Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses, 43645-43648 [2020-15445]
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authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.build requirements of the coastwise
trade laws to allow the carriage of no
more than twelve passengers for hire on
vessels, which are three years old or
more. A request for such a waiver has
been received by MARAD. The vessel,
and a brief description of the proposed
service, is listed below.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
August 17, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket Number
MARAD–2020–0096 by any one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Search
MARAD–2020–0096 and follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket
Management Facility is in the West
Building, Ground Floor of the U.S.
Department of Transportation. The
Docket Management Facility location
address is: U.S. Department of
Transportation, MARAD–2020–0096,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building, Room W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except on
Federal holidays.
Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your
comments, we recommend that you
include your name and a mailing
address, an email address, or a
telephone number in the body of your
document so that we can contact you if
we have questions regarding your
submission.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
specific docket number. All comments
received will be posted without change
to the docket at www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information
provided. For detailed instructions on
submitting comments, see the section
entitled Public Participation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bianca Carr, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Maritime
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Room W23–453,
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202–
366–9309, Email Bianca.carr@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As
described by the applicant the intended
service of the vessel VISION is:
—Intended commercial use of vessel:
‘‘Day and overnight sailing charters
for education and vacations’’
—Geographic region including base of
operations: ‘‘California’’ (Base of
Operations: Hyatt Regency Spa and
Marina, Mission Bay, San Diego,
California)
—Vessel length and type: 48′ sailing
vessel
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The complete application is available
for review identified in the DOT docket
as MARAD–2020–0096 at https://
www.regulations.gov. Interested parties
may comment on the effect this action
may have on U.S. vessel builders or
businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag
vessels. If MARAD determines, in
accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and
MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part
388, that the issuance of the waiver will
have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.vessel builder or a business that uses
U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a
waiver will not be granted. Comments
should refer to the vessel name, state the
commenter’s interest in the waiver
application, and address the waiver
criteria given in section 388.4 of
MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part
388.
Public Participation
How do I submit comments?
Please submit your comments,
including the attachments, following the
instructions provided under the above
heading entitled ADDRESSES. Be advised
that it may take a few hours or even
days for your comment to be reflected
on the docket. In addition, your
comments must be written in English.
We encourage you to provide concise
comments and you may attach
additional documents as necessary.
There is no limit on the length of the
attachments.
Where do I go to read public comments,
and find supporting information?
Go to the docket online at https://
www.regulations.gov, keyword search
MARAD–2020–0096 or visit the Docket
Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for
hours of operation). We recommend that
you periodically check the Docket for
new submissions and supporting
material.
Will my comments be made available to
the public?
Yes. Be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, will be made
publicly available.
May I submit comments confidentially?
If you wish to submit comments
under a claim of confidentiality, you
should submit three copies of your
complete submission, including the
information you claim to be confidential
business information, to the Department
of Transportation, Maritime
Administration, Office of Legislation
and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover
letter setting forth with specificity the
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basis for any such claim and, if possible,
a summary of your submission that can
be made available to the public.
Privacy Act
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c),
DOT solicits comments from the public
to better inform its rulemaking process.
DOT posts these comments, without
edit, to www.regulations.gov, as
described in the system of records
notice, DOT/ALL–14 FDMS, accessible
through www.dot.gov/privacy. To
facilitate comment tracking and
response, we encourage commenters to
provide their name, or the name of their
organization; however, submission of
names is completely optional. Whether
or not commenters identify themselves,
all timely comments will be fully
considered. If you wish to provide
comments containing proprietary or
confidential information, please contact
the agency for alternate submission
instructions.
(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 55103,
46 U.S.C. 12121)
*
*
*
*
*
Dated: July 14, 2020.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020–15502 Filed 7–16–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA–2020–0018]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Reducing the Illegal
Passing of School Buses
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for public
comment on a request for approval of a
proposed new collection of information.
AGENCY:
NHTSA invites public
comments about its intention to request
approval from the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for a new collection
of information. Before a Federal agency
can collect certain information from the
public, it must receive approval from
the OMB. Under procedures established
by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, before seeking OMB approval,
Federal agencies must solicit public
comment on proposed collections of
information, including extensions and
reinstatements of previously approved
SUMMARY:
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collections. This document describes an
Information Collection Request (ICR) for
which NHTSA intends to seek OMB
approval.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before September 15, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by Docket Number NHTSA–
2020–0018 through any of the following
methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Go to
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 or Courier: Docket
Management, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12–
140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays. To
be sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 366–9322 before
coming.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
Instructions: Each submission must
include the Agency name and the
docket number for this proposed
collection of information. Note that all
comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. Please
see the Privacy heading below.
