24178 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 92 / Friday, May 11, 2001 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

[U.S. DOT Docket No NHTSA–2001–9423]

National Survey of Speeding, Driving

While Distracted, and Other Unsafe

Driving Behaviors

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments on data collection.

SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) plays a

central role in the national effort to

reduce motor vehicle related traffic

injuries and deaths. Speeding has been

implicated as a cause of about a third of

all fatal crashes. The contributions of

driving while distracted, fatigued and

aggressive driving to motor vehicle

crashes are thought to be substantial,

however, estimates are not available.

The most recent survey data collected

by NHTSA on unsafe driving behaviors

was administered in 1997. Since that

time there have been various changes in

the driving environment including an

extraordinary increase in the use of

wireless phones in vehicles. The

purpose of this study is to gather

information on driver behavior with

respect to speeding, driving while

distracted, aggressive driving, and

fatigue. The survey will also collect data

on the conditions under which these

behaviors typically occur as well as the

public’s views toward various unsafe

driving behaviors and countermeasures

they would support. To acquire these

data, two surveys of about 15 minutes

in length will each be developed and

administered to two separate national

probability samples of 2,000 persons. As

required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, NHTSA invites the general

public and Federal Agencies to

comment on the need for the proposed

data collection, the types of questions

respondents should be asked, ways to

enhance the quality of the collection,

and ways to minimize the burden on

respondents.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before July 10, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to US DOT, Docket Management

Facility, Docket Operations, PL–401,

Docket # NHTSA–2001–9423, 400 7th

Street SW., Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Tremont, Ph.D., Project Officer, Office

of Research and Traffic Records (NTS–

31), Washington, DC 20590, e-mail

ptremont@nhtsa.dot.gov.

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 for a 60-

day period to allow the public and

affected agencies sufficient time to

comment on the 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 methods and

assumptions;

(iii) How to enhance the quality,

utility, and clarity of the information;

(iv) How to minimize the burden of

the information collection on those

being asked to respond, including the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection methods or

other forms of information technology,

(e.g., permitting electronic response

submissions).

In response to these requirements,

NHTSA asks for public comment on the

following collection of information:

National Survey of Speeding, Driving

While Distracted, Aggressive Driving

and other Unsafe Driving Behaviors

Type of Request: New information

collection requirement.

OMB Clearance Number: None.

Form Number: This collection uses no

standard forms.

Requested Approval Expiration date:

June 30, 2002.

Summary of the Collection of

Information

The National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA) plays a key

role in the national effort to reduce

motor vehicle related traffic injuries and

deaths. Last year more than 38,000

deaths and several million injuries

occurred as a direct result of motor

vehicle crashes. There is strong

evidence to suggest that most of these

crashes are caused by human errors,

such as speeding, aggressive driving,

driver distraction and fatigue, and are

thus avoidable.

The proposed survey, to be

administered in the 3rd quarter of 2001,

will gather data on the nature and extent

of these problem-driving behaviors with

the objective of providing the basis for

the development of countermeasures to

them. Data will be collected on topics

covered in the 1997 Speeding & Unsafe

Driving survey, and also will include

questions on distracted, aggressive and

fatigue-related driving. Question areas

will cover characteristics of drivers who

perform these various unsafe driving

actions, and the situations

accompanying unsafe actions. Data will

also be acquired on distractions drivers

are subject to, including wireless

phones, the situations that lead to these

distractions, and the way they are

managed while driving.

In order to include measurement of all

topic areas of interest in a thorough

manner while keeping the interview

length to a level to avoid respondent

fatigue and data degradation, two

separate surveys will be administered.

The survey topics will be divided such

that most of the speed and aggressive

driving items will be included in

version 1, while most of the distracted

driver and fatigue items will be

included in version 2. General

attitudinal items concerning problem

driving overall and respondent

characteristics will appear on both

survey versions.

These surveys will be administered by

telephone to separate national

probability samples of the driving age

public (age 16 and older as of their last

birthday). Participation by respondents

is completely voluntary. To keep

interview time to about 15–20 minutes,

and to minimize errors, surveys will be

conducted using computer assisted

interviewing. A Spanish-language

questionnaire administered by bilingual interviewers will be used to

ensure Spanish-speaking respondents

are included in the sample. All

respondents’ answers will remain

anonymous and completely

confidential. Participant names are not

collected during the interview and the

telephone number used to reach the

respondent is separated from the data

record prior to its entry into the

analytical database.

Description of the Need for and

Proposed Use of the Information

More than 38,000 persons were fatally

injured in motor vehicle crashes in

2000, and up to 1/3 of these fatalities are

associated with to excessive speeds.

While the number of speeding-related

and alcohol-related crashes have

dropped slightly since the mid-1990’s

(National Center for Statistics and

Analysis), the number of fatal crashes

attributed to non-speeding and nonVerDate 11<MAY>2000 16:45 May 10, 2001 Jkt 194001 PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\11MYN1.SGM pfrm10 PsN: 11MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 92 / Friday, May 11, 2001 / Notices 24179

alcohol related causes have increased.

