Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for New Information Collection, 8414-8417 [E7-3197]
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8414
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices
Frequency: Continuous.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: The estimated total annual
burden for all respondents is 83,200
hours. This involves responses from 52
State Departments of Transportation or
equivalent with an estimated average
time of 1,600 hours per respondent over
the course of a year. This estimate only
includes the burden on the respondents
to provide information that is not
usually and customarily collected.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended;
and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued on: February 20, 2007.
James R. Kabel,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis
Division.
[FR Doc. E7–3196 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA–2007–26843]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Request for Comments for
New Information Collection
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The FHWA has forwarded the
information collection request described
in this notice to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
approval of a new information
collection. We published a Federal
Register Notice with a 60-day public
comment period on this information
collection on November 24, 2006. We
are required to publish this notice in the
Federal Register by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by
March 28, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments
within 30 days to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget, 725
17th Street, NW., Washington, DC
20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer. 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
burden; (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
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the quality of the collected information.
All comments should include the
Docket number FHWA–2007–26843.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
questions concerning the FHWA
Motorcycle Crash Causation Study,
please contact Carol Tan, Ph.D, Office of
Safety Research and Development
(HRDS), at (202) 493–3315, TurnerFairbank 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.
For questions concerning the Pilot
Motorcycle Crash Causes and Outcomes
Study, please contact Paul J. Tremont,
Ph.D, Office of Behavioral Safety
Research, NTI–131, at (202) 366–5588,
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590,
between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Motorcycle Crash Causation
Study and Pilot Motorcycle Crash
Causes and Outcomes Study.
Background: In 2005, 4,553
motorcyclists were killed and 87,000
were injured in traffic crashes in the
United States, increases of 13 percent,
and 14 percent respectively from 2004.
Per vehicle mile traveled in 2004,
motorcyclists were about 34 times more
likely to die, and 8 times more likely to
be injured in a motor vehicle crash than
were passenger car occupants. Per 100
million miles traveled, in 2004,
motorcyclist fatalities were 77 percent
higher than they were in 1994. This
compares with a decrease of 22 percent
in fatality rates for occupants in
passenger vehicles over the same
period. These data show that the
motorcycle crash problem is becoming
more severe.1
Congress has recognized this problem
and directed the DOT 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)
Pub. L. 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
1 More detailed information on motorcycle
crashes can be found in Traffic Safety Facts—
Motorcycles, published by NHTSA and available on
its Web site at: https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/
nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2005/MotorcyclesTSF05.pdf.
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crash investigation developed by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD).2 SAFETEA–
LU authorized $1,408,000 for each of
fiscal years 2006 and 2007, but provided
for an equal match by the Grantee
(Sections 5511 and 5101). The Secretary
delegated authority to FHWA for the
Motorcycle Crash Causation Grants
under Section 5511 (71 FR 30831).
Coordination of FHWA Main Study and
NHTSA Pilot Study
Prior to the SAFETEA–LU directive
by Congress to administer a full-scale
study of motorcycle crash causes,
NHTSA awarded a contract to conduct
a pilot study of Motorcycle Crash
Causes and Outcomes. The intent of this
pilot study is to examine appropriate
applications of the OECD methodology
to motorcycle crashes in the United
States. This pilot test is needed before
any full-scale study could be conducted
because the OECD methodology has not
previously been implemented in the
United States, and also because this
methodology incorporates some options
for collecting crash and control sample
data that are affected by logistical and
budget constraints.
The authorization of funds by
Congress for a full-scale motorcycle
crash study provided an opportunity for
the NHTSA pilot study to become
closely coordinated with the FHWA
full-scale study. As a result, the pilot
study will test the procedures FHWA
will consider using as it implements the
OECD methodology. Additionally, it
may be possible for the pilot study to
transition directly into the main study,
thereby allowing the main study to
avoid many startup costs (e.g., site
selection, training, coding manual
development, data form development,
etc.) that it otherwise would have
incurred. This will allow the main study
to capture a larger sample of crashes
with the available funding. Recognizing
these advantages, the DOT intends to
submit a single request to OMB for
approval of both of these studies. This
notice is the first step in that combined
approval request.
Project Working Group Guidance
A project working group consisting of
representatives from the motorcycle
industry and from the motorcycle
community was formed to provide input
into the study design. A working group
meeting was held in Denver on June 15–
16, 2006. At this meeting, consensus
was reached that all the relevant OECD
variables would be captured in both the
2 The OECD methodology may be obtained by
sending a request to jtrc.contact@oecd.org.
