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 Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [Docket No. NHTSA-2023-0063]
 AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
 ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for approval of a new collection of information.
 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 a new 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 (the PRA), before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections. The proposed collection of information described below supports research addressing safety-related aspects of drivers' interactions with driving automation systems.
 DATES: Comments must be submitted before 
                        *February 12, 2024.*
 ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the docket number NHTSA-2023-0063 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.
                        ( print page 86203) *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 comments received, go to 
                        *http://www.regulations.gov,*
                         or the street address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, contact: Eric Traube, Office of Vehicle Safety Research, Human Factors/Engineering Integration Division, NSR-310, West Building, W46-424, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590; 
                        *eric.traube@dot.gov.*


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:*
                     Human Interaction with Driving Automation Systems. *OMB Control Number:*
                     New. *Form Numbers:*
                     There are multiple forms for this collection including: Eligibility Questionnaire, NHTSA Form 1742; Informed Consent Study 1, NHTSA Form 1743; Informed Consent Study 2, NHTSA Form 1744; Informed Consent Study 3, NHTSA Form 1745; Pre-Drive Questionnaire, NHTSA Form 1746; Wellness Questionnaire, NHTSA Form 1747; In-Drive Questionnaire, NHTSA Form 1748; Post-Drive Questionnaire, NHTSA Form 1749. *Type of Request:*
                     New information collection. *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) has proposed to perform research involving the collection of information from the public as part of a multi-year effort to learn about how humans interact with driving automation systems (DAS). This research will support NHTSA in understanding the potential safety challenges associated with human-DAS interactions, particularly in the context of mixed traffic interactions where some vehicles have DAS and others do not. Within mixed traffic environments, vehicles may also have DAS that perform more or less of the driving task (
                    *i.e.,*
                     different levels of automation) and come with their own sets of expectations and limitations. The research will involve human subjects testing using a driving simulator. The goal is to understand how drivers interact with driving automation systems, specifically in situations where the automation behaves unlike a human driver. The project will measure interactions between humans and driving automation systems by (1) examining driving performance measures (such as takeover time and reaction time), (2) measuring understanding of the automation through questionnaires, (3) measuring trust in automation using questionnaires, and (4) measuring risk taking through questionnaires and a simple behavioral task on a computer. This research will add to NHTSA's state of knowledge and is not immediately intended to inform regulations or policy. The research will be conducted in three parts, referred to as Study 1, Study 2, and Study 3. All study procedures will be approved by the University of Iowa Institutional Review Board (IRB). Data collection will begin upon receipt of PRA clearance and will involve human-subjects data collection using the driving simulators at the University of Iowa Driving Safety Research Institute (DSRI). The data collections will be performed once to obtain the target number of valid test participants. Study participants will be members of the general public and participation will be voluntary with monetary compensation provided. Participants will include licensed drivers aged 18 to 65 who are healthy and able to drive without assistive devices. Participants will be recruited using the DSRI registry and through email blasts to University of Iowa community. The objective of the first study is to understand how humans interact with DAS in mixed traffic environments, driving environments where some vehicles have automated capabilities, and some vehicles are driven manually. In the first study, participants will participate in pairs with each participant driving a separate driving simulator but interacting in the same driving environment. Participants will experience one of two driving automation systems. Both members of the participant pair will provide informed consent, a pre-drive questionnaire, a training presentation, a familiarization drive, wellness questionnaires to screen for simulator sickness, a study drive, in-drive ratings of trust, a post-drive questionnaire, and a risk-propensity assessment. During the simulator drives, one member of the pair will perform a continuous drive along a specified route. The other member of the pair will complete three short drives where they interact with the other participant at specific points throughout the drive. The simulator will collect vehicle data (
                    *e.g.,*
                     brake inputs, steering wheel angle) and data about the surrounding environment (
                    *e.g.,*
                     distance to surrounding vehicles and lane markings). After the drives, participants will complete a questionnaire to assess their understanding of the DAS and their trust in and acceptance of the DAS. Data will be analyzed to understand how human drivers interact with DAS in mixed traffic situations and to understand how humans understand and perceive automation in different situations. Study 2 will focus on understanding the impact of different levels of automated system capability, defined by how well the automation can perform different driving behaviors. In the second study, participants will complete a drive in a driving simulator with a driving automation system. The study drive will contain situations to which the DAS must respond. 
