[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8929-8930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03304]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2022-0009]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for 
Comment; National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments on 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 approval on the 
National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS).

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 18, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2022-0009 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 Lacey L. Boyle, Office of Traffic Records and Analysis, 
Mathematical Analysis Division (NSA-210), (202) 366-7468, National 
Center for Statistics and Analysis, W55-207, 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.

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: National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats.
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0644.
    Form Number(s): NHTSA Form 1010.
    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: The National Survey of 
the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS) is a voluntary collection of restraint 
use information for children under 13. The purpose of the NSUBS is to 
gather information on restraint use for all child occupants, in 
particular the use of booster seats among children ages 4-7. NSUBS is a 
biennial collection that involves data collectors visiting sampled gas 
stations, recreation centers, day care centers, and seven specific fast 
food restaurant chains (McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Wendy's, 
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dairy Queen, and Sonic), where vehicles are 
most likely to have child occupants. Data collectors will observe as 
many vehicles as possible that appear to have a least one child 
occupant under the age of 13 in order for data collector observation of 
restraint use for all occupants. For motorists who voluntarily 
participate in a subsequent interview, the data collectors conduct a 
brief interview with the vehicle driver or other knowledgeable adult to 
determine the age, height, weight, race, and ethnicity of the child 
occupants and age of the driver. The survey collects data to support 
estimates of restraint use for all children under 13. The collection 
includes race and ethnicity breakouts of restraint use among all 
occupants in a vehicle as well as age, height, and weight of children.

[[Page 8930]]

    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information: The NSUBS is conducted to respond to Section 14(i) of the 
Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation 
(TREAD) Act of 2000. The Act directs the Department of Transportation 
to reduce deaths and injuries among children in the 4- to 8-year old 
age group that are caused by failure to use a booster seat by twenty-
five percent. Conducting the National Survey of the Use of Booster 
Seats provides the Department with invaluable information on use and 
non-use of booster seats, helping the Department to improve its 
outreach programs to ensure that children are protected to the greatest 
extent possible when they ride in motor vehicles. The survey data will 
allow programs to better reach the caretakers whose children are 
unrestrained or not using the best restraint choice for their 
children's sizes. The findings may also be of interest to State 
legislatures wanting to strengthen their child restraint laws by 
enacting mandatory or enhanced booster seat use provisions.
    Affected Public: Motorists in passenger vehicles with children 
under 13 who are approached at gas stations, fast food restaurants, day 
care centers, and recreation centers frequented by children and asked 
to participate in the survey.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Based on the average number of 
respondents from the last three survey years (2017, 2019, 2021), we 
estimate that there will be approximately 5,300 respondents (i.e., 
5,300 adult motorists in passenger vehicles with children under 13 at 
gas stations, fast food restaurants, day care centers, and recreation 
centers who agree to be interviewed for the survey).
    Frequency: Biennial.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: NHTSA estimates that the data 
collection will, on average, take approximately 4.25 minutes per 
respondent. A respondent in this case is an adult motorist providing 
information about children in their vehicle. Therefore, NHTSA estimates 
the total burden for the 5,300 respondents to be 376 hours, rounded 
((4.25 minutes x 5,300 respondents) / 60 min/hr = 375.42 hours). Since 
NSUBS data are collected biennially, dividing the 376 total burden 
hours by two yields an annual burden of 188 hours. Table 1 provides a 
summary of the burden hour estimates.

                                            Table 1--Burden Estimates
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                       Estimated burden  per    Total burden hours        Total annual       Total annual burden
 Responses per survey   response  (minutes)         per survey             responses                hours
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            5,300                   4.25                    376                  2,650                    188
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    To represent the value of the respondents' time, NHTSA uses the 
average hourly wage for the United States, which is estimated to be 
$27.07.\1\ Using this estimate, NHTSA estimates the total opportunity 
costs to respondents to be $10,178.32 (376 x $27.07) or $5,089.16 
annually.
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    \1\ U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2020 
National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, accessed June 
2021, from https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000.

                                                          Table 2--Opportunity Costs Estimates
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                      Estimated burden per     Average hourly     Opportunity cost per   Total burden hours     Total opportunity       Total annual
Responses per survey   response  (minutes)    opportunity cost          response         per survey  (hours)     cost per survey      opportunity cost
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            5,300                  4.25                $27.07                 $1.92                   376            $10,178.32             $5,089.16
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: Participation in this study is 
voluntary, and there are no costs to respondents beyond the time spent 
taking part in the survey.
    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 1351.29.

    Issued on February 11, 2022
Chou-Lin Chen,
Associate Administrator for National Center for Statistic and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2022-03304 Filed 2-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P