Document ID: NHTSA-2020-0018-0001
Agency: nhtsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses
Posted Date: 2020-07-17T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 138 (Friday, July 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43645-43648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15445]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2020-0018]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for 
Comment; Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses

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

ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on a request for approval 
of a proposed new collection of information.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA invites public comments about its intention to request 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new 
collection of information. Before a Federal agency can collect certain 
information from the public, it must receive approval from the 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 reinstatements of previously approved

[[Page 43646]]

collections. This document describes an Information Collection Request 
(ICR) for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 15, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number NHTSA-
2020-0018 through any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility. M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation. 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: 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.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the 
docket number for this proposed collection of information. Note that 
all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. 
Please see the Privacy 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 http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
     Docket: For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to http://ww.regulations.gov or the 
street address listed above. To be sure someone is there to help you, 
please call (202) 366-9322 before coming. Follow the online 
instructions for accessing the dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access 
to background documents, contact Kristin Rosenthal, Highway Safety 
Specialist, Safety Countermeasures Division, Office of Research and 
Program Development, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, W44-213, Washington, DC 20590. Ms. 
Rosenthal's phone number is 202-366-8995, and her email address is 
Kristin.Rosenthal@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 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 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 methodology and assumptions 
used; (iii) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (iv) 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 submissions of responses. In 
compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public comment on 
the following proposed collection of information for which the agency 
is seeking approval from OMB:
    Title: Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses.
    OMB Control Number: New.
    Form Number: 1559.
    Type of Information Collection Request: Request for approval of a 
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) was established by the Highway 
Safety Act of 1970 to reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses due 
to road traffic crashes on the Nation's highways. Even though every 
State has a law requiring drivers to stop for a stopped school bus 
displaying flashing red lights, illegal passing of stopped school buses 
is a frequent occurrence all across the country. Title 23 of the United 
States Code, Chapter 4, Section 403, gives the Secretary authorization 
to use funds appropriated to conduct research and development 
activities, including demonstration projects and the collection and 
analysis of highway and motor vehicle safety data and related 
information needed to carry out this section. NHTSA seeks to assess the 
knowledge of drivers nationwide about the laws governing passing a 
school bus (under the specific State laws where the driver lives) as a 
function of varying roadway configurations, flashing yellow and red 
light deployment on the school bus, and activation of the stop arm on 
the bus. To make this assessment, NHTSA intends to conduct research 
that will consist of two methods of survey collection data from drivers 
of motor vehicles. First (Study 1), NHTSA will conduct a national 
survey, involving respondents who volunteer to participate through 
AmeriSpeak,\1\ which will take place in the respondent's home or 
wherever the respondent chooses to operate a computer, laptop, tablet, 
or other mobile device they provide for screening and data collection. 
Second (Study 2), NHTSA will conduct community surveys that occur in 
two communities and will involve surveys before and after 
implementation of a program designed to increase driver awareness of 
laws governing passing a school bus. Screening and data collection for 
the community surveys will take place on a computer or tablet provided 
by the study at a public venue frequented by drivers across the 
socioeconomic and demographic spectra, such as a mall or motor vehicle 
department office. All collection of data will be anonymous. AmeriSpeak 
provides data to clients with an anonymous record identification 
number. The community survey does not collect any personal identifying 
data from the participant.
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    \1\ AmeriSpeak, created by the National Opinion Research Center 
(NORC) at the University of Chicago, is a probability-based panel 
designed to be representative of the U.S. household population to 
take part in surveys.
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    Study 1 will use an internet-hosted survey of a nationally 
representative sample of drivers to determine their knowledge of and 
attitudes towards laws regarding passing of stopped school buses, as 
well as their opinions on the safest driver behaviors when encountering 
a school bus on the roadway. Study 2 will be a field study in two 
communities with differing levels of camera enforcement of school bus 
passing laws to examine the effectiveness of an automated school bus 
camera enforcement system combined with high-visibility police

[[Page 43647]]