                    ( print page 86204)
                    Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three systems with different capabilities, defined by how well the automation can navigate the set of test situations. The simulator will collect vehicle data (
                    *e.g.,*
                     brake inputs, steering wheel angle) and data about the surrounding environment (
                    *e.g.,*
                     distance to surrounding vehicles and lane markings). After the drives, participants will complete a questionnaire to assess their understanding of the DAS and their trust in and acceptance of the DAS as well as a risk-propensity assessment. Data will be analyzed to understand how human drivers interact with DAS in mixed traffic situations and to understand how humans understand and perceive automation in different situations. Study 3 will be similar to Study 2 but will focus on how the decision-making behaviors of the automated driving systems impact user experience and driving performance. In the third study, participants will complete a drive in a driving simulator with a driving automation system. The study drive will contain situations to which the DAS must respond. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three systems with different capabilities, defined by how well the automation can navigate the set of test situations. Procedures for the three studies are identical apart from the study drive experienced. These three studies will involve information collection through participant screening questions, a pre-drive questionnaire, a wellness questionnaire to measure simulator sickness symptoms, assessment of driving performance in a driving simulator with a situational trust questionnaire administered at points during the study drives, a post-drive questionnaire, and a behavioral assessment of risk-taking propensity called the balloon analogue risk task (BART). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs associated with motor vehicle crashes. As new vehicle technologies are developed, it is prudent to ensure that they do not create any unintended decrease in safety. The safe deployment of driving automation systems, particularly when deployed in mixed traffic where some vehicles are controlled by automation and some are controlled manually, requires an understanding of how humans respond to and perceive different automation behavior. This work seeks to examine how drivers interact with driving automation systems in a wide sample of contexts and different levels of automation. The collection of information will consist of: 1. 
                    *Eligibility Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1742).* 2. 
                    *Informed Consent Study 1 (NHTSA Form 1743).* 3. 
                    *Informed Consent Study 2 (NHTSA Form 1744).* 4. 
                    *Informed Consent Study 3 (NHTSA Form 1745).* 5. 
                    *Pre-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1746).* 6. 
                    *Wellness Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1747).* 7. Driving Behavior Assessment (Pre-Drive PowerPoint Training, Familiarization Drive, Study Drive with 
                    *In-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1748*). 8. 
                    *Post-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1749).* 9. Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). The information to be collected will be used for the following purposes: 1. 
                    *Eligibility Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1742)*
                    —Necessary for determining individuals' suitability for study participation based on driving experience and history, general health, and ability to safely drive in the simulator without health concerns. The Eligibility Questionnaire will solely be used to determine individuals' suitability for study participation and will not be analyzed in any way. These criteria will remain the same across studies. 2. 
                    *Informed Consent Study 1 (NHTSA Form 1743)*
                    —Necessary for obtaining informed written consent from the participant to participate in the study. The form describes all study procedures, data storage and use, and potential risks from the study. 3. 
                    *Informed Consent Study 2 (NHTSA Form 1744)*
                    —Necessary for obtaining informed written consent from the participant to participate in the study. The form describes all study procedures, data storage and use, and potential risks from the study. 4. 
                    *Informed Consent Study 3 (NHTSA Form 1745)*
                    —Necessary for obtaining informed written consent from the participant to participate in the study. The form describes all study procedures, data storage and use, and potential risks from the study. 5. 
                    *Pre-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1746)*
                    —Necessary for collecting data used to measure participants' understanding (
                    *i.e.,*
                     mental model) of DAS and their pre-drive trust in the DAS. Collecting these data before and after the drives will let us measure how exposure to the DAS impacts understanding and trust. Demographic information (
                    *e.g.,*
                     age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity) will also be collected. This pre-drive questionnaire will remain the same across all three studies. 6. 
