Agency Requests for Approval of a New Information Collection(s): Human Subjects Experiments Related to Keyless Ignition Controls, Gear Selection Controls, and Audible Warnings, 25533-25534 [2012-10300]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2012 / Notices 5. Standard Assurances DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION The Applicant assures that it will comply with all applicable Federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, FTA circulars, and other Federal administrative requirements in carrying out any project supported by the FTA grant. The Applicant acknowledges that it is under a continuing obligation to comply with the terms and conditions of the grant agreement issued for its project with FTA. The Applicant understands that Federal laws, regulations, policies, and administrative practices might be modified from time to time and affect the implementation of the project. The Applicant agrees that the most recent Federal requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA issues a written determination otherwise. Certifications and Assurances for grants to be awarded under this program in FY 2012 are included in the FTA Certifications and Assurances for FY 2012 which were published in the Federal Register of November 1, 2011, and made available for electronic signature in FTA’s grants system. Every applicant must submit Certification 01, ‘‘For Each Applicant.’’ Each applicant for more than $100,000 must provide both Certification 01, and, 02, the ‘‘Lobbying Certification.’’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 6. Reporting Post-award reporting requirements include submission of final Federal Financial Report and milestone report, or annual reports for grants remaining open at the end of each Federal fiscal year (September 30). Documentation is required for payment. VII. Agency Contact(s) mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Contact the appropriate FTA Regional Office at https://www.fta.dot.gov for proposal-specific information and issues. For general program information, contact Blenda Younger, Office of Program Management, (202) 366–4345, email: blenda.younger@dot.gov. A TDD is available at 1–800–877–8339 (TDD/ FIRS). Issued in Washington, DC, this 25th day of April 2012. Peter Rogoff, Administrator. [FR Doc. 2012–10369 Filed 4–27–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:59 Apr 27, 2012 Jkt 226001 [Docket No. NHTSA–2012–0046] Agency Requests for Approval of a New Information Collection(s): Human Subjects Experiments Related to Keyless Ignition Controls, Gear Selection Controls, and Audible Warnings National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments about our intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for a new information collection. The collection involves recruitment of participants, balancing the subject sample and debriefing questionnaires. The information to be collected will be used to balance the participants between younger and older age groups, genders and previous driving experience with keyless ignition, or lack thereof. These observational experiments are being conducted in support of current agency regulatory efforts that contemplate revising Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 114 (Docket No. NHTSA– 2011–0174 RIN 2127–AK88). We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 13. DATES: Written comments should be submitted by June 29, 2012. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments [identified by Docket No. NHTSA– 2012–0046] through one of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. • Fax: 1 (202) 493–2251 • Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, 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 Federal holidays. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Dalrymple, NVS–123, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Phone: 202–366–5559. Email: gayle.dalrymple@dot.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00134 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 25533 OMB Control Number: 2127-New. Title: Human Subjects Experiments Related to Keyless Ignition Controls, Gear Selection Controls and Audible Warnings. Form Numbers: n/a. Type of Review: New Information Collection. Background: NHTSA has initiated research and rulemaking to address these issues related to consumer confusion when using ignition systems in which there is no physical key: Inability to shut off the engine and/or shift to neutral during unintended acceleration events, leaving the vehicle not in ‘‘park’’ and inadvertently leaving the vehicle without shutting off the propulsion system.1 Evaluations of driver use of push-button start/stop controls and electronically shifted transmissions are required to support this rulemaking. Human factors observational experiments are proposed to examine these issues. The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), which is a component of the U.S. DOT, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), has been funded to conduct this research under an Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) with NHTSA. Under a task order contract with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), these experiments will be conducted in a simulator at the Volpe Center by staff of the MIT Age Lab. The collection of information consists of: (1) Recruitment material and a brief eligibility questionnaire for applicants and (2) debriefing questionnaire for participants. Applicant responses to the eligibility questionnaire will be used to balance the subject sample demographically and between drivers ¨ who are naıve to keyless ignition, and those who are not. Subjects will be paid $20 to $75 depending on the required time commitment, and will be tested and debriefed individually. The purpose of the debriefing is to probe for insights into the factors that led to errors in the simulated driving and participant reactions to mitigation measures such as audible alarms. Respondents: The Age Lab has conducted numerous experiments related to driving instrumented research vehicles and simulators, and has a panel of more than 7,000 persons in the Boston area who have indicated they would like to be participants in future experiments. Whenever the Age Lab has a new experiment, an email blast is sent to all members of this panel. The email 1 Docket NHTSA–2011–0174 available at www.regulations.gov. E:\FR\FM\30APN1.SGM 30APN1 25534 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2012 / Notices consists of a one-paragraph description of the experiment and the eligibility requirements, along with a reply button that connects respondents to the eligibility questionnaire. Typically, more persons apply