[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84669-84671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24432]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2024-0069]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for 
Comment; Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for public comments on an extension of a 
currently approved information collection.

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SUMMARY: 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 a collection of 
information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB extension approval 
titled ``Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety'' and is 
identified by OMB Control Number 2127-0723, currently approved through 
February 28, 2025. The burden hour calculations have been adjusted to 
reflect a reduction in annual respondents resulting in a reduction in 
burden hours from 12,000 annually to 2,400 annually.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2024-0069 through any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Electronic submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions 
for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    <bullet> 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 Debbie Sweet, Office of Vehicle Safety 
Research (NSR-010), (202) 366-7179, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, W46-417, U.S. Department of

[[Page 84670]]

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Please 
identify the relevant collection of information by referring to its OMB 
Control Number.

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: Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety.
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0723.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information:
    In September 2017, NHTSA published a policy document titled, 
Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety (ADS 2.0). 
Recognizing the potential that Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) have to 
enhance safety and mobility, this policy document set out an approach 
to enable the safe deployment of ADS-equipped vehicles. ADS 2.0 
contains 12 priority safety design elements, each of which contains 
safety goals and approaches that could be used to achieve those safety 
goals. Entities engaged in ADS testing and deployment may demonstrate 
how they address--via industry best practices, their own best 
practices, or other appropriate methods--the safety elements by 
publishing a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment (VSSA). The VSSA is the 
medium of collection of information for ADS 2.0. NHTSA provides the 
VSSA Index on the agency's website as a pointer system for entities' 
VSSAs.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information:
    The VSSA is intended to demonstrate to the public (particularly 
States and consumers) that entities are: (1) considering the safety 
aspects of ADSs; (2) communicating and collaborating with DOT; (3) 
encouraging the self-establishment of industry safety norms for ADSs; 
and (4) building public trust, acceptance, and confidence through 
transparent testing and deployment of ADSs. It also allows companies an 
opportunity to showcase their approach to safety, without needing to 
reveal proprietary intellectual property.
    Entities collecting information and disclosing that information via 
a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment have been given the flexibility to 
disclose the information in a format deemed appropriate for that 
particular entity. Each entity has selected the layout, presentation, 
and verbiage structure that best fits its needs and goals.
    Members of the public can retrieve the VSSA in order to understand 
the technology, learn about how the testing and safety elements are 
incorporated in the design and function of a system or vehicle, and 
become aware of the testing and deployments in locations around the 
country.
    State stakeholders have expressed they would use the information in 
the VSSA to assess the safety of ADSs on their roadways. Those States 
looking to require application and permission to test and deploy ADSs 
review the VSSA prior to issuing the permit. The States also use 
information in the VSSA to communicate with law enforcement and first 
responders as well as to educate the public.
    Other consumer-based stakeholders access the information in the 
VSSA to gather information to identify risk, inform decisions, and 
educate, among other uses.
    Affected Public: Entities involved in the testing and deployment of 
ADS.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 4.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,400 hours.
    Estimating Respondents for this Information Collection: This 
extension of a currently approved collection includes changes in the 
annual respondents and thus a decrease in the annual burden hours to 
the public. The changes are based on observations of the current and 
past information collections.
    NHTSA has combined multiple public lists of ADS entities to 
determine the potential universe of potential entities that may (past 
or future) develop a VSSA. Accessed on October 3, 2024, NHTSA combined 
entities that were listed on the current VSSA Index, the California 
Department of Motor Vehicle Autonomous Vehicles list of permit holders 
(testing with a driver, driverless testing, and deployment), and the 
entities that have submitted ADS incident reports through the Standing 
General Order. Staff then reviewed the list to determine which entities 
were no longer operational in the United States. This provided a 
universe as well as a grounding in the size of the industry, which 
entities have developed a VSSA in years past, and whether newer 
entrants are present in the universe such that they may develop a VSSA. 
The result of these steps was 59 ADS entities.
    Of the 59 entities, 27 have developed and made public a VSSA since 
the collections began according to the VSSA Index. NHTSA is not aware 
that any of the 27 have updated the full VSSA during that time period. 
Two of those entities have released an appendix with separate 
information not included in ADS 2.0. NHTSA assumes these entities will 
not update their VSSA in the next three years. Table 1 provides a list 
of VSSA publication date since 2017. The average over the lifetime of 
ADS 2.0 is three VSSAs per year. Perhaps more reflective of the recent 
industry, the average over the current collection (three years) is 4 
VSSAs per year.

