Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements, 88320-88322 [2016-29320]
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<![CDATA[
88320
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 7, 2016 / Notices
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A),
(a)(1)(B), and (b)(1); 49 CFR 593.7; delegation
of authority at 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.8.
Jeffrey M. Giuseppe,
Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2016–29268 Filed 12–6–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
Programs (NPD–210), National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., W44–230,
Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Chodrow’s
phone number is 202–366–9765 and his
email address is Brian.Chodrow@
dot.gov.
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 submission of responses.
In compliance with these
requirements, NHTSA asks public
comment on the following proposed
collection of information:
Title: Education on Proper Use of
Safety Belts on School Buses.
Type of Request: New information
collection requirement.
OMB Clearance Number: None.
Form Number: None.
Requested Expiration Date of
Approval: 3 years from date of approval.
Summary of the Collection of
Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
proposes to conduct discussions and
informal interviews to identify school
districts who have implemented seat
belts on school buses, and to gather
information to understand the states’
and local agencies’ decisions to
implement seat belts on school buses
and the funding mechanisms that are
used to pay for seat belt installation.
These discussions will be held via
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA–2016–0121]
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping
Requirements
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Request for public comment on
proposed collection of information.
AGENCY:
Before a Federal agency can
collect certain information from the
public, it must receive approval from
the Office of Management and Budget
(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
collections.
This document describes one
collection of information for which
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before February 6, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket ID Number
NHTSA–2016–0121 using any of the
following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to https://
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.
Instructions: Each submission must
include the Agency name and the
Docket number for this Notice. Note that
all comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov including any
personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Chodrow, Office of Safety
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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telephone, email, and/or in-person
throughout the course of the project.
The findings will be used to develop a
model policy and a best practices guide
to assist jurisdictions that are
considering the use of seat belts on
school buses.
NHTSA also proposes to conduct a
web-based survey to gather information
about bus driver distraction as related to
student behavior and seat belt use to see
if the use of seat belts has influenced
disruptive behavior. NHTSA expects to
distribute the survey to at least one bus
driver in each of the school districts that
participate in the aforementioned
interviews, but hopes to collect surveys
from more than one driver in each of
those school districts. The survey will
not take more than 10–15 minutes to
complete. Follow-up telephone
discussions may also be conducted
depending on the interest of
respondents in providing additional
information.
Description of the Need for the
Information and Proposed Use of the
Information—On average, from 2004–
2013, each year eight (8) school-age
pedestrians killed were struck by school
transportation vehicles (school buses
and non-school-bus vehicles used as
school buses), and 4 by other vehicles
involved in school-bus-related crashes.
During this same time period, on
average each year six school age
children are killed in collisions while
riding in a school bus. By focusing on
safety both in and around the school
bus, we could envision a future where
there are zero school transportation
fatalities.
There has generally been resistance
against installing seat belts on school
buses based on a variety of reasons
including the existing safety features of
school buses compared to other vehicles
(i.e. taller and heavier vehicles, padded
and high seat backs, etc.), need for
drivers or aides to enforce wearing seat
belts, cost, and other factors. However,
it is commonly known that the use of
seat belts has improved safety for other
types of vehicles. Thus, on November 8,
2015, NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark
Rosekind stated, ‘‘NHTSA has not
always spoken with a clear voice on the
issue of seat belts on school buses. So
let me clear up any ambiguity now: The
position of the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration is that seat belts
save lives. That is true whether in a
passenger car or in a big yellow bus.
And saving lives is what we are about.
So NHTSA’s policy is that every child
on every school bus should have a
three-point seat belt. NHTSA will seek
to use all the tools at our disposal to
help achieve that goal, and today I want
E:\FR\FM\07DEN1.SGM
07DEN1
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 7, 2016 / Notices
to launch a nationwide effort to get us
there.’’
The current project seeks to
understand the decisions that states and
local agencies use when deciding to
implement seat belts on school buses
and the funding mechanisms that are
used to pay for seat belt installation.
From there, model policy and a best
practices guide will be developed to
assist jurisdictions that are considering
the use of seat belts on school buses.
Finally, the project will also obtain data
related to the role of distraction and
whether seat belts aid in managing
behavior on school buses. The project
will culminate with a final report to
explain the results and outcomes from
the project’s activities.