enforcement and public education in reducing school bus passing 
violations. Survey data collection in the test communities will examine 
awareness of the enforcement and camera programs, driver knowledge of 
and attitudes towards school bus passing laws, and self-reported 
behavior when encountering a school bus on the roadway before and after 
program implementation.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information: NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and 
reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, 
research, safety standards and enforcement activity. The agency 
develops, promotes, and implements educational, enforcement, 
engineering, and emergency response programs with the goal of ending 
preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with 
vehicle use and highway travel. Since1991 NHTSA has supported efforts 
to conduct national surveys focusing on different program areas to 
enhance its resources in those areas. NHTSA also conducts local 
community surveys which have a similar focus, but also allow the agency 
to conduct field research and demonstration programs and evaluate 
changes in community knowledge, attitudes, self-reported behavior, and 
awareness of program efforts.
    One highway safety problem NHTSA has been following closely 
involves school children struck by passing motorists while going to or 
from a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and its stop arm 
extended. Even though there have been some highly-publicized child 
fatalities of this type and the annual national stop-arm violation 
count by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil 
Transportation Services (NASDPTS) continues to show a surprisingly high 
incidence of these illegal passes, to date, no national survey has 
assessed the levels of driver knowledge and understanding of the laws 
regarding passing of school buses. The findings from this proposed 
collection of information will assist NHTSA in designing, targeting, 
and implementing programs intended to mitigate illegal passing of 
school buses on the roadways and to provide data to States, localities, 
and law enforcement agencies that will aid in their efforts to reduce 
crashes and injuries due to illegal school bus passing.
    Affected Public (Respondents): Respondents for Study 1, the 
national survey, will be drawn from the panelists in the AmeriSpeak 
panel funded and operated by National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at 
the University of Chicago. AmeriSpeak is a probability-based panel 
designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. 
Randomly selected U.S. households are sampled with a known, non-zero 
probability of selection from the NORC National Sample Frame and then 
contacted by U.S. mail, email, telephone, and field interviewers (face 
to face) to recruit panelists. AmeriSpeak panelists participate in NORC 
studies or studies conducted by NORC on behalf of governmental 
agencies, academic researchers, and media and commercial organizations. 
Participation in research is voluntary at the time that respondents are 
asked to join the panel, at the time they are asked to participate in 
any particular survey, and at the time they answer any given question 
in a survey. Respondents from the AmeriSpeak panel will be compensated 
for their time in accordance with their agreement with NORC.
    Study 2, the community surveys (before and after program 
implementation in two communities), will consist of volunteer 
respondents who are current motor vehicle drivers, aged 18 or older. 
Volunteers will be recruited while they are at selected locations, such 
as malls or motor vehicle offices where the desired respondent 
population is likely to be found and will receive compensation in 
return for volunteering.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: To obtain at least 3,000 fully 
completed national surveys for Study 1, it is estimated that up to 
3,400 AmeriSpeak panelists will have to be screened to obtain 3,100 
qualified volunteers who take the national survey (100 of these 
volunteers are estimated not to complete the entire survey).
    For the community surveys in Study 2, NHTSA estimates that 400 
volunteers will have to be screened for each wave (400 for the before-
program implementation and 400 for the after-program implementation) 
for each of the two communities. Therefore, a total of 1,600 volunteers 
will have to be screened for the estimated yield of 300 completed 
surveys for each wave for the two communities, or 1,200 fully completed 
surveys.
    Frequency of Collection: Respondents will only respond to the 
national survey request a single time during the study period. The 
community survey will be conducted twice at the same locations in each 
of the two selected communities over a period of approximately 10 
months. Therefore, an extremely small possibility exists that an 
individual might be invited to participate more than once for the 
community survey.
    Estimated Time per Participant: Both the national and community 
surveys will be administered via an internet-hosted survey on a tablet 
or other small computer. The national and community surveys will have 
the same core items related to knowledge of and attitudes towards 
school bus passing laws. The community survey will have additional 
items about awareness of countermeasure program activities and basic 
respondent demographic information. Demographic information for the 
panelists in the national survey is part of their AmeriSpeak profile. 
The intent is for each participant to complete a survey only once. 
However, no identifying information will be collected for the community 
survey, so a slight possibility exists that an individual will 
participate more than once. The estimated average time to complete the 
survey per participant in either the national or community samples is 
15 minutes. The screening involving (1) reading a recruitment 
communication, such as an email or listening to a researcher describe 
the study, and (2) determining an individual's eligibility (e.g., 18+ 
years old, current driver, lives in the community being studied) can 
take up to three minutes for the community surveys and two minutes for 
the national survey.
    Total Estimated Burden Hours: It is estimated that for the 3,400 
AmeriSpeak panelists that will have to be screened, the estimated total 
burden is 113 hours (3,400 x 2 min./60). For the 3,100 qualified 
volunteers who take the national survey, the estimated total burden 
hours is 775 hours (3,100 x 15 min./60), yielding at least 3,000 fully 
completed surveys. Likewise, it is estimated that the total estimated 
burden for the maximum of 1,600 potential participants to be screened 
for the community survey (400 per wave x 2 communities x 2 waves) is 80 
hours (1,600 x 3 min./60). The estimated total burden hours for the 
1,200 fully completed surveys (300 per wave x 2 communities x 2 waves) 
is 300 hours (1,200 x 15 min./60). The only cost to participants will 
be time spent responding to the screening and the subsequent survey if 
they volunteer. Participants who volunteer and begin the survey will 
receive compensation for this time. Table 1 provides a summary of the 
burden hours per survey.

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                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of      burden per       Number of     Total  burden
       Participant group            Form name      responses per     response      participants        hours
                                                    participant       (min.)
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National Survey...............  Screening.......               1               2           3,400             113
National Survey...............  Online Survey...               1              15           3,100             775
Community Survey..............  Screening.......               1               3           1,600              80
Community Survey..............  Online Survey...               1              15           1,200             300
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           1,268
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    Estimated Annualized Burden Hours: 1,268 hours.
    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 in Washington, DC.
Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-15445 Filed 7-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P