[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 96 (Thursday, May 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23040-23042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10542]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2018-0050]
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Request for public comment on proposed collection of
information.
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SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from
the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). Under the 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
collections. This document describes one collection of information for
which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 16, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
NHTSA-2018-0050 using 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: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Each submission must include the agency name and the docket number for
[[Page 23041]]
this Notice. Note that all comments received will be posted without
changes to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Sifrit, Ph.D., Contracting
Officer's Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety Research (NPD-
320), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590. Dr. Sifrit's phone number is 202-366-
0868, and her email address is [email protected].
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 public comment on
the following proposed collection of information:
Title: In-Vehicle Drowsiness Detection and Alerting.
Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
OMB Clearance Number: None.
Form Number: NHTSA Forms 1441 through 1449.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking approval to collect
information from licensed young drivers for a one-time voluntary
driving simulator study of the effectiveness of in-vehicle drowsiness
detection and alerting systems that aim to reduce drowsy driving. NHTSA
proposes to collect information from licensed young drivers to
determine (1) their eligibility to participate in a study evaluating
systems designed to detect and mitigate drowsy driving, (2) their
driving performance during a simulated driving task to measure
drowsiness mitigation system effectiveness, and (3) their opinions
about the safety systems and their perceptions of the benefits. NHTSA
will collect information about age, sex, driver license status, sleep
and caffeine habits, and driving habits from an estimated 120 young
drivers who previously indicated interest in participating in simulator
studies through a one-time, voluntary telephone interview to determine
their eligibility for this study. NHTSA will then invite 85 qualified
young drivers to report to the simulator to complete an informed
consent form and other screening activities including a ten-minute
practice drive in the simulator and an assessment of the propensity for
simulator sickness. NHTSA expects that 75 young drivers will pass the
screening and will report for the overnight study, which includes a
four-hour drive in the simulator. This collection is solely reporting,
and there are no record-keeping costs to the respondents. NHTSA will
use the information to produce a technical report that presents the
results of the study. The technical report will provide aggregate
(summary) statistics and tables as well as the results of statistical
analysis of the information, but it will not include any personal
information. The technical report will be shared with vehicle
manufacturers and suppliers as well as other stakeholders interested in
improving traffic safety by decreasing drowsy driving.
Background: The mission of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce
economic costs due to motor vehicle crashes. In support of this
mission, NHTSA's Office of Behavioral Safety Research studies behaviors
and attitudes in highway safety, focusing on drivers, passengers,
pedestrians, and motorcyclists, and it uses the results to develop and
refine countermeasures to deter unsafe behaviors and promote safe
alternatives. One of the unsafe behaviors we aim to prevent is drowsy
driving. NHTSA estimates that drowsy driving is involved in 2.4% of
fatal crashes resulting in 824 fatalities per year from 2011 through
2015, but the agency also acknowledges that drowsy driving is likely to
be underreported in police reports and investigations. A 2012 study by
Tefft published in Accident Analysis and Prevention used a multiple
imputation methodology to analyze NHTSA's crash data and estimated
16.5% of fatal crashes involved drowsy driving. If this estimate is
accurate, it suggests that more than 6,000 people die in drowsy-
driving-related motor vehicle crashes each year. Furthermore, a
significant proportion of drivers report drowsy driving. According to
the 2017 AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index survey, 31% of
drivers reported driving ``when they were so tired they had a hard time
keeping their eyes open'' in the previous month, and the Centers for
Disease Control's 2009 through 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
System surveys found that 4% admitted falling asleep at the wheel
within the past 30 days.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: Given the significant safety risk posed by drowsy driving,
NHTSA released its Drowsy Driving Research and Program Plan in 2016.
The document outlines a comprehensive program that involves six broad
focus areas, and one of these areas is vehicle technology. The
development and refinement of driver state detection systems promises
the ability to detect drowsiness and prevent crashes, and previous
NHTSA research has demonstrated that various approaches to driver state
detection show promise. However, the problem of how the vehicle should
respond when drowsy driving is detected remains unanswered. To assess
the efficacy of different vehicle-based countermeasures, it is
necessary to develop experimental methods that replicate the
motivational conditions associated with drowsy driving while keeping
drivers in a controlled and safe environment. The objective of this
study is to determine the effect of in-vehicle drowsiness
countermeasures on driver behavior. Drivers will be randomly assigned
to one of three experimental groups: No warnings or mitigation
(baseline), lane departure warning, and drowsiness mitigation, which
includes a warning as well as a navigation aid that appears to inform
the driver of the distance to the next rest area. The study will
compare driver performance and behavior under the two countermeasures
with baseline drowsy driving. The results will add to the state of
knowledge by systematically comparing the effect of different in-
vehicle drowsiness countermeasures on
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driver performance and decision-making in a high-fidelity driving
simulator. The results will be disseminated through a technical report
that will be shared with vehicle manufacturers and suppliers as well as
other stakeholders interested in improving traffic safety by decreasing
drowsy driving.
Data Collection Plan: The University of Iowa will solicit drivers
between the ages of 21 and 30 to participate in a driver simulator
study from a registry of approximately 7,000 individuals who have
already expressed interest in participating in driving research
studies. Respondent are likely to be from Eastern Iowa because they
must drive to the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) at the
University of Iowa Research Park to participate. The agency proposes to
conduct one-time voluntary 15-minute phone surveys with up to 120
potential subjects to collect information about driving experience,
sleeping and circadian rhythm, and general health to determine
eligibility. The expected burden of qualifying 120 participants is 30
hours. Based upon past studies, the agency expects that 85 potential
subjects will be eligible and will report to the NADS for the study.
The 85 potential subjects will spend up to one hour reading and signing
a consent form, watching a simulator training presentation, completing
a short driving task in the simulator to screen for simulator sickness,
complete a brief wellness survey to screen for simulator sickness, and,
if appropriate, schedule a future study drive session. The expected
burden of screening 85 potential subjects is about 85 hours. It is
expected that of the 85 screened, 75 will pass the simulator screening
and opt to participate in the study. The study participants will spend
up to nine hours providing information about activities, including
sleeping, in the previous 24 hours, waiting to begin the simulator
drive, completing the four-hour drive and completing a post-drive
questionnaire about the experience. During the waiting period and
immediately after the simulator drive, study participants will complete
the Stanford Sleepiness Scale ten times. During the simulator drive,
participants may take breaks. Participants will complete a brief
questionnaire during the expected two (voluntary) breaks in the drive
to evaluate participants' rationale for resting. In addition to the
nine hours for the study, participants also will complete an activity
log covering the 24 hours before study, which will take an estimated 30
minutes to complete. The expected burden of 75 participants completing
the study is about 713 hours.
Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden
Resulting from the Collection of Information: The total estimated
burden for qualifying 120 participants (30 hours), for screening 85
participants (85 hours) and for 75 participants to complete the study
(713 hours) is 828 total hours.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. Section 3506(c)(2)(A).
Issued in Washington, DC on May 14, 2018.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2018-10542 Filed 5-16-18; 8:45 am]
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