Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements

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

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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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