• Privacy Act: Anyone is able to
search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our
dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the
comment, if submitted on behalf of an
association, business, labor union, etc.).
You may review DOT’s complete
Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register, published on April 11, 2000
(65 FR 19477–78), or you may visit
https://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
• Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to https://
ww.regulations.gov or the street address
listed above. To be sure someone is
there to help you, please call (202) 366–
9322 before coming. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information or access to
background documents, contact Kristin
Rosenthal, Highway Safety Specialist,
Safety Countermeasures Division, Office
of Research and Program Development,
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
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Avenue SE, W44–213, Washington, DC
20590. Ms. Rosenthal’s phone number is
202–366–8995, and her email address is
Kristin.Rosenthal@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
before an agency submits a proposed
collection of information to OMB for
approval, it must publish a document in
the Federal Register providing a 60-day
comment period and otherwise consult
with members of the public and affected
agencies concerning each proposed
collection of information. The OMB has
promulgated regulations describing
what must be included in such a
document. Under OMB’s regulations (at
5 CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must ask
for public comment on the following: (i)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(ii) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) how to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (iv) how to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond, including
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submissions
of responses. In compliance with these
requirements, NHTSA asks for public
comment on the following proposed
collection of information for which the
agency is seeking approval from OMB:
Title: Reducing the Illegal Passing of
School Buses.
OMB Control Number: New.
Form Number: 1559.
Type of Information Collection
Request: Request for approval of a new
information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of
Approval: Three years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of
Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
was established by the Highway Safety
Act of 1970 to reduce deaths, injuries,
and economic losses due to road traffic
crashes on the Nation’s highways. Even
though every State has a law requiring
drivers to stop for a stopped school bus
displaying flashing red lights, illegal
passing of stopped school buses is a
frequent occurrence all across the
country. Title 23 of the United States
Code, Chapter 4, Section 403, gives the
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Secretary authorization to use funds
appropriated to conduct research and
development activities, including
demonstration projects and the
collection and analysis of highway and
motor vehicle safety data and related
information needed to carry out this
section. NHTSA seeks to assess the
knowledge of drivers nationwide about
the laws governing passing a school bus
(under the specific State laws where the
driver lives) as a function of varying
roadway configurations, flashing yellow
and red light deployment on the school
bus, and activation of the stop arm on
the bus. To make this assessment,
NHTSA intends to conduct research that
will consist of two methods of survey
collection data from drivers of motor
vehicles. First (Study 1), NHTSA will
conduct a national survey, involving
respondents who volunteer to
participate through AmeriSpeak,1 which
will take place in the respondent’s home
or wherever the respondent chooses to
operate a computer, laptop, tablet, or
other mobile device they provide for
screening and data collection. Second
(Study 2), NHTSA will conduct
community surveys that occur in two
communities and will involve surveys
before and after implementation of a
program designed to increase driver
awareness of laws governing passing a
school bus. Screening and data
collection for the community surveys
will take place on a computer or tablet
provided by the study at a public venue
frequented by drivers across the
socioeconomic and demographic
spectra, such as a mall or motor vehicle
department office. All collection of data
will be anonymous. AmeriSpeak
provides data to clients with an
anonymous record identification
number. The community survey does
not collect any personal identifying data
from the participant.
Study 1 will use an internet-hosted
survey of a nationally representative
sample of drivers to determine their
knowledge of and attitudes towards
laws regarding passing of stopped
school buses, as well as their opinions
on the safest driver behaviors when
encountering a school bus on the
roadway. Study 2 will be a field study
in two communities with differing
levels of camera enforcement of school
bus passing laws to examine the
effectiveness of an automated school
bus camera enforcement system
combined with high-visibility police
1 AmeriSpeak, created by the National Opinion
Research Center (NORC) at the University of
Chicago, is a probability-based panel designed to be
representative of the U.S. household population to
take part in surveys.
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enforcement and public education in
reducing school bus passing violations.
Survey data collection in the test
communities will examine awareness of
the enforcement and camera programs,
driver knowledge of and attitudes
towards school bus passing laws, and
self-reported behavior when
encountering a school bus on the
roadway before and after program
implementation.
Description of the Need for the
Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: NHTSA’s mission is to
save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce
economic costs due to road traffic
crashes, through education, research,
safety standards and enforcement
activity. The agency develops,
promotes, and implements educational,
enforcement, engineering, and
emergency response programs with the
goal of ending preventable tragedies and
reducing economic costs associated
with vehicle use and highway travel.