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices
NHTSA pilot and FHWA full-scale
studies, that some of these variables
would need to be modified to conform
to U.S. requirements, and that other
variables would need to be added to
provide necessary data related to the
U.S. roadway environment.
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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
3 This being a study of crashes involving
motorcycles, data will be acquired from both crashinvolved motorcycles and also motor vehicles
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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.
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.
4 Certainly 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.
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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. To accomplish this safely, it is
understood that the controlling police
agency would need to first secure the
crash scene, and gather any evidence
and data for their own investigation.
One way for this project to capture its
on-scene data, would be for researchers
to accompany early police responders to
the scene, and under police guidance,
acquire those OECD data elements not
captured by the police. If this procedure
imposes additional costs on the police
agency having jurisdiction over the
crash, then the project would consider
compensation to the police agency for
those costs in accordance with a
prearranged agreement. This on-scene
collection approach 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
5 There 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).
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices
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 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 .............................
Accident typology/configuration ..
Environmental factors ....................
Motorcycle mechanical factors .....
Motorcycle dynamics .....................
Other vehicle mechanical factors
Other vehicle dynamics .................
Human factors ....................................
Personal protective equipment .....
Contributing environmental factors
Contributing vehicle factors ..............
Contributing motorcycle factors .......
Contributing human factors ..............
Contributing overall factors ..............
28
9
35
146
32
9
18
51
34
8
13
57
50
2
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: This is a one-time study.
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 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.
The following table shows the
sampling plan and estimated number of
interviews assuming 1200 crashes are
investigated.
A maximum total number of crashes
to be investigated is 1200.
Crash Interviews:
Single vehicle motorcycle crashes = ........................................................................................................................................................
Multi-vehicle (2-vehicle) motorcycle crashes (660*2) = ...........................................................................................................................
Passenger interviews motorcycle (.10*540 + .10*660) = .........................................................................................................................
Passenger interviews cars (.68*660) = ....................................................................................................................................................
540
1320
120
449
2429
Total Control Interviews = .................................................................................................................................................................
2400
Grand Total Crash plus Control Interviews (2429 + 2400) = ....................................................................................................
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Total Crash Interviews (540 + 1320 + 120 + 449) = ........................................................................................................................
Control interviews:
Controls for single vehicle motorcycle crashes (2*540) = .......................................................................................................................
Controls for multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes (1*660 + 1*660) = ...........................................................................................................
Passenger Interviews = ............................................................................................................................................................................
4829
Estimated Average Burden per
Interviewee: Crash interviews are
estimated to require about 25 minutes
per individual interviewed. To the
extent possible, crash interviews will be
collected at the scene, although it is
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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
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1080
1320
0
also expected to require about 25
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
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices
length of 25 minutes each and 2,400
control interviews to be conducted at an
average length of 25 minutes each for a
total one-time burden on the public of
120,725 minutes or 2012 hours. It
should be noted that this burden
estimate is increased from the estimate
appearing in the 60-day notice because
a trial interview showed the need for
more time to capture all of the OECD
required elements.
Electronic Access: Internet users may
access all comments received by the
U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL–401, by
using the universal resource locator
(URL): https://dms.dot.gov, 24 hours
each day, 365 days each year. Please
follow the instructions online for more
information and help.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended;
and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued on: February 20, 2007.
James R. Kabel,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis
Division.
[FR Doc. E7–3197 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA–2007–26653]
Qualification of Drivers; Exemption
Applications; Vision
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of applications for
exemptions; request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: FMCSA announces receipt of
applications from 28 individuals for
exemptions from the vision requirement
in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Regulations. If granted, the exemptions
would enable these individuals to
qualify as drivers of commercial motor
vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce
without meeting the Federal vision
standard.
Comments must be received on
or before March 28, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by Department of
Transportation (DOT) Docket
Management System (DMS) Docket
Number FMCSA–2006–26653 using any
of the following methods:
• Web Site: https://dmses.dot.gov/
submit. Follow the instructions for
submitting comments on the DOT
electronic docket site.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
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DATES:
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• Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on
the plaza level of the Nassif Building,
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments.
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 https://dms.dot.gov
including any personal information
provided. Please see the Privacy Act
heading for further information.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to https://
dms.dot.gov at any time or Room PL–
401 on the plaza level of the Nassif
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. The DMS is available
24 hours each day, 365 days each year.
