28098 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 96 / Wednesday, May 19, 2010 / Notices 

1More detailed information on motorcycle 

crashes can be found in Traffic Safety Facts— 

Motorcycles, published by NHTSA and available on 

its Web site at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/ 

nrd-30/NCSA/Rpts/2006/810606.pdf. 

2The OECD methodology may be obtained by 

sending a request to jtrc.contact@oecd.org. 

3This being a study of crashes involving 

motorcycles, data will be acquired from both crashinvolved motorcycles and also motor vehicles 

year. Any funds withheld in Fiscal Year 

1996 and thereafter cannot be restored 

and will be redistributed. 

Respondents: 50 States and the 

District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. 

Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 

Annual average of 5 hours for each 

respondent; 260 total annual burden 

hours. 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including: (1) 

Whether the proposed collection is 

necessary for the FHWA’s performance; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to 

enhance the quality, usefulness, and 

clarity of the collected information; and 

(4) ways that the burden could be 

minimized, including the use of 

electronic technology, without reducing 

the quality of the collected information. 

The agency will summarize and/or 

include your comments in the request 

for OMB’s clearance of this information 

collection. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 

and 49 CFR 1.48. 

Issued on: May 13, 2010. 

Juli Huynh, 

Chief, Management Programs and Analysis 

Division. 

[FR Doc. 2010–11916 Filed 5–18–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA–2010–0052] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Notice of Request for 

Extension of Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of request for extension 

of currently approved information 

collection. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public 

comments about our intention to request 

the Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB) approval for renewal of an 

existing information collection that is 

summarized below under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are 

required to publish this notice in the 

Federal Register by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Please submit comments by July 

19, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT Docket ID 2010–0052 

by any of the following methods: 

Web Site: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received go to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: Go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. 

Department of Transportation, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carol Tan, PhD, Office of Safety 

Research and Development (HRDS), at 

(202) 493–3315, Turner-Fairbank 

Highway Research Center, Federal 

Highway Administration, 6300 

Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101, 

between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Motorcycle Crash Causation 

Study and Pilot Motorcycle Crash 

Causes and Outcomes Study. 

OMB Control #: 2125–0619. 

Background: Motorcycle injuries and 

fatalities have increased every year 

since 2003 in the United States. Per 

vehicle mile traveled motorcyclists were 

about 32 times more likely to die, and 

6 times more likely to be injured in a 

motor vehicle crash than were passenger 

car occupants. This data shows that the 

motorcycle crash problem is becoming 

more severe.1 Congress has recognized 

this problem and directed the 

Department of Transportation to 

conduct research that will provide a 

better understanding of the causes of 

motorcycle crashes. Specifically, in 

Section 5511 of the Safe, Accountable, 

Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 

Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU) 

Public Law 109–59, Congress directed 

the Secretary of Transportation to 

provide grants to the Oklahoma 

Transportation Center (OTC) for the 

purpose of conducting a comprehensive, 

in-depth motorcycle crash causation 

study that employs the common 

international methodology for in-depth 

motorcycle crash investigation 

developed by the Organization for 

Economic Cooperation and 

Development (OECD).2 The Secretary of 

Transportation delegated authority to 

FHWA for the Motorcycle Crash 

Causation Grants under Section 5511 

(71 FR 30831). 

Proposed Data Acquisition 

Methodology 

Use of Parallel and Complementary 

Procedures 

The OECD describes two 

complementary procedures to be 

performed for acquiring the data needed 

to understand the causes of motorcycle 

crashes. The first of these is the 

traditional in-depth crash investigation 

that focuses on the sequence of events 

leading up to the crash, and on the 

motorcycle, rider, and environmental 

characteristics that may have been 

relevant to the crash. The second 

procedure, known as the case-control 

procedure, complements the first. It 

requires the acquisition of matched 

control data to allow for a determination 

of the extent to which rider and driver 

characteristics, and pre-crash factors 

observed in the crash vehicles, are 

present in similarly-at-risk control 

vehicles. 