Since1991 NHTSA has supported efforts
to conduct national surveys focusing on
different program areas to enhance its
resources in those areas. NHTSA also
conducts local community surveys
which have a similar focus, but also
allow the agency to conduct field
research and demonstration programs
and evaluate changes in community
knowledge, attitudes, self-reported
behavior, and awareness of program
efforts.
One highway safety problem NHTSA
has been following closely involves
school children struck by passing
motorists while going to or from a
stopped school bus with its red lights
flashing and its stop arm extended. Even
though there have been some highlypublicized child fatalities of this type
and the annual national stop-arm
violation count by the National
Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services (NASDPTS)
continues to show a surprisingly high
incidence of these illegal passes, to date,
no national survey has assessed the
levels of driver knowledge and
understanding of the laws regarding
passing of school buses. The findings
from this proposed collection of
information will assist NHTSA in
designing, targeting, and implementing
programs intended to mitigate illegal
passing of school buses on the roadways
and to provide data to States, localities,
and law enforcement agencies that will
aid in their efforts to reduce crashes and
injuries due to illegal school bus
passing.
Affected Public (Respondents):
Respondents for Study 1, the national
survey, will be drawn from the panelists
in the AmeriSpeak panel funded and
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operated by National Opinion Research
Center (NORC) at the University of
Chicago. AmeriSpeak is a probabilitybased panel designed to be
representative of the U.S. household
population. Randomly selected U.S.
households are sampled with a known,
non-zero probability of selection from
the NORC National Sample Frame and
then contacted by U.S. mail, email,
telephone, and field interviewers (face
to face) to recruit panelists. AmeriSpeak
panelists participate in NORC studies or
studies conducted by NORC on behalf of
governmental agencies, academic
researchers, and media and commercial
organizations. Participation in research
is voluntary at the time that respondents
are asked to join the panel, at the time
they are asked to participate in any
particular survey, and at the time they
answer any given question in a survey.
Respondents from the AmeriSpeak
panel will be compensated for their time
in accordance with their agreement with
NORC.
Study 2, the community surveys
(before and after program
implementation in two communities),
will consist of volunteer respondents
who are current motor vehicle drivers,
aged 18 or older. Volunteers will be
recruited while they are at selected
locations, such as malls or motor
vehicle offices where the desired
respondent population is likely to be
found and will receive compensation in
return for volunteering.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
To obtain at least 3,000 fully completed
national surveys for Study 1, it is
estimated that up to 3,400 AmeriSpeak
panelists will have to be screened to
obtain 3,100 qualified volunteers who
take the national survey (100 of these
volunteers are estimated not to complete
the entire survey).
For the community surveys in Study
2, NHTSA estimates that 400 volunteers
will have to be screened for each wave
(400 for the before-program
implementation and 400 for the afterprogram implementation) for each of the
two communities. Therefore, a total of
1,600 volunteers will have to be
screened for the estimated yield of 300
completed surveys for each wave for the
two communities, or 1,200 fully
completed surveys.
Frequency of Collection: Respondents
will only respond to the national survey
request a single time during the study
period. The community survey will be
conducted twice at the same locations
in each of the two selected communities
over a period of approximately 10
months. Therefore, an extremely small
possibility exists that an individual
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43647
might be invited to participate more
than once for the community survey.
Estimated Time per Participant: Both
the national and community surveys
will be administered via an internethosted survey on a tablet or other small
computer. The national and community
surveys will have the same core items
related to knowledge of and attitudes
towards school bus passing laws. The
community survey will have additional
items about awareness of
countermeasure program activities and
basic respondent demographic
information. Demographic information
for the panelists in the national survey
is part of their AmeriSpeak profile. The
intent is for each participant to
complete a survey only once. However,
no identifying information will be
collected for the community survey, so
a slight possibility exists that an
individual will participate more than
once. The estimated average time to
complete the survey per participant in
either the national or community
samples is 15 minutes. The screening
involving (1) reading a recruitment
communication, such as an email or
listening to a researcher describe the
study, and (2) determining an
individual’s eligibility (e.g., 18+ years
old, current driver, lives in the
community being studied) can take up
to three minutes for the community
surveys and two minutes for the
national survey.