Description of the Likely Respondents
(Including Estimated Number, and
Proposed Frequency of Response to the
Collection of Information)—The first
step of this process is to identify school
districts who have implemented, or are
planning to implement, seat belts on
their school buses. NHTSA will reach
out to current partners and connections
including contacts in the National
Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services (NASDPTS), the
National Association of Pupil
Transportation (NAPT), the National
School Transportation Association
(NSTA), American School Bus Council
(ASBC), school bus manufacturers and
dealers, as well as any existing contacts
in transportation departments, in order
to help identify school districts. NHTSA
anticipates contacting approximately
100 individuals across the country to
ask general questions related to seat belt
use in their jurisdictions. NHTSA will
hold general discussions with these
partners and contacts via telephone,
email, and/or in person. As the goal of
these conversations is to identify school
districts that have implemented, or are
considering implementing, seat belts on
school buses, it is expected that these
conversations will take no longer than 5
minutes. To the extent possible, NHTSA
will also identify, in coordination with
their partners, an appropriate contact(s)
in each school district.
The next step, after school districts
have been identified, is to reach out to
these school districts who have agreed
to provide NHTSA with more
information and to gather information to
understand the states’ and local
agencies’ decisions to implement seat
belts on school buses and the funding
mechanisms that are used to pay for seat
belt installation. Informational
interviews will be conducted with State
directors of pupil transportation and
local school district professionals to
identify policy components that
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:54 Dec 06, 2016
Jkt 241001
influence seat belt acquisition and use.
Prior to reaching out to any of the
school districts, NHTSA will contact the
NHTSA Regional Administrators to
inform them of the school districts that
NHTSA (through their contractor)
intends to contact within their region.
The process will then commence with
introduction emails that NHTSA will
send to the identified contact in each
school district. The email will provide
a brief overview of the project and
discussion/interview goals, and will
contain two attachments: (1) An
introduction letter from NHTSA
describing the goals of the project and
interview process, and explaining how
the information that they provide will
be incorporated into the project and
report, and (2) a list of discussion topics
and questions. Although specific
interview questions will be developed
to keep the discussion on track as
needed, it is expected that the actual
interviews will occur as more of a fluid,
conversational dialogue rather than a
structured interview. NHTSA will
follow up with each contact via
telephone within 1–2 weeks of sending
the email. During this call, NHTSA
(through their contractor) will either
work with the contact to schedule a
time to conduct the interview, or will
conduct the interview on the spot if
preferred by the contact. In some cases,
the necessary information may be
retrieved through a one-time telephone
or in-person discussion, while in other
cases discussions may continue via
telephone and email as an on-going
discussion throughout the course of the
project as school districts think of more
information to provide or if they
provide additional contacts to follow up
with in their district. NHTSA is seeking
to gather as much information as the
school districts are willing to provide,
and frequency of response and
discussion will be driven by how
involved the school district would like
to be in the conversation. It is
anticipated that the more detailed
discussions will be held with
approximately 25 individuals for a
collective total of 100 hours, or an
average of 4 hours per individual over
an extended period.
Finally, NHTSA will conduct a survey
to gather information about bus driver
distraction as related to student
behavior and seat belt use to see if the
use of seat belts has influenced
disruptive behavior. The potential
respondents would include bus drivers
from school districts who have
implemented seat belts. The survey will
be web-based and should take no longer
than 10–15 minutes to complete.
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88321
NHTSA expects to distribute the survey
to at least one bus driver in each of the
school districts that participate in the
aforementioned interviews, but hopes to
collect surveys from more than one
driver in each of those school districts.
NHTSA will share the link to the survey
with their existing contact(s) within that
school district, and will request that
they distribute the survey to the
appropriate bus drivers within their
school district. Follow-up discussions
may also be conducted via telephone or
email depending on the interest of
respondents in providing additional
information that may not have been
captured by the survey.
Throughout the project, the privacy of
all participants will be protected. The
Model Policy and Best Practices Guide,
or any other reports developed as a
result of this data collection effort, will
not identify any individuals by name.
School districts may be identified, but
only if permission is given to NHTSA by
the school district. Additionally, any
school district identified in the Model
Policy and Best Practices will be given
the opportunity to review and edit any
text referring directly to their school
district.
The online bus driver survey results
will be password protected and access
will only be given to team members who
have been authorized by the Project
Manager (principal investigators and
research assistants). The survey data
will be exported to an Excel® file and
stored in a SharePoint site folder that is
also only visible to those who have been
authorized by the Project Manager. The
research team will check the data file as
soon as it is exported to the secure
SharePoint folder to ensure that no
personally identifiable information (e.g.
bus driver name or email address) is
included. Though survey respondents
will be asked to indicate their school
district, they will not be required to
provide their name or contact
information unless they wish to provide
additional information to the project
team. Any personally identifiable
information that is provided will be
kept separate from the data collected.