                   Table 1--VSSA Dissemination to Date
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                         Release                              Number
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Webpage Only (no structured VSSA).......................               2
Inactive pointer location...............................               4
2018....................................................               1
2019....................................................               1
2020....................................................               3
2021....................................................               4
2022....................................................               2
2023....................................................               6
2024....................................................               4
Seven-year average......................................               3
Three-year Average (period of current ICR)..............               4
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[[Page 84671]]

    Taking into account the universe established (59 entities) and 
those that have disseminated a VSSA or suggested a web page through the 
VSSA Index (27), NHTSA believes there is a potential for another 32 
entities to publish a VSSA; however, the maturity of the entity itself, 
the development of the ADS, and the partnerships established within the 
industry, NHTSA does not assume all 32 will develop a VSSA over the 
coming three years. This is bolstered by the fact that it has taken 
seven years for dissemination of 27 VSSAs.
    NHTSA will use the most recent three-year average of four VSSAs per 
year for an estimation of VSSA dissemination or publication for the 
duration of this information collection extension. Therefore, the 
number of respondents annually is four and the frequency is once per 
year.
    Estimating Burden for Each Respondent: Components of the Voluntary 
Guidance in ADS 2.0 and public disclosure of the VSSA have not changed 
since release in 2017. Therefore, these estimates of time to summarize 
how an entity is addressing the safety elements remains the same as the 
current information collection. NHTSA has not received comments that 
these estimates are erroneous.
    Development of a VSSA is expected to involve burden for format, 
content, and summary, varying by safety element. NHTSA estimates that 
each entity will spend approximately 600 hours to develop and 
disseminate a VSSA. Table 2 provides a breakdown of burden hours by 
safety element.

      Table 2--Burden Hours Estimates for VSSA, per Safety Element
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                                                           Burden hours
          Safety element in voluntary guidance               for VSSA
                                                            development
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A. System Safety........................................              30
B. Operational Design Domain............................              25
C. Object and Event Detection and Response..............              45
D. Fallback.............................................              90
E. Validation Methods...................................              90
F. Human Machine Interface..............................              25
G. Vehicle Cybersecurity................................              25
H. Crashworthiness......................................              25
I. Post-Crash ADS Behavior..............................              25
J. Data Recording.......................................              90
K. Consumer Education and Training......................              45
L. Federal, State, and Local Laws.......................              85
                                                         ---------------
  Total Burden Hours Per ADS............................             600
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               Table 3--Calculation of Annual Burden Hours
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Estimated Annual Respondents............................               4
Estimated Burden Hours for Voluntary Assessment                      600
 Dissemination..........................................
                                                         ---------------
  Total Estimated Burden Hours for Industry per Year....           2,400
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    The change reflected in this extension is a reduction of 9,600 
burden hours annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $282,384.
    NHTSA estimates the hourly cost associated with preparing VSSAs to 
be $117.66 \1\ per hour using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' mean 
hourly wage estimate for architectural and engineering managers in the 
motor vehicle manufacturing industry (Standard Occupational 
Classification # 11-9041). Therefore, the estimated annual burden to 
each respondent is $70,596 (600 hours x $117.66). Therefore, the annual 
estimated labor costs to all respondents to this collection is 
$282,384. This reflects a decrease of $885,936 for labor costs 
annually.
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    \1\ The hourly wage is estimated to be $82.83 per hour. National 
Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates NAICS 
336100-Motor Vehicle Manufacturing, May 2023, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_336100.htm, last accessed October 9, 2024. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that wages represent 70.2 
percent of total compensation to private workers, on average. 
Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total hourly compensation cost to be 
$117.66.
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    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. 2024-24432 Filed 10-22-24; 8:45 am]
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