Total Estimated Burden Hours: It is
estimated that for the 3,400 AmeriSpeak
panelists that will have to be screened,
the estimated total burden is 113 hours
(3,400 × 2 min./60). For the 3,100
qualified volunteers who take the
national survey, the estimated total
burden hours is 775 hours (3,100 × 15
min./60), yielding at least 3,000 fully
completed surveys. Likewise, it is
estimated that the total estimated
burden for the maximum of 1,600
potential participants to be screened for
the community survey (400 per wave ×
2 communities × 2 waves) is 80 hours
(1,600 × 3 min./60). The estimated total
burden hours for the 1,200 fully
completed surveys (300 per wave × 2
communities × 2 waves) is 300 hours
(1,200 × 15 min./60). The only cost to
participants will be time spent
responding to the screening and the
subsequent survey if they volunteer.
Participants who volunteer and begin
the survey will receive compensation
for this time. Table 1 provides a
summary of the burden hours per
survey.
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Number of
participants
Total
burden hours
Form name
National Survey ................................
National Survey ................................
Community Survey ...........................
Community Survey ...........................
Screening .........................................
Online Survey ...................................
Screening .........................................
Online Survey ...................................
1
1
1
1
2
15
3
15
3,400
3,100
1,600
1,200
113
775
80
300
Total ...........................................
...........................................................
........................
........................
........................
1,268
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours:
1,268 hours.
Public Comments Invited: You are
asked to comment on any aspects of this
information collection, including (a)
whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Department, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the Department’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity
of the information to be collected; and
(d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended;
49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.
Issued in Washington, DC.
Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan,
Associate Administrator, Research and
Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2020–15445 Filed 7–16–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Proceeds From Broker and
Barter Exchange Transactions, Form
1099–B
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Internal Revenue Service,
as part of its continuing effort to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden,
invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Currently, the IRS is soliciting
comments concerning Form 1099–B,
SUMMARY:
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Estimated
burden per
response
(min.)
Number of
responses per
participant
Participant group
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Proceeds From Broker and Barter
Exchange Transactions.
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before September 15,
2020 to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Kinna Brewington, Internal Revenue
Service, Room 6526, 1111 Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20224.
Requests for additional information or
copies of the form and instructions
should be directed to LaNita Van Dyke,
at Internal Revenue Service, Room 6526,
1111 Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20224 or through the
internet at Lanita.VanDyke@irs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Proceeds From Broker and
Barter Exchange Transactions.
OMB Number: 1545–0715.
Form Number: Form 1099–B.
Abstract: Internal Revenue Code
section 6045 requires the filing of an
information return by brokers to report
the gross proceeds from transactions
and by barter exchanges to report
exchanges of property or services. Form
1099–B is used to report proceeds from
these transactions to the Internal
Revenue Service. Current Actions:
There are no changes in the paperwork
burden previously approved by OMB.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations and individuals.
Estimated Number of Responses:
1,434,809,803.
Estimated Time per Response: 47
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 674,360,608.
The following paragraph applies to all
of the collections of information covered
by this notice:
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
Books or records relating to a collection
of information must be retained as long
as their contents may become material
in the administration of any internal
revenue law. Generally, tax returns and
tax return information are confidential,
as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.
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Request for Comments: Comments
submitted in response to this notice will
be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval. All
comments will become a matter of
public record. Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology; and (e) estimates of capital
or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information.
Approved: July 6, 2020.
Chakinna B. Clemons,
Supervisory Tax Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2020–15440 Filed 7–16–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Taxpayer Statement
Regarding Refund
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA 95),
provides the general public and Federal
agencies with an opportunity to
comment on continuing collections of
information. This helps the IRS assess
the impact of its information collection
requirements and minimize the
reporting burden on the public and
helps the public understand the IRS’s
information collection requirements and
provide the requested data in the
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 138 (Friday, July 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43645-43648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15445]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2020-0018]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for public comment on a request for approval
of a proposed new collection of information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NHTSA invites public comments about its intention to request
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new
collection of information. Before a Federal agency can collect certain
information from the public, it must receive approval from the OMB.
Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public
comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions
and reinstatements of previously approved
[[Page 43646]]
collections. This document describes an Information Collection Request
(ICR) for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 15, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket Number NHTSA-
2020-0018 through any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Go to 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 or Courier: Docket Management, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except on Federal holidays. To be sure someone is there
to help you, please call (202) 366-9322 before coming.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the
docket number for this proposed collection of information. Note that
all comments received will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
Please see the Privacy heading below.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form
of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the
individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted
on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register,
published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit https://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background
documents or comments received, go to https://ww.regulations.gov or the
street address listed above. To be sure someone is there to help you,
please call (202) 366-9322 before coming. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Kristin Rosenthal, Highway Safety
Specialist, Safety Countermeasures Division, Office of Research and
Program Development, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, W44-213, Washington, DC 20590. Ms.