Estimate of the Total Annual
Reporting and Record Keeping Burden
Resulting from the Collection of
Information—NHTSA estimates that the
total respondent burden for this data
collection would be 133.3 hours.
The initial discussions would take
approximately 5 minutes with 100
people for a total of 8.3 hours. The
detailed discussions with school
districts who have agreed to participate
with the project will take place with a
commitment of an average of 4 hours
with 25 people for a total of 100 hours.
E:\FR\FM\07DEN1.SGM
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88322
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 7, 2016 / Notices
The bus driver survey would take 15
minutes with approximately 100 people
for a total of 25 hours.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. Section 3506(c)(2)(A).
Dated: December 2, 2016.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and
Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2016–29320 Filed 12–6–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA–2016–0136]
Pipeline Safety: Meeting of the Gas
Pipeline Safety Advisory Committee
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; Advisory Committee
meeting reschedule.
AGENCY:
This notice announces that
the public meeting of the Technical
Pipeline Safety Standards Committee,
also known as the Gas Pipeline
Advisory Committee (GPAC), scheduled
for December 7–8, 2016, has been
rescheduled for January 11–12, 2017.
Notice of the original meeting appeared
in the Federal Register on November 22,
2016, (81 FR 83795).
DATES: The postponed meeting was
scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST
on both December 7, 2016, and
December 8, 2016. The rescheduled
meeting will take place from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. on both January 11, 2017,
and January 12, 2017.
The meetings will not be web cast;
however, presentations will be available
on the meeting Web site and posted on
the E-Gov Web site: https://
www.regulations.gov under docket
number PHMSA–2016–0136 within 30
days following the meeting.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Hilton Arlington, 950 North Stafford
Street, Arlington, VA, 22203. Additional
information regarding hotel and meeting
registration and the agenda will be
published on the following pipeline
advisory committee meeting and
registration page: https://
primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/
MtgHome.mtg?mtg=121.
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Public Participation
This meeting will be open to the
public. Members of the public who wish
to attend in person are asked to register
at: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/
meetings/MtgHome.mtg?mtg=121 no
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:54 Dec 06, 2016
Jkt 241001
later than January 4, 2017, in order to
facilitate entry and guarantee seating.
Members of the public who attend in
person will also be provided
opportunities to make statements during
the meeting.
Written comments: Persons who wish
to submit written comments on the
meeting may be submitted to the docket
in the following ways:
E-Gov Web site: https://
www.regulations.gov. This site allows
the public to enter comments on any
Federal Register notice issued by any
agency.
Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
West Building, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001.
Hand Delivery: Room W12–140 on the
ground level of the DOT West Building,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC, between 9:00 a.m. and
5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except on Federal holidays.
Instructions: Identify the docket
number PHMSA–2016–0136 at the
beginning of your comments. Note that
all comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. Anyone
can 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.).
Therefore, consider reviewing DOT’s
complete Privacy Act Statement in the
Federal Register published on April 11,
2000, (65 FR 19477) or view the Privacy
Notice at https://www.regulations.gov
before submitting any such comments.
Docket: For access to the docket or to
read background documents or
comments, go to https://
www.regulations.gov at any time or to
Room W12–140 on the ground level of
the DOT West Building, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC,
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
If you wish to receive confirmation of
receipt of your written comments,
please include a self-addressed,
stamped postcard with the following
statement: ‘‘Comments on PHMSA–
2016- 0136.’’ The Docket Clerk will date
stamp the postcard prior to returning it
to you via the U.S. mail.
Privacy Act Statement
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c),
DOT solicits comments from the public
to better inform its rulemaking process.
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DOT posts these comments, without
edit, including any personal information
the commenter provides, to
www.regulations.gov, as described in
the system of records notice (DOT/ALL–
14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at
www.dot.gov/privacy.
