816]]
Dockets, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Plaza 401, Washington, D.C. 20590.
Docket No. NHTSA-99-6485.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan Block, Contracting Officer's
Technical Representative, Office of Research and Traffic Records (NTS-
31), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh
Street, S.W., Room 6240, Washington, D.C. 20590.
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:
Part Time Seat Belt User Program
Type of Request--New information collection requirement.
OMB Clearance Number--None.
Form Number--This collection of information uses no standard forms.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval--June 30, 2002.
Summary of the Collection of Information--NHTSA proposes to conduct
periodic telephone surveys at each of two test sites to assess the
level of public awareness and exposure to a program designed to
increase seat belt use among part time seat belt users. The
interviewing at each of the two sites would consist of three waves of
500 interviews conducted among a randomly selected sample of persons
age 16 and older. Participation by respondents would be voluntary. The
interviewers would question respondents about their awareness of
program messages and activities, and about their use of seat belts.
In conducting the proposed surveys, the interviewers would use
computer-assisted telephone interviewing to reduce interview length and
minimize recording errors. A Spanish-language translation and bilingual
interviewers would be used to minimize language barriers to
participation. The proposed surveys would be anonymous and
confidential.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information--The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
was established 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.
Seat belt use has increased substantially over the past two
decades. Based on State observation surveys, NHTSA computed a seat belt
usage rate of 69% for the nation as a whole in 1998. However, this
figure obscured the fact that relatively few persons are consistent
non-users of seat belts. Rather, research indicates that much of the
observed non-use of seat belts occurs among persons who wear their seat
belts on other occasions. Research further shows that seat belt use
among these part time users tends to be a function of risk assessment;
i.e., wearing their seat belts when they perceive greater risk and
ignoring them when there is insufficient risk in their perceptual field
to grab their attention. Thus persons were more likely to wear seat
belts during inclement weather or while driving on the highway, but
less likely to wear them on short drives along familiar routes.
Because part time seat belt users considerably outnumber persons
who never wear their seat belt, getting part time users to wear their
seat belt ``every time'' would greatly increase seat belt usage
nationally and improve highway safety. NHTSA presently is developing a
program designed to increase seat belt usage among part time users. The
program would be implemented at each of two sites in the United States,
and would include educational and other activities to encourage the
public to wear their seat belt all the time. Tied to the program
implementation would be a comprehensive evaluation effort to assess
program effectiveness. Observation surveys would be conducted to
determine whether the program has had an impact on seat belt usage.
However, whether or not a program has an impact depends both on the
intervention reaching the target audience, and then its ability to
elicit the desired behavior once it has penetrated to the target
audience. A program may be effective in one of these tasks and
ineffective in the other. In order to adequately interpret the results
of the seat belt observation surveys, the program evaluation effort
would include telephone surveys to collect information on awareness and
exposure to program messages and activities.
If approved, the proposed surveys would assist NHTSA in evaluating
the effectiveness of a program designed to increase seat belt use among
part time belt users. The results of the proposed surveys would
identify whether the program interventions penetrated to the target
audience(s), and provide the context in which the seat belt observation
data would be interpreted. The findings from the evaluation would be
used directly by State and local highway safety agencies, as well as
other safety organizations, to develop and implement effective programs
to increase seat belt use.
Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number,
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)--
Under this proposed effort, a telephone interview averaging
approximately 10 minutes in length would be administered to each of
3,000 randomly selected members of the general public age 16 and older
in telephone households. The respondent sample would be selected from
each of two sites where a part time seat belt user program had been
implemented, with a total of 1,500 interviews conducted per site. There
would be three waves of interviewing conducted at each site, with each
wave composed of 500 interviews per site. The survey waves would take
place at strategic points related to the implementation schedule of the
program. Interviews would be conducted with persons at residential
phone numbers selected through random digit dialing. Businesses are
ineligible for the sample and would not be interviewed. No more than
one respondent would be selected per household. Each member of the
sample would complete one interview.
Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden
Resulting from the Collection of
[[Page 69817]]
Information--NHTSA estimates that each respondent in the sample would
require an average of 10 minutes to complete the telephone interview.
Thus, the number of estimated reporting burden hours a year on the
general public (3,000 respondents multiplied by 1 interview multiplied
by 10 minutes) would be 500 for the proposed survey. The respondents
would not incur any reporting cost from the information collection. The
respondents also would not incur any record keeping burden or record
keeping cost from the information collection.
Rose A. McMurray,
Associate Administrator, Traffic Safety Programs.
[FR Doc. 99-32276 Filed 12-13-99; 8:45 am]
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