Rosenthal's phone number is 202-366-8995, and her email address is
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB
for approval, it must publish a document in the Federal Register
providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of
the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of
information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must
be included in such a document. Under OMB's regulations (at 5 CFR
1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following: (i)
Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (ii) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (iii) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (iv) how to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including the
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses. In
compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public comment on
the following proposed collection of information for which the agency
is seeking approval from OMB:
Title: Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses.
OMB Control Number: New.
Form Number: 1559.
Type of Information Collection Request: Request for approval of a
new information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was established by the Highway
Safety Act of 1970 to reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses due
to road traffic crashes on the Nation's highways. Even though every
State has a law requiring drivers to stop for a stopped school bus
displaying flashing red lights, illegal passing of stopped school buses
is a frequent occurrence all across the country. Title 23 of the United
States Code, Chapter 4, Section 403, gives the Secretary authorization
to use funds appropriated to conduct research and development
activities, including demonstration projects and the collection and
analysis of highway and motor vehicle safety data and related
information needed to carry out this section. NHTSA seeks to assess the
knowledge of drivers nationwide about the laws governing passing a
school bus (under the specific State laws where the driver lives) as a
function of varying roadway configurations, flashing yellow and red
light deployment on the school bus, and activation of the stop arm on
the bus. To make this assessment, NHTSA intends to conduct research
that will consist of two methods of survey collection data from drivers
of motor vehicles. First (Study 1), NHTSA will conduct a national
survey, involving respondents who volunteer to participate through
AmeriSpeak,\1\ which will take place in the respondent's home or
wherever the respondent chooses to operate a computer, laptop, tablet,
or other mobile device they provide for screening and data collection.
Second (Study 2), NHTSA will conduct community surveys that occur in
two communities and will involve surveys before and after
implementation of a program designed to increase driver awareness of
laws governing passing a school bus. Screening and data collection for
the community surveys will take place on a computer or tablet provided
by the study at a public venue frequented by drivers across the
socioeconomic and demographic spectra, such as a mall or motor vehicle
department office. All collection of data will be anonymous. AmeriSpeak
provides data to clients with an anonymous record identification
number. The community survey does not collect any personal identifying
data from the participant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ AmeriSpeak, created by the National Opinion Research Center
(NORC) at the University of Chicago, is a probability-based panel
designed to be representative of the U.S. household population to
take part in surveys.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study 1 will use an internet-hosted survey of a nationally
representative sample of drivers to determine their knowledge of and
attitudes towards laws regarding passing of stopped school buses, as
well as their opinions on the safest driver behaviors when encountering
a school bus on the roadway. Study 2 will be a field study in two
communities with differing levels of camera enforcement of school bus
passing laws to examine the effectiveness of an automated school bus
camera enforcement system combined with high-visibility police
[[Page 43647]]
enforcement and public education in reducing school bus passing
violations. Survey data collection in the test communities will examine
awareness of the enforcement and camera programs, driver knowledge of
and attitudes towards school bus passing laws, and self-reported
behavior when encountering a school bus on the roadway before and after
program implementation.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information: NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and
reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education,
research, safety standards and enforcement activity. The agency
develops, promotes, and implements educational, enforcement,
engineering, and emergency response programs with the goal of ending
preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with
vehicle use and highway travel. Since1991 NHTSA has supported efforts
to conduct national surveys focusing on different program areas to
enhance its resources in those areas. NHTSA also conducts local
community surveys which have a similar focus, but also allow the agency
to conduct field research and demonstration programs and evaluate
changes in community knowledge, attitudes, self-reported behavior, and
awareness of program efforts.
One highway safety problem NHTSA has been following closely
involves school children struck by passing motorists while going to or
from a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and its stop arm
extended. Even though there have been some highly-publicized child
fatalities of this type and the annual national stop-arm violation
count by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil
Transportation Services (NASDPTS) continues to show a surprisingly high
incidence of these illegal passes, to date, no national survey has
assessed the levels of driver knowledge and understanding of the laws
regarding passing of school buses. The findings from this proposed
collection of information will assist NHTSA in designing, targeting,
and implementing programs intended to mitigate illegal passing of
school buses on the roadways and to provide data to States, localities,
and law enforcement agencies that will aid in their efforts to reduce
crashes and injuries due to illegal school bus passing.