                    *Wellness Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1747)*
                    —Necessary for evaluating simulator sickness symptoms to determine individuals' ability to complete the study drive in the driving simulator. This questionnaire will be administered pre-drive (to obtain baseline ratings), after the familiarization drive, and after the study drive. This wellness questionnaire will remain the same across all three studies. 7. Driving Behavior Assessment (Study Drive) with 
                    *In-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1748)*
                    —Before the study drive, participants will complete training via a PowerPoint presentation on a computer in a private study room. The presentation will introduce the simulator, the familiarization and study drive procedures, the DAS, and the non-driving email task. The familiarization drive is necessary to acclimate the participant to the driving simulator and perform a real-time determination for simulator sickness while training the participant on how to use the driving automation system. The study drive is necessary for gathering driving performance information for the purpose of assessing how drivers interact with automated systems and the impact of these interactions on safety. The in-drive questionnaire is necessary for understanding drivers' trust in the DAS at various points during the study drive. In Study 1, this information is collected after the events where the pair of research participants interact with one another. In Studies 2 & 3, this information is collected after the four events where the behavior of the automation varies across the different conditions. The information will be used to measure trust in the DAS following specific events. These questions will remain the same across all three studies. 8. 
                    *Post-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1749)*
                    —Necessary for collecting data used to measure participants' understanding (
                    *i.e.,*
                     mental model) of DAS and their post-drive trust in the DAS, as well as general risk-taking behavior while driving. This post-drive questionnaire will remain the same across all three studies. 9. Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)—Necessary for measuring objective risk-taking propensity. For this computerized task, participants are presented with 20 different balloons (20 trials) and told that “the actual number of pumps for any particular balloon will 
                    ( print page 86205)
                    vary.” Participants are instructed to attempt to earn as many points as possible. At the beginning of each trial, the participant decides how many pumps they thought the balloon would hold and input this number. Each balloon inflates for 3 seconds and then either pops or stays intact depending on whether the participant's wager was above or below the predetermined explosion point for that balloon. If the balloon is pumped past its explosion point, it will pop, and the participant earns no points for that balloon. If the balloon is not pumped past the explosion point, the participant keeps the number of pumps as points. After each outcome, a new deflated balloon appears on the screen and points earned will be added to the total. Each balloon could earn a maximum of 128 points with an explosion point equally likely to occur on any given pump participant to the constraint that within each sequence of 10 balloons the average explosion point was on pump 64. The task will remain the same across the three studies and is a standardized online tool. Affected Public Individuals aged 18+ from Eastern Iowa and the surrounding areas who have volunteered to take part in driving studies will be contacted for participation. They will be randomized evenly by sex, though some imbalance will be permitted to be inclusive of individuals who do not identify on the gender spectrum or as a result of differences in how sex may be identified on drivers' licenses across States. Efforts will be made to enroll a diverse age sample that broadly represents the age of the driving population and includes those at greater risk of crashing (
                    *e.g.,*
                     less than 25 years of age and greater than 65 years of age). Businesses are ineligible for the sample and will not be contacted. Estimated Number of Respondents To obtain the target number of 224 valid test participants. Assuming typical data loss rates for simulator testing with human participants, it is anticipated that 300 participants will need to be run in order to obtain 224 valid participant datasets. This will ensure sufficient statistical power in each of the three studies to detect differences between conditions. Information for the three studies will be obtained in an incremental fashion to permit the determination of which individuals have the necessary characteristics for study participation. All interested candidates will complete the Eligibility Questionnaire. From the subset of individuals found to meet the criteria in the Eligibility Questionnaire, a subset will be chosen with the goal of achieving a sample providing a balance of sex to be scheduled for study participation. Some imbalance will be allowed to be inclusive of all identities since not all individuals will identify on the gender spectrum. Participants will complete the Pre-Drive Questionnaire before a familiarization drive and the Wellness Questionnaire immediately after the drive to screen for simulator sickness. Participants who pass the screening will complete the remainder of the study procedures, including the In-Drive Questionnaire, the Post-Drive Questionnaire, and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Data collection will involve approximately 700 respondents for the Eligibility Questionnaire (with approximately 400 potentially meeting eligibility criteria) and 300 respondents for the Pre-Drive Questionnaire, Wellness Questionnaire, the Driving Behavior Assessment, the Post-Drive Questionnaire, and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. A summary of the estimated numbers of individuals that will complete the noted question sets is provided in the following table. Estimated Number of Total Respondents
Information collection
NHTSA form No.