If you want acknowledgment that we
received your comments, please include
a self-addressed, stamped envelope or
postcard or print the acknowledgement
page that appears after submitting
comments on-line.
Privacy Act: Anyone may search the
electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or of the person signing the
comment, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review the DOT’s complete
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published on April 11, 2000
(65 FR 19477; Apr. 11, 2000). This
information is also available at https://
dms.dot.gov.
Dr.
Mary D. Gunnels, Chief, Physical
Qualifications Division, (202) 366–4001,
maggi.gunnels@dot.gov, FMCSA,
Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Room 8301,
Washington, DC 20590–0001. Office
hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Background
Under 49 U.S.C. 31136(e) and 31315,
FMCSA may grant an exemption for a 2year period if it finds ‘‘such exemption
would likely achieve a level of safety
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8417
that is equivalent to, or greater than, the
level that would be achieved absent
such exemption.’’ FMCSA can renew
exemptions at the end of each 2-year
period. The 28 individuals listed in this
notice each have requested an
exemption from the vision requirement
in 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10), which applies
to drivers of CMVs in interstate
commerce. Accordingly, the Agency
will evaluate the qualifications of each
applicant to determine whether granting
the exemption will achieve the required
level of safety mandated by statute.
Qualifications of Applicants
Michael W. Anderson
Mr. Anderson, age 48, has loss of
vision in his left eye due to a retinal
detachment in 1998. The best corrected
visual acuity in his right eye is 20/20
and in the left, 20/400. Following an
examination in 2006, his
ophthalmologist noted, ‘‘In my opinion,
Mr. Anderson’s vision is stable and is
probably sufficient for driving tasks
required to operate a commercial
vehicle.’’ Mr. Anderson reported that he
has driven straight trucks for 25 years,
accumulating 715,000 miles. He holds a
Class A Commercial Driver’s License
(CDL) from New Mexico. His driving
record for the last 3 years shows no
crashes and no convictions for moving
violations in a CMV.
Manassah E. Baker
Mr. Baker, 54, has a prosthetic right
eye due to a traumatic injury sustained
as a child. The visual acuity in his left
eye is 20/20. Following an examination
in 2006, his ophthalmologist noted, ‘‘In
my medical opinion, he has sufficient
vision to perform the driving tasks
required to operate a commercial
vehicle.’’ Mr. Baker reported that he has
driven straight trucks for 2 years,
accumulating 50,000 miles, and tractortrailer combinations for 20 years,
accumulating 2.1 million miles. He
holds a Class A CDL from Florida. His
driving record for the last 3 years shows
no crashes and no convictions for
moving violations in a CMV.
Thomas H. Barnhart, Jr.
Mr. Barnhart, 59, has a corneal scar in
his right eye due to a traumatic injury.
The best corrected visual acuity in his
right eye is 20/50 and in the left, 20/20.
Following an examination in 2006, his
optometrist noted, ‘‘Mr. Barnhart
appears to have sufficient visual acuity
and visual fields to operate a
commercial vehicle.’’ Mr. Barnhart
reported that he has driven straight
trucks for 40 years, accumulating 4
million miles, tractor-trailer
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 37 (Monday, February 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8414-8417]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3197]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2007-26843]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments
for New Information Collection
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for approval of a new information collection. We published a Federal
Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information
collection on November 24, 2006. We are required to publish this notice
in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by March 28, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer.
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 burden; (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. All comments should include the
Docket number FHWA-2007-26843.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the FHWA
Motorcycle Crash Causation Study, please contact Carol Tan, Ph.D,
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. For
questions concerning the Pilot Motorcycle Crash Causes and Outcomes
Study, please contact Paul J. Tremont, Ph.D, Office of Behavioral
Safety Research, NTI-131, at (202) 366-5588, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Motorcycle Crash Causation Study and Pilot Motorcycle Crash
Causes and Outcomes Study.
Background: In 2005, 4,553 motorcyclists were killed and 87,000
were injured in traffic crashes in the United States, increases of 13
percent, and 14 percent respectively from 2004. Per vehicle mile
traveled in 2004, motorcyclists were about 34 times more likely to die,
and 8 times more likely to be injured in a motor vehicle crash than
were passenger car occupants. Per 100 million miles traveled, in 2004,
motorcyclist fatalities were 77 percent higher than they were in 1994.