Such a dual approach offers specific 

advantages to the understanding of 

crashes and the development of 

countermeasures. The in-depth study of 

the crash by itself allows for analysis of 

the events antecedent to the crash, some 

of which, if removed or altered, could 

result in a change in subsequent events 

that would have led to a non-crash, or 

reduced crash severity outcome. For 

example, an in-depth crash 

investigation may reveal that an 

automobile approaching an intersection 

was in a lane designated for straight 

through traffic only, but the motorist 

proceeded to make a left turn from that 

lane into the path of an oncoming 

motorcycle. That finding can, by itself, 

be used to develop countermeasures, 

and does not require matched control 

data. However, acquiring matched 

control data from similarly-at-risk riders 

and drivers provides additional critical 

information about crash causes that 

cannot be obtained if only crashes are 

examined. The main purpose of 

acquiring matched data is to allow for 

inferences to be made regarding risk 

factors for crash causes. A brief 

explanation is provided here so that 

those less familiar with case-control 

procedures will understand the 

advantage of acquiring controls.3


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 96 / Wednesday, May 19, 2010 / Notices 28099 

involved in those crashes as countermeasures may 

be developed separately for each that could lead to 

a reduction in crashes involving motorcycles. 

Similarly, when control data are acquired, data 

from similarly-at-risk motorcycle rider controls and 

similarly-at-risk automobile driver controls will 

also be acquired. This way a balanced picture of the 

causes of crashes involving motorcycles and other 

vehicles will emerge. 

4Certainly other outcomes besides the one 

presented are possible, and other comparisons are 

of interest. For example, it would be useful to 

compare crash-involved motorcyclists to non-crash 

involved motorcyclists and crash-involved 

passenger vehicle motorists to non-crash involved 

passenger-vehicle motorists. These comparisons 

would allow for estimates of changes in relative 

risks for riders and drivers independently. 

5There is a lengthy precedent for studying 

crashes using case-control methods including the 

Grand Rapids study, (Borkenstein, R.F., Crowther, 

F.R., Shumate, R.P., Ziel, W.B. & Zylman, R. 

(1974)). The Role of the Drinking Driver in Traffic 

Accidents (The Grand Rapids Study). (Blutalkohol, 

11, Supplement 1), and of course the Hurt study, 

(Hurt, H.H., Jr., Ouellet, J.V., and Thom, D.R. 

(1981)). Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and 

Identification of Countermeasures (Volume I: 

Technical Report). 

Consider a hypothetical situation where 

it is observed that the proportion of 

motorcycle riders involved in crashes 

that have a positive Blood Alcohol 

Content (BAC) is the same as the 

proportion of matched (similarly-at-risk) 

control motorcycle riders not involved 

in crashes. And assume that the 

proportion of passenger-vehicle 

motorists who crash with motorcycles at 

a positive BAC is greater than matched 

control passenger-vehicle motorists. 

These data considered together would 

suggest that for crashes involving 

passenger vehicles and motorcycles, 

alcohol is a bigger risk factor for 

passenger vehicle drivers than it is for 

motorcycle riders. That is, the relative 

risk of crash involvement attributable to 

alcohol in motorcycle-automobile 

crashes is greater for passenger-vehicle 

motorists than for motorcyclists. Other 

risk factors for crashes (i.e., age, gender, 

riding and driving experience, fatigue 

level) for both motorcyclists and 

motorists can also be examined in this 

manner. If scaled interval measurements 

of risk factor levels are obtained (for 

example, if the level of alcohol is 

measured, not just its presence or 

absence), then it becomes possible to 

calculate functions showing how risk 

changes with changes in the variable of 

interest. Such risk functions are highly 

useful in the development of 

countermeasures.4

Issues Related to Sampling 

Characteristics of the Crash Sample 

To properly acquire in-depth crash 

data, it is necessary to find a location in 

the country that experiences the full 

range of motorcycle crash types that 

occur under a wide range of conditions 

and with a wide range of motorcycle 

rider characteristics. The location must 

also have a sufficiently high frequency 

of motorcycle crashes to allow 

acquisition of the crash data in a 

reasonable amount of time. It is 

anticipated that it will be possible to 

find a single location meeting these 

requirements. 

It is not necessary that the crash types 

observed (or other composite indices or 

parameters of interest) be drawn from a 

nationally representative sample, 

because it is not the intent of FHWA to 

make projections of the national 

incidence of the causes of crashes 

involving motorcycles from this study. 

Rather, the focus will be on identifying 

the antecedents and risk factors 

associated with motorcycle crashes. If it 

is deemed necessary, FHWA and 

NHTSA may utilize their alternative 

databases that incorporate certain of the 

key variables that will be acquired in 

this study, and those databases could be 

used in conjunction with this study’s 

data to make national estimates of 

population parameters of interest.5 In 

addition, the crash investigations will 

be conducted on-scene, while the 

involved operators and vehicles are still 

in place. This provides access to 

physical data that is less disturbed by 

rescue and clean-up activities. It also 

facilitates the collection of interview 

data while memories are unaffected. 