Services for Individuals with
Disabilities: The public meeting will be
physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Individuals requiring
accommodations, such as sign language
interpretation or other ancillary aids, are
asked to notify Cheryl Whetsel at
cheryl.whetsel@dot.gov by December 30,
2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information about the meeting, contact
Cheryl Whetsel by phone at 202–366–
4431 or by email at cheryl.whetsel@
dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Meeting Details and Agenda
The GPAC will be discussing the
proposed rule, ‘‘Safety of Gas
Transmission and Gathering Pipelines’’
published in the Federal Register on
April 8, 2016, (81 FR 20722), and the
associated regulatory analysis. PHMSA
is proposing changes to part 192 that
include:
• Requiring periodic assessments of
pipelines in locations where persons are
expected to be at risk that are not
already covered under the integrity
management program requirements;
• Modifying the repair criteria, both
inside and outside of high consequence
areas;
• Requiring inspections of pipelines
in areas affected by extreme weather,
man-made and natural disasters, and
other similar events;
• Providing additional specificity for
in-line inspection, including explicit
requirements to account for uncertainty
of reported inspection data when
evaluating in-line inspection data to
identify anomalies;
• Expanding integrity assessment
methods to explicitly address guided
wave ultrasonic inspection and
excavation with direct in-situ
examination;
• Providing clearer functional
requirements for conducting risk
assessment for integrity management,
including addressing seismic risk;
• Expanding the mandatory data
collection and integration requirements
for integrity management, including
data validation and seismicity;
• Adding requirements to address
Management of Change;
• Repealing the use of API 80 for
gathering lines;
• Applying Type B requirements to
newly regulated Type A gathering lines
E:\FR\FM\07DEN1.SGM
07DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88320-88322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29320]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2016-0121]
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Request for public comment on proposed collection of
information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 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 February 6, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
NHTSA-2016-0121 using any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to https://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.
Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the
Docket number for this Notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov including any
personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Chodrow, Office of Safety
Programs (NPD-210), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W44-230, Washington, DC 20590. Mr.
Chodrow's phone number is 202-366-9765 and his email address is
Brian.Chodrow@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
submission of responses.
In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks public comment on
the following proposed collection of information:
Title: Education on Proper Use of Safety Belts on School Buses.
Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
OMB Clearance Number: None.
Form Number: None.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to conduct discussions
and informal interviews to identify school districts who have
implemented seat belts on school buses, and to gather information to
understand the states' and local agencies' decisions to implement seat
belts on school buses and the funding mechanisms that are used to pay
for seat belt installation. These discussions will be held via
telephone, email, and/or in-person throughout the course of the
project. The findings will be used to develop a model policy and a best
practices guide to assist jurisdictions that are considering the use of
seat belts on school buses.
NHTSA also proposes to conduct a web-based survey to gather
information about bus driver distraction as related to student behavior
and seat belt use to see if the use of seat belts has influenced
disruptive behavior. NHTSA expects to distribute the survey to at least
one bus driver in each of the school districts that participate in the
aforementioned interviews, but hopes to collect surveys from more than
one driver in each of those school districts. The survey will not take
more than 10-15 minutes to complete. Follow-up telephone discussions
may also be conducted depending on the interest of respondents in
providing additional information.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information--On average, from 2004-2013, each year eight (8) school-age
pedestrians killed were struck by school transportation vehicles
(school buses and non-school-bus vehicles used as school buses), and 4
by other vehicles involved in school-bus-related crashes. During this
same time period, on average each year six school age children are
killed in collisions while riding in a school bus. By focusing on
safety both in and around the school bus, we could envision a future
where there are zero school transportation fatalities.
There has generally been resistance against installing seat belts
on school buses based on a variety of reasons including the existing
safety features of school buses compared to other vehicles (i.e. taller
and heavier vehicles, padded and high seat backs, etc.), need for
drivers or aides to enforce wearing seat belts, cost, and other
factors. However, it is commonly known that the use of seat belts has
improved safety for other types of vehicles. Thus, on November 8, 2015,
NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind stated, ``NHTSA has not always
spoken with a clear voice on the issue of seat belts on school buses.
So let me clear up any ambiguity now: The position of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration is that seat belts save lives.
That is true whether in a passenger car or in a big yellow bus. And
saving lives is what we are about. So NHTSA's policy is that every
child on every school bus should have a three-point seat belt. NHTSA
will seek to use all the tools at our disposal to help achieve that
goal, and today I want
[[Page 88321]]
to launch a nationwide effort to get us there.''
The current project seeks to understand the decisions that states
and local agencies use when deciding to implement seat belts on school
buses and the funding mechanisms that are used to pay for seat belt
installation. From there, model policy and a best practices guide will
be developed to assist jurisdictions that are considering the use of
seat belts on school buses. Finally, the project will also obtain data
related to the role of distraction and whether seat belts aid in
managing behavior on school buses. The project will culminate with a
final report to explain the results and outcomes from the project's
activities.
Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number,
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)--
The first step of this process is to identify school districts who have
implemented, or are planning to implement, seat belts on their school
buses. NHTSA will reach out to current partners and connections
including contacts in the National Association of State Directors of
Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), the National Association of
Pupil Transportation (NAPT), the National School Transportation
Association (NSTA), American School Bus Council (ASBC), school bus
manufacturers and dealers, as well as any existing contacts in
transportation departments, in order to help identify school districts.