This compares with a decrease of 22 percent in fatality rates for
occupants in passenger vehicles over the same period. These data show
that the motorcycle crash problem is becoming more severe.\1\
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\1\ More detailed information on motorcycle crashes can be found
in Traffic Safety Facts--Motorcycles, published by NHTSA and
available on its Web site at: https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-
30/NCSA/TSF2005/MotorcyclesTSF05.pdf.
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Congress has recognized this problem and directed the DOT 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) Pub. L. 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\
SAFETEA-LU authorized $1,408,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 and
2007, but provided for an equal match by the Grantee (Sections 5511 and
5101). The Secretary delegated authority to FHWA for the Motorcycle
Crash Causation Grants under Section 5511 (71 FR 30831).
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\2\ The OECD methodology may be obtained by sending a request to
jtrc.contact@oecd.org.
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Coordination of FHWA Main Study and NHTSA Pilot Study
Prior to the SAFETEA-LU directive by Congress to administer a full-
scale study of motorcycle crash causes, NHTSA awarded a contract to
conduct a pilot study of Motorcycle Crash Causes and Outcomes. The
intent of this pilot study is to examine appropriate applications of
the OECD methodology to motorcycle crashes in the United States. This
pilot test is needed before any full-scale study could be conducted
because the OECD methodology has not previously been implemented in the
United States, and also because this methodology incorporates some
options for collecting crash and control sample data that are affected
by logistical and budget constraints.
The authorization of funds by Congress for a full-scale motorcycle
crash study provided an opportunity for the NHTSA pilot study to become
closely coordinated with the FHWA full-scale study. As a result, the
pilot study will test the procedures FHWA will consider using as it
implements the OECD methodology. Additionally, it may be possible for
the pilot study to transition directly into the main study, thereby
allowing the main study to avoid many startup costs (e.g., site
selection, training, coding manual development, data form development,
etc.) that it otherwise would have incurred. This will allow the main
study to capture a larger sample of crashes with the available funding.
Recognizing these advantages, the DOT intends to submit a single
request to OMB for approval of both of these studies. This notice is
the first step in that combined approval request.
Project Working Group Guidance
A project working group consisting of representatives from the
motorcycle industry and from the motorcycle community was formed to
provide input into the study design. A working group meeting was held
in Denver on June 15-16, 2006. At this meeting, consensus was reached
that all the relevant OECD variables would be captured in both the
[[Page 8415]]
NHTSA pilot and FHWA full-scale studies, that some of these variables
would need to be modified to conform to U.S. requirements, and that
other variables would need to be added to provide necessary data
related to the U.S. roadway environment.
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\ 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\
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\3\ This being a study of crashes involving motorcycles, data
will be acquired from both crash-involved motorcycles and also motor
vehicles 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.
\4\ Certainly 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.
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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\
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\5\ There 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).
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In addition, the crash investigations will be conducted on-scene,
while the involved operators and vehicles are still in place. To
accomplish this safely, it is understood that the controlling police
agency would need to first secure the crash scene, and gather any
evidence and data for their own investigation. One way for this project
to capture its on-scene data, would be for researchers to accompany
early police responders to the scene, and under police guidance,
acquire those OECD data elements not captured by the police. If this
procedure imposes additional costs on the police agency having
jurisdiction over the crash, then the project would consider
compensation to the police agency for those costs in accordance with a
prearranged agreement. This on-scene collection approach 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
[[Page 8416]]
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 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
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: This is a one-time study.
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 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.
The following table shows the sampling plan and estimated number of
interviews assuming 1200 crashes are investigated.
A maximum total number of crashes to be investigated is 1200.
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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 + 1320
1*660) =..................................................
Passenger Interviews =..................................... 0
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Total Control Interviews =............................. 2400
--------
Grand Total Crash plus Control Interviews (2429 + 4829
2400) =...........................................
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Estimated Average Burden per Interviewee: Crash interviews are
estimated to require about 25 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
also expected to require about 25 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
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length of 25 minutes each and 2,400 control interviews to be conducted
at an average length of 25 minutes each for a total one-time burden on
the public of 120,725 minutes or 2012 hours. It should be noted that
this burden estimate is increased from the estimate appearing in the
60-day notice because a trial interview showed the need for more time
to capture all of the OECD required elements.
Electronic Access: Internet users may access all comments received
by the U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource
locator (URL): https://dms.dot.gov, 24 hours each day, 365 days each
year. Please follow the instructions online for more information and
help.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued on: February 20, 2007.
James R. Kabel,
Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. E7-3197 Filed 2-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