than are needed. Staff members from the Age Lab then contact applicants individually by email to match them with available time slots. For these experiments, the subject pool will be balanced across age and gender. About two-thirds of the subjects will be ¨ naıve to cars with keyless ignition systems, while one-third will be owners of vehicles with keyless ignitions systems. For evaluation of auditory warnings to prevent vehicle roll-away, a very short test (one response per subject) is proposed. This testing will be conducted in stationary vehicles in public parking lots using a convenience sample drawn from passers-by. Estimated Number of Respondents: ∼135 for keyless/PRNDL experiment. ∼240 for roll-away warning experiment. Estimated Number of Responses: One response per respondent to 7 to 10 questions Estimated Total Annual Burden: Three minutes per respondent to consider and respond to recruiting questions (18.75 hours total for number of respondents needed for study, but a substantially larger and unknown number may respond). Estimated Frequency: One time Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the Department’s performance, (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden, (c) ways for the Department to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized 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. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1:48. Issued on: April 24, 2012. Christopher J. Bonanti, Associate Administrator for Rulemaking. [FR Doc. 2012–10300 Filed 4–27–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–59–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:59 Apr 27, 2012 Jkt 226001 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Petition for Exemption From the Federal Motor Vehicle Motor Theft Prevention Standard; General Motors Corporation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Grant of petition for exemption. AGENCY: This document grants in full the petition of General Motors Corporation (GM) for an exemption of the Buick Verano vehicle line in accordance with 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from the Theft Prevention Standard. This petition is granted, because the agency has determined that the antitheft device to be placed on the line as standard equipment is likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of the Theft Prevention Standard (49 CFR part 541). DATES: The exemption granted by this notice is effective beginning with the 2013 model year (MY). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Carlita Ballard, Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy, and Consumer Standards, NHTSA, W43–439, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Ballard’s phone number is (202) 366–5222. Her fax number is (202) 493–2990. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a petition dated February 3, 2012, GM requested an exemption from the partsmarking requirements of the theft prevention standard (49 CFR part 541) for the Buick Verano vehicle line beginning with MY 2013. The petition requested an exemption from partsmarking pursuant to 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, based on the installation of an antitheft device as standard equipment for the entire vehicle line. Under § 543.5(a), a manufacturer may petition NHTSA to grant an exemption for one vehicle line per model year. In its petition, GM provided a detailed description and diagram of the identity, design and location of the components of the antitheft device for the Buick Verano vehicle line. GM will install a passive, transponder-based, electronic immobilizer device (PASS-Key III+) as standard equipment on its Buick Verano vehicle line beginning with MY 2013. GM stated that the device will provide protection against unauthorized use SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00135 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 (i.e., starting and engine fueling), but will not provide any visible or audible indication of unauthorized vehicle entry (i.e., flashing lights or horn alarm). GM stated that it will also offer a keyless ignition version of the PASS-Key III+ as optional equipment for the vehicle line. The PASS-Key III+ device is designed to be active at all times without direct intervention by the vehicle operator. The device is fully armed immediately after the ignition has been turned off and the key removed. Components of the antitheft device include an electronically-coded ignition key, an antenna module, a controller module and a engine control module. The ignition key contains electronics molded into the key head, providing billions of possible electronic combinations. The electronics receive energy and data from the antenna module. Upon receipt of the data, the key will calculate a response using an internal encryption algorithm and transmit the response back to the vehicle. The antenna module translates the radio frequency signal received from the key into a digital signal and compares the received response to an internally calculated value. If the values match, the key is recognized as valid, and a password is then transmitted through a serial data link to the engine control module to enable fueling and vehicle starting. If an invalid key code is received, the PASS-Key III+ controller module will send a ‘‘Disable Password’’ to the engine control module and starting, ignition and fuel will be inhibited. In addressing the specific content requirements of 543.6, GM provided information on the reliability and durability of its proposed device. To ensure reliability and durability of the device, GM conducted tests based on its own specified standards. GM provided a detailed list of the tests conducted to validate the device’s integrity, durability and reliability, and stated that after each test, the components on the device must operate as designed. GM also stated that the design and assembly processes of the device and its components are validated for vehicle life and of performance. GM stated that the PASS-Key III+ device has been designed to enhance the functionality and theft protection provided by its first, second and third generation PASS-Key, PASS-Key II and PASS-Key III devices. GM also referenced data provided by the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) in support of the effectiveness of GM’s PASS-Key devices in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft. The AAMA’s comments to the E:\FR\FM\30APN1.SGM 30APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 83 (Monday, April 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25533-25534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10300]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0046]