Affected Public (Respondents): Respondents for Study 1, the
national survey, will be drawn from the panelists in the AmeriSpeak
panel funded and operated by National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at
the University of Chicago. AmeriSpeak is a probability-based panel
designed to be representative of the U.S. household population.
Randomly selected U.S. households are sampled with a known, non-zero
probability of selection from the NORC National Sample Frame and then
contacted by U.S. mail, email, telephone, and field interviewers (face
to face) to recruit panelists. AmeriSpeak panelists participate in NORC
studies or studies conducted by NORC on behalf of governmental
agencies, academic researchers, and media and commercial organizations.
Participation in research is voluntary at the time that respondents are
asked to join the panel, at the time they are asked to participate in
any particular survey, and at the time they answer any given question
in a survey. Respondents from the AmeriSpeak panel will be compensated
for their time in accordance with their agreement with NORC.
Study 2, the community surveys (before and after program
implementation in two communities), will consist of volunteer
respondents who are current motor vehicle drivers, aged 18 or older.
Volunteers will be recruited while they are at selected locations, such
as malls or motor vehicle offices where the desired respondent
population is likely to be found and will receive compensation in
return for volunteering.
Estimated Number of Respondents: To obtain at least 3,000 fully
completed national surveys for Study 1, it is estimated that up to
3,400 AmeriSpeak panelists will have to be screened to obtain 3,100
qualified volunteers who take the national survey (100 of these
volunteers are estimated not to complete the entire survey).
For the community surveys in Study 2, NHTSA estimates that 400
volunteers will have to be screened for each wave (400 for the before-
program implementation and 400 for the after-program implementation)
for each of the two communities. Therefore, a total of 1,600 volunteers
will have to be screened for the estimated yield of 300 completed
surveys for each wave for the two communities, or 1,200 fully completed
surveys.
Frequency of Collection: Respondents will only respond to the
national survey request a single time during the study period. The
community survey will be conducted twice at the same locations in each
of the two selected communities over a period of approximately 10
months. Therefore, an extremely small possibility exists that an
individual might be invited to participate more than once for the
community survey.
Estimated Time per Participant: Both the national and community
surveys will be administered via an internet-hosted survey on a tablet
or other small computer. The national and community surveys will have
the same core items related to knowledge of and attitudes towards
school bus passing laws. The community survey will have additional
items about awareness of countermeasure program activities and basic
respondent demographic information. Demographic information for the
panelists in the national survey is part of their AmeriSpeak profile.
The intent is for each participant to complete a survey only once.
However, no identifying information will be collected for the community
survey, so a slight possibility exists that an individual will
participate more than once. The estimated average time to complete the
survey per participant in either the national or community samples is
15 minutes. The screening involving (1) reading a recruitment
communication, such as an email or listening to a researcher describe
the study, and (2) determining an individual's eligibility (e.g., 18+
years old, current driver, lives in the community being studied) can
take up to three minutes for the community surveys and two minutes for
the national survey.
Total Estimated Burden Hours: It is estimated that for the 3,400
AmeriSpeak panelists that will have to be screened, the estimated total
burden is 113 hours (3,400 x 2 min./60). For the 3,100 qualified
volunteers who take the national survey, the estimated total burden
hours is 775 hours (3,100 x 15 min./60), yielding at least 3,000 fully
completed surveys. Likewise, it is estimated that the total estimated
burden for the maximum of 1,600 potential participants to be screened
for the community survey (400 per wave x 2 communities x 2 waves) is 80
hours (1,600 x 3 min./60). The estimated total burden hours for the
1,200 fully completed surveys (300 per wave x 2 communities x 2 waves)
is 300 hours (1,200 x 15 min./60). The only cost to participants will
be time spent responding to the screening and the subsequent survey if
they volunteer. Participants who volunteer and begin the survey will
receive compensation for this time. Table 1 provides a summary of the
burden hours per survey.
[[Page 43648]]
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Estimated
Number of burden per Number of Total burden
Participant group Form name responses per response participants hours
participant (min.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Survey............... Screening....... 1 2 3,400 113
National Survey............... Online Survey... 1 15 3,100 775
Community Survey.............. Screening....... 1 3 1,600 80
Community Survey.............. Online Survey... 1 15 1,200 300
---------------------------------------------------------------
Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 1,268
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours: 1,268 hours.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate
of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.
Issued in Washington, DC.
Nanda Narayanan Srinivasan,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-15445 Filed 7-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