NHTSA anticipates contacting approximately 100 individuals across the
country to ask general questions related to seat belt use in their
jurisdictions. NHTSA will hold general discussions with these partners
and contacts via telephone, email, and/or in person. As the goal of
these conversations is to identify school districts that have
implemented, or are considering implementing, seat belts on school
buses, it is expected that these conversations will take no longer than
5 minutes. To the extent possible, NHTSA will also identify, in
coordination with their partners, an appropriate contact(s) in each
school district.
The next step, after school districts have been identified, is to
reach out to these school districts who have agreed to provide NHTSA
with more information and to gather information to understand the
states' and local agencies' decisions to implement seat belts on school
buses and the funding mechanisms that are used to pay for seat belt
installation. Informational interviews will be conducted with State
directors of pupil transportation and local school district
professionals to identify policy components that influence seat belt
acquisition and use. Prior to reaching out to any of the school
districts, NHTSA will contact the NHTSA Regional Administrators to
inform them of the school districts that NHTSA (through their
contractor) intends to contact within their region. The process will
then commence with introduction emails that NHTSA will send to the
identified contact in each school district. The email will provide a
brief overview of the project and discussion/interview goals, and will
contain two attachments: (1) An introduction letter from NHTSA
describing the goals of the project and interview process, and
explaining how the information that they provide will be incorporated
into the project and report, and (2) a list of discussion topics and
questions. Although specific interview questions will be developed to
keep the discussion on track as needed, it is expected that the actual
interviews will occur as more of a fluid, conversational dialogue
rather than a structured interview. NHTSA will follow up with each
contact via telephone within 1-2 weeks of sending the email. During
this call, NHTSA (through their contractor) will either work with the
contact to schedule a time to conduct the interview, or will conduct
the interview on the spot if preferred by the contact. In some cases,
the necessary information may be retrieved through a one-time telephone
or in-person discussion, while in other cases discussions may continue
via telephone and email as an on-going discussion throughout the course
of the project as school districts think of more information to provide
or if they provide additional contacts to follow up with in their
district. NHTSA is seeking to gather as much information as the school
districts are willing to provide, and frequency of response and
discussion will be driven by how involved the school district would
like to be in the conversation. It is anticipated that the more
detailed discussions will be held with approximately 25 individuals for
a collective total of 100 hours, or an average of 4 hours per
individual over an extended period.
Finally, NHTSA will conduct a survey to gather information about
bus driver distraction as related to student behavior and seat belt use
to see if the use of seat belts has influenced disruptive behavior. The
potential respondents would include bus drivers from school districts
who have implemented seat belts. The survey will be web-based and
should take no longer than 10-15 minutes to complete. NHTSA expects to
distribute the survey to at least one bus driver in each of the school
districts that participate in the aforementioned interviews, but hopes
to collect surveys from more than one driver in each of those school
districts. NHTSA will share the link to the survey with their existing
contact(s) within that school district, and will request that they
distribute the survey to the appropriate bus drivers within their
school district. Follow-up discussions may also be conducted via
telephone or email depending on the interest of respondents in
providing additional information that may not have been captured by the
survey.
Throughout the project, the privacy of all participants will be
protected. The Model Policy and Best Practices Guide, or any other
reports developed as a result of this data collection effort, will not
identify any individuals by name. School districts may be identified,
but only if permission is given to NHTSA by the school district.
Additionally, any school district identified in the Model Policy and
Best Practices will be given the opportunity to review and edit any
text referring directly to their school district.
The online bus driver survey results will be password protected and
access will only be given to team members who have been authorized by
the Project Manager (principal investigators and research assistants).
The survey data will be exported to an Excel[supreg] file and stored in
a SharePoint site folder that is also only visible to those who have
been authorized by the Project Manager. The research team will check
the data file as soon as it is exported to the secure SharePoint folder
to ensure that no personally identifiable information (e.g. bus driver
name or email address) is included. Though survey respondents will be
asked to indicate their school district, they will not be required to
provide their name or contact information unless they wish to provide
additional information to the project team. Any personally identifiable
information that is provided will be kept separate from the data
collected.
Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden
Resulting from the Collection of Information--NHTSA estimates that the
total respondent burden for this data collection would be 133.3 hours.
The initial discussions would take approximately 5 minutes with 100
people for a total of 8.3 hours. The detailed discussions with school
districts who have agreed to participate with the project will take
place with a commitment of an average of 4 hours with 25 people for a
total of 100 hours.
[[Page 88322]]
The bus driver survey would take 15 minutes with approximately 100
people for a total of 25 hours.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. Section 3506(c)(2)(A).
Dated: December 2, 2016.
Jeff Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2016-29320 Filed 12-6-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