Agency Requests for Approval of a New Information Collection(s): 
Human Subjects Experiments Related to Keyless Ignition Controls, Gear 
Selection Controls, and Audible Warnings

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments 
about our intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval for a new information collection. The collection involves 
recruitment of participants, balancing the subject sample and 
debriefing questionnaires. The information to be collected will be used 
to balance the participants between younger and older age groups, 
genders and previous driving experience with keyless ignition, or lack 
thereof. These observational experiments are being conducted in support 
of current agency regulatory efforts that contemplate revising Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 114 (Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0174 RIN 
2127-AK88). We are required to publish this notice in the Federal 
Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by June 29, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments [identified by Docket No. NHTSA-
2012-0046] through one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 1 (202) 493-2251
     Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, 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 Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Dalrymple, NVS-123, National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 
Phone: 202-366-5559. Email: gayle.dalrymple@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 2127-New.
    Title: Human Subjects Experiments Related to Keyless Ignition 
Controls, Gear Selection Controls and Audible Warnings.
    Form Numbers: n/a.
    Type of Review: New Information Collection.
    Background: NHTSA has initiated research and rulemaking to address 
these issues related to consumer confusion when using ignition systems 
in which there is no physical key: Inability to shut off the engine 
and/or shift to neutral during unintended acceleration events, leaving 
the vehicle not in ``park'' and inadvertently leaving the vehicle 
without shutting off the propulsion system.\1\ Evaluations of driver 
use of push-button start/stop controls and electronically shifted 
transmissions are required to support this rulemaking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Docket NHTSA-2011-0174 available at www.regulations.gov.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Human factors observational experiments are proposed to examine 
these issues. The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe 
Center), which is a component of the U.S. DOT, Research and Innovative 
Technology Administration (RITA), has been funded to conduct this 
research under an Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) with NHTSA. Under a task 
order contract with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 
these experiments will be conducted in a simulator at the Volpe Center 
by staff of the MIT Age Lab. The collection of information consists of: 
(1) Recruitment material and a brief eligibility questionnaire for 
applicants and (2) debriefing questionnaire for participants. Applicant 
responses to the eligibility questionnaire will be used to balance the 
subject sample demographically and between drivers who are na[iuml]ve 
to keyless ignition, and those who are not. Subjects will be paid $20 
to $75 depending on the required time commitment, and will be tested 
and debriefed individually. The purpose of the debriefing is to probe 
for insights into the factors that led to errors in the simulated 
driving and participant reactions to mitigation measures such as 
audible alarms.
    Respondents: The Age Lab has conducted numerous experiments related 
to driving instrumented research vehicles and simulators, and has a 
panel of more than 7,000 persons in the Boston area who have indicated 
they would like to be participants in future experiments. Whenever the 
Age Lab has a new experiment, an email blast is sent to all members of 
this panel. The email

[[Page 25534]]

consists of a one-paragraph description of the experiment and the 
eligibility requirements, along with a reply button that connects 
respondents to the eligibility questionnaire. Typically, more persons 
apply than are needed. Staff members from the Age Lab then contact 
applicants individually by email to match them with available time 
slots. For these experiments, the subject pool will be balanced across 
age and gender. About two-thirds of the subjects will be na[iuml]ve to 
cars with keyless ignition systems, while one-third will be owners of 
vehicles with keyless ignitions systems.
    For evaluation of auditory warnings to prevent vehicle roll-away, a 
very short test (one response per subject) is proposed. This testing 
will be conducted in stationary vehicles in public parking lots using a 
convenience sample drawn from passers-by.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: ~135 for keyless/PRNDL experiment. 
~240 for roll-away warning experiment.
    Estimated Number of Responses: One response per respondent to 7 to 
10 questions
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: Three minutes per respondent to 
consider and respond to recruiting questions (18.75 hours total for 
number of respondents needed for study, but a substantially larger and 
unknown number may respond).
    Estimated Frequency: One time
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the Department's 
performance, (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden, (c) ways for the 
Department to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the 
information collection and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized 
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: April 24, 2012.
Christopher J. Bonanti,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2012-10300 Filed 4-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P

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