Participants (
                            *i.e.,*
                             respondents)Eligibility Questionnaire
1742
700.Informed Consent Study 1
1743
180.Informed Consent Study 2
1744
60.Informed Consent Study 3
1745
60.Pre-Drive Questionnaire
1746
300 (180 Study 1, 60 Study 2, 60 Study 3).Wellness Questionnaire
1747
300 (180 Study 1, 60 Study 2, 60 Study 3).Driving Behavior Assessment (Pre-Drive PowerPoint Training, Familiarization Drive, Study Drive with In-Drive Questionnaire)
1748
300 (180 Study 1, 60 Study 2, 60 Study 3).Post-Drive Questionnaire
1749
300 (180 Study 1, 60 Study 2, 60 Study 3).Balloon Analogue Risk Task

300 (180 Study 1, 60 Study 2, 60 Study 3).
 *Frequency:*
                     One-time collection. *Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:*
                     The total estimated burden for the study is 903.3 hours. Averaging that over three years of the collection approval is 301.1 hours. Eligibility Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1742) is estimated to take 11 minutes (averaging those who complete the questionnaire and those who do not complete the questionnaire). Informed Consent Study 1 (NHTSA Form 1743) is estimated to take 20 minutes. Informed Consent Study 2 (NHTSA Form 1744) is estimated to take 20 minutes. Informed Consent Study 3 (NHTSA Form 1745) is estimated to take 20 minutes. Pre-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1746) is estimated to take 15 minutes. Wellness Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1747) is estimated to take 5 minutes and taken three times. Driving Behavior Assessment (Pre-Drive PowerPoint Training, Familiarization Drive, Study Drive with In-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1748) is estimated to take 80 minutes. Post-Drive Questionnaire (NHTSA Form 1749) is estimated to take 20 minutes. Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) is estimated to take 5 minutes. The estimated annual time and cost burdens across all three study data collections are summarized in the table below. To calculate the opportunity cost associated with the forms and other relevant activities necessary for this collection of new information, NHTSA looked at average hourly earnings for employees on private nonfarm payrolls. NHTSA estimated the total opportunity costs associated with these burden hours by looking at the average wage for total private employees on private nonfarm payrolls. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that the average hourly wage for this group is $33.82.
                    ( print page 86206) Estimated Time per Response and Total Time
Information collection component
Respondents
Time per response
                             (min)
Total burden time
                             (hours)
Total
                             opportunity cost 
                             (dollars)Eligibility questionnaire
700
11
128.3
4,340.00Informed Consent Document (All Studies)
300
20
100
3,382.00Pre-Drive Questionnaire
300
15
75
2,536.50Wellness Questionnaire
300
5 × 3 responses
75
2,536.50Driving Behavior Assessment (Pre-Drive PowerPoint Training, Familiarization Drive, Study Drive with In-Drive Questionnaire)
300
80
400
13,528.00Post-Drive Questionnaire
300
20
100
3,382.00Balloon Analogue Risk Task
300
5
25
846.00Total


903.3
30,551.00
 *Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost:*
                     The respondents will not incur any reporting or recordkeeping cost from the information collection. Respondents will incur a one-time cost for local travel to and from DSRI, which is estimated not to exceed approximately $39.30 (based on the standard mileage rate for business-related driving in 2023 and a round trip distance of 60 miles). These transportation costs are offset by participant compensation. *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 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 1351.29A. Cem Hatipoglu, Associate Administrator, Vehicle Safety Research.


[FR Doc. 2023-27197 Filed 12-11-23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-59-P