These other causes include drivercontrolled behaviors such as driving

while fatigued, aggressive driving, and

distracted driving (including cell phone

use, talking to others in the vehicle,

eating, and reading). NHTSA is

committed to the development of

effective programs to reduce the

incidence of these crashes

While alcohol-related driving is

studied by numerous sources, relatively

little is known about the public’s

attitudes and behaviors with respect to

those other driver-controlled factors. In

order for NHTSA to properly plan and

evaluate programs directed at reducing

crashes, and to provide information to

support states, localities and law

enforcement agencies, it needs to

understand the public’s current beliefs

and behaviors.

The findings from these proposed

collections will assist NHTSA in

identifying the extent of the problem,

the public’s perceptions of the dangers

of these various problem-driving actions

and potential acceptance of various

strategies to reduce related fatalities.

NHTSA will use the findings to help

focus current programs and activities to

achieve the greatest benefit, to develop

new programs to decrease the likelihood

of drivers engaging in these problemdriving behaviors, and to provide

informational support to states, and

localities that will aid them in their

efforts to reduce problem-driving related

crashes and injuries.

Description of the Likely Respondents

(Including Estimated Number, and

Proposed Frequency of Response to the

Collection of Information)

Under these proposed collections,

telephone interviews averaging

approximately 15 minutes in length will

be administered to two separate

randomly selected samples of 2,000

persons of the general driving age public

age 16 and older. The respondent

samples would be selected from all 50

states, plus the District of Columbia.

Interviews would be conducted with

persons at residential phone numbers

selected using a modified random-digitdialing methodology. No more than one

respondent per household would be

selected, and each sample member

would complete just one interview.

Businesses are ineligible for the sample

and would not be interviewed.

Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting

and Record Keeping Burden Resulting

from the Collection of Information

NHTSA estimates that respondents in

the sample would require an average of

15 minutes to complete the telephone

interview. Thus, estimated reporting

burden on the general public would

total 1,000 hours for the proposed

surveys. The respondents would not

incur any reporting or record keeping

cost from the information collection.

Rose A. McMurray,

Associate Administrator, Office of Traffic

Safety Programs.

[FR Doc. 01–11945 Filed 5–10–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

Petition for Exemption From the

Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention

Standard; General Motors

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Grant of petition for exemption.

SUMMARY: This document grants in full

the petition of General Motors

Corporation (GM) for an exemption of a

high-theft line, the Chevrolet Venture,

from the parts-marking requirements of

the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft

Prevention Standard. This petition is

granted because the agency has

determined that the antitheft device to

be placed on the line as standard

equipment is likely to be as effective in

reducing and deterring motor vehicle

theft as compliance with the partsmarking requirements of the Theft

Prevention Standard.

DATES: The exemption granted by this

notice is effective beginning with model

year (MY) 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Rosalind Proctor, Office of Planning and

Consumer Programs, NHTSA, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590. Ms. Proctor’s telephone number

is (202) 366–0846. Her fax number is

(202) 493–2290.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a

petition dated October 5, 2000, General

Motors Corporation (GM), requested an

exemption from the parts-marking

requirements of the Theft Prevention

Standard (49 CFR part 541) for the

Chevrolet Venture vehicle line

beginning withMY 2002. The petition is

pursuant to 49 CFR part 543, Exemption

From Vehicle Theft Prevention

Standard, which provides for

exemptions based on the installation of

an antitheft device as standard

equipment on a vehicle line.

Section 33106(b)(2)(D) of Title 49,

United States Code, authorized the

Secretary of Transportation to grant an

exemption from the parts marking

requirements for not more than one

additional line of a manufacturer for

MYs 1997—2000. However, it does not

address the contingency of what to do

after model year 2000 in the absence of

a decision under Section 33103(d). 49

U.S.C. § 33103(d)(3) states that the

number of lines for which the agency

can grant an exemption is to be decided

after the Attorney General completes a

review of the effectiveness of antitheft

devices and finds that antitheft devices

are an effective substitute for parts

marking. The Attorney General has not

yet made a finding and has not decided

the number of lines, if any, for which

the agency will be authorized to grant

an exemption. Upon consultation with

the Department of Justice, we

determined that the appropriate reading

of Section 33103(d) is that the National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration

(NHTSA) may continue to grant partsmarking exemptions for not more than

one additional model line each year, as

specified for model years 1997–2000 by

49 U.S.C. 33106(b)(2)(C). This is the

level contemplated by the Act for the

period before the Attorney General’s

decision. The final decision on whether

to continue granting exemptions will be

made by the Attorney General at the

conclusion of the review pursuant to

section 330103(d)(3).

GM’s submission is considered a

complete petition as required by 49 CFR

part 543.7, in that it met the general

requirements contained in § 543.5 and

the specific content requirements of

§ 543.6.

In its petition, GM provided a detailed

description and diagram of the identity,

design, and location of the components

of the antitheft device for that vehicle

line. GM will install its PASS-Key III

antitheft device as standard equipment

on its MY 2002 Chevrolet Venture

vehicle line. GM stated that the PASSKey III device provides the same kind of

functionality as the PASS-Key and

PASS-Key II devices, which have been

the basis for exemptions previously

granted to GM. However, the PASS-Key

III device uses more advanced

technology than the PASS-Key II device

and provides new features and

refinements.

Specifically, the PASS-Key III device

uses a transponder embedded in the

head of the key which is excited by a

coil surrounding the key cylinder. The

transponder in the key then emits a

modulated signal at a specified radio

frequency. The identity of the key is a

unique code within the modulated

signal. The key cylinder coil receives

and sends the modulated signal to the