This quick-response approach is most 

effective when a census of applicable 

crashes is selected for inclusion. 

Characteristics of the Control Sample 

While the occurrence of a crash 

involving a motorcycle in the study site 

is sufficient for it to be selected into the 

study, selecting the similarly-at-risk 

controls is not as straightforward. The 

OECD recommends several options for 

acquiring matched controls including 

interviewing motorcyclists who may be 

filling up at nearby gas stations, taking 

videos of motorcyclists who pass the 

crash scenes, and interviewing 

motorcyclists at the location of the crash 

location at the same time of day, same 

day of week, and same direction of 

travel. The first of these methods suffers 

from the shortcoming that a rider or 

motorist filling his fuel tank is not 

presented with the same risks, in the 

same setting, as is the crash-involved 

rider and motorist. To illustrate, 

consider a motorcycle rider who is hit 

from the rear by a passenger vehicle 

motorist on a Friday night at 1 a.m. 

There is a reasonable chance that 

alcohol is involved in this crash, but to 

estimate the relative risk it will not help 

to measure the BAC of passenger vehicle 

motorists (and motorcyclists) at a nearby 

gas station. Passenger-vehicle motorists 

and motorcyclists will need to be 

sampled at the location of the crash on 

the same day of the week, at the same 

hour, and from the same travel 

direction. Even if the suspected risk 

factor is not alcohol, but some other 

variable (e.g., distraction associated 

with cell phone use), it is still highly 

advantageous to acquire the comparison 

data at the crash locations (matched on 

time and direction), rather than 

somewhere else. 

Using the second method mentioned 

above, acquiring the risk sample by 

taking video at the crash scenes 

provides a similarly-at-risk pool, and it 

also allows for many controls to be 

acquired at low cost. Its chief 

disadvantage is that it does not allow 

capture of some of the key risk factors 

for crashes (e.g., BAC), while others 

(e.g., fatigue) may be very difficult to 

capture. However, some risk factors 

could be acquired later by contacting 

the riders and drivers if license tag 

numbers are recorded, and so this 

method could be used to supplement 

the safety zone interview (described 

below). 

The final method, the voluntary safety 

research interview, involves setting up a 

safety zone at the crash location, one 

week later at the same time of day, and 

asking those drivers and motorcyclists 

who pass through to volunteer in a 

study. With this method, Certificates of 

Confidentiality are presented to each 

interviewed driver and rider and 

immunity is provided from arrest. The 

main advantage of this method is that 

the key variables that are thought to 

affect relative crash risk can be acquired 

from drivers and riders who are truly 

similarly-at-risk. A final decision on the 

means of acquiring control data has not 

been made. 

Information Proposed for Collection 

The OECD protocol includes the 

following number of variables for each 

aspect of the investigation: 

Administrative log ................................... 28 

Accident typology/configuration .............. 9 

Environmental factors ............................. 35 

Motorcycle mechanical factors ............... 146 

Motorcycle dynamics .............................. 32 

Other vehicle mechanical factors ........... 9 

Other vehicle dynamics .......................... 18 

Human factors ........................................ 51 

Personal protective equipment ............... 34 

Contributing environmental factors ......... 8 

Contributing vehicle factors .................... 13 

Contributing motorcycle factors .............. 57 

Contributing human factors .................... 50 

Contributing overall factors ..................... 2 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
28100 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 96 / Wednesday, May 19, 2010 / Notices 

6The final crash sample size will depend on the 

rate at which crashes can be acquired in the 

selected site(s) and other matters related to logistics 

and the final budget. However, the study will 

acquire crashes on a sample size that exceeds the 

requirements of the OECD methodology, and will be 

of sufficient size to meet the goals of the study. 

Note that multiple copies of various 

data forms will be completed as the data 

on each crash-involved vehicle and 

person and each control vehicle and 

person are acquired. This increases the 

number of variables above the sum of 

what is presented above. There are also 

diagrams and photographs that are 

essential elements of each investigation 

that are entered into the database. In 

prior OECD implementations, about 

2,000 data elements in total were 

recorded for each crash. 

Estimated Burden Hours for 

Information Collection 

Frequency: Annually. 

Respondents: This study will be based 

on all crashes occurring within the 

sampling area; however, this burden 

estimate is based on what we know 

about fatal crashes. The plan calls for 

data to be captured from up to 1200 

crashes with motorcycle involvement, 

and for all surviving crash-involved 

riders and drivers to be interviewed. 

Two control riders will be interviewed 

for each crash-involved motorcyclist, 

and one rider and one driver will be 

interviewed for each rider and motorist 

in multi-vehicle crashes. Passengers 

accompanying crash-involved riders 

and passenger-vehicle drivers will also 

be interviewed. The following table 

shows the sampling plan and estimated 

number of interviews assuming 1200 

crashes are investigated.6

Maximum total crashes to be 

investigated is 1200. 

Crash Interviews: 

Single vehicle motorcycle crashes 

= ................................................. 540 

Multi-vehicle (2-vehicle) motorcycle crashes (660×2) = ............ 1320 

Passenger interviews motorcycle 

(.10×540 + .10×660) = ............... 120 

Passenger interviews cars 

(.68×660) = ................................ 449 

Total Crash Interviews 

(540+1320+120+449) = ...... 2429 

Control interviews: 

Controls for single vehicle motorcycle crashes (2×540) = ............ 1080 

Controls for multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes (1×660 + 1×660) 

= ................................................. 1320 

Passenger Interviews = ................. 0 

Total Control Interviews = ...... 2400 

Grand Total Crash plus Control Interviews (2429+2400) 

= .......................................... 4829 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Interviewee: Crash interviews are 

estimated to require about 15 minutes 

per individual interviewed. To the 

extent possible, crash interviews will be 

collected at the scene, although it is 

likely that some follow-ups will be 

needed to get completed interviews 

from crash involved individuals. 

Control individuals’ interviews will be 

completed in a single session and are 

expected to require about 10 minutes 

per individual. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: Burden hours estimates are 

based on the total of 2,429 crash 

interviews to be conducted at an average 

length of 15 minutes each and 2,400 

control interviews to be conducted at an 

average length of 10 minutes each for a 

total one-time burden on the public of 

1007.25 hours. 

Public Comments Invited: You are 

asked to comment on any aspect of this 

information collection, including: (1) 

Whether the proposed collection is 

necessary for the FHWA’s performance; 

(2) the accuracy of the estimated 

burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to 

enhance the quality, usefulness, and 

clarity of the collected information; and 

(4) ways that the burden could be 

minimized, including the use of 

electronic technology, without reducing 

the quality of the collected information. 

The agency will summarize and/or 

include your comments in the request 

for OMB’s clearance of this information 

collection. 

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 

and 49 CFR 1.48. 

Issued On: May 13, 2010. 

Juli Huynh, 

Chief, Management Programs and Analysis 

Division. 

[FR Doc. 2010–11920 Filed 5–18–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA–2010–0048] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Notice of Request for 

Extension of Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of request for extension 

of currently approved information 

collection. 

SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public 

comments about our intention to request 

the Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB) approval for renewal of an 

existing information collection that is 

summarized below under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. We are 

required to publish this notice in the 

Federal Register by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Please submit comments by July 

19, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT Docket ID 2010–0048 

by any of the following methods: 

Web Site: For access to the docket to 

read background documents or 

comments received go to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: Go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. 

Department of Transportation, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Henry Murdaugh, 703–235–0535, Office 

of Professional and Corporate 

Development, Federal Highway 

Administration, Department of 

Transportation, 4600 N. Fairfax Drive, 

Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22203, 

between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Eisenhower Transportation 

Fellowship Program. 

OMB Control #: 2125–0617. 

Background: The Eisenhower 

Transportation Fellowship Program is 

comprised of two programs, the 

Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship 

and the National Highway Institute 

(NHI). The Eisenhower Transportation 

Fellowship is currently authorized by 

Public Law 109–59, the Safe, 

Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 

Users of 2005 (SAFETEA–LU). The 

purpose of the fellowship is to advance 

transportation education and research, 

and attract qualified students to the 

field of transportation. The Eisenhower 

Transportation Fellowship allows for 

the collection and analysis of vital 

program information from student 

transportation education programs, also 

serving as a management tool to 

measure program performance and 

evaluate effectiveness in meeting 

Federal intent and workforce 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES