Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Government 5-Star Safety Ratings Label Consumer Research, 60744-60747 [2022-21712]
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 193 / Thursday, October 6, 2022 / Notices
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privacy.
(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 55103,
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[FR Doc. 2022–21733 Filed 10–5–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA–2021–0033]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Request for Comment;
Government 5-Star Safety Ratings
Label Consumer Research
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments on a request for approval of
a new information collection.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), this notice announces that the
Information Collection Request (ICR)
summarized below will be submitted to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval. This
document describes a new collection of
information for consumer research
purposes regarding the Government 5Star Safety Ratings section of the
Monroney label for which NHTSA
intends to seek OMB approval. A
Federal Register Notice with a 60-day
comment period was published on
November 19, 2021. Seven (7) public
comments were received before the
closing date of January 18, 2022.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before November 7, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection, including
suggestions for reducing burden, should
be submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget at
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
To find this particular information
collection, select ‘‘Currently under
Review—Open for Public Comment’’ or
use the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information or access to
background documents, contact Mike
Joyce, Marketing Specialist, Office of
Communications and Consumer
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SUMMARY:
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Information (NCO–0200), National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W52–238,
Washington, DC 20590. Mike Joyce’s
phone number is 202–366–5600 and his
email address is Mike.Joyce@dot.gov.
Under the
PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), a Federal
agency must receive approval from the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) before it collects certain
information from the public and a
person is not required to respond to a
collection of information by a Federal
agency unless the collection displays a
valid OMB control number. In
compliance with these requirements,
this notice announces that the following
information collection request will be
submitted OMB.
Title: Government 5-Star Safety
Ratings Label Consumer Research.
OMB Control Number: 2127-New.
Form Number(s): NHTSA Form 1681,
NHSTSA Form 1682, NHTSA Form
1683.
Type of Request: Request for approval
of a new information collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of
Approval: Three years from approval
date.
Abstract: The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
was established by the Highway Safety
Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91–605, 202(a), 84
Stat. 1713, 1739–40). NHTSA’S mission
is to save lives, prevent injuries and
reduce economic costs due to crashes on
the nation’s highways. Part C of the
Motor Vehicle and Driver Programs, at
49 U.S.C. 32302, requires the Secretary
of Transportation (NHTSA by
delegation) to provide to the public
information about the safety of new
passenger motor vehicles. Under its
New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)
and 5-Star Safety Ratings Program,
NHTSA conducts frontal crash, side
crash and rollover resistance tests of
new vehicles and, based on the results,
assigns safety ratings to the tested
vehicles. The ratings enable consumers
to consider and assess the relative safety
of vehicles before deciding which new
vehicle they want to purchase.
In 2005, Congress enacted the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
Users (SAFETEA–LU) (Pub. L. 109–59),
which required the safety ratings
assigned by NHTSA under NCAP or a
statement that the vehicle was not
assigned safety ratings under NCAP to
be included on the window label for
new vehicles, known as the Monroney
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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label.1 Per 15 U.S.C. 1232(g), the
window label must contain the safety
ratings published or released by
NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program,
including the graphical depiction of
those ratings, reference to the safety
rating categories (e.g., frontal impact
crashes tests, side impact crash tests,
and rollover restistance tests), and
information describing the nature and
meaning of the crash test data presented
and a reference to https://
www.safercar.gov. This information
must be presented in a legible, visible,
and prominent fashion that covers at
least 8 percent of the total area of the
label, or an area with a minimum length
of four and a half inches and a
minimum height of three and a half
inches. If a vehicle has not been rated
by NHTSA’s New Car Assessment
Program, then the label much state
that.2 On December 4, 2015, Congress
enacted the Fixing America’s Surface
Transportation (FAST) Act, which
requires the Secretary of Transportation
(NHTSA by delegation) to issue a rule
to ensure crash-avoidance information
is provided next to crashworthiness
information on vehicle window
stickers.3
In continuing support of its mission
and to assist the agency in meeting its
FAST Act requirement, NHTSA
proposes to conduct qualitative research
using focus groups in four geographic
markets located across the country to
evaluate design and consumer
information improvements to the
Government 5-Star Safety Ratings
section of the Monroney label.4 This
information collection will involve a
one-time, voluntary phone screening
survey involving members of the public
to identify research participants for a
one-time, in-person focus group.
Participants in the research program
will be asked to evaluate design and
consumer information improvements to
the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings
section of the vehicle window sticker.
NHTSA will use the findings from this
research to support planned changes to
the current label requirements and
future designs for communicating
vehicle safety ratings and advanced
driver assistance systems performance
assessments to consumers.
Summary of the Collection of
Information: In this collection of
1 The Automobile Information Disclosure Act of
1958, 15 U.S.C. 1231–1233, requires that new
vehicles carry a sticker on a window containing
specified information about the vehicle.
2 12 U.S.C. 1232(h).
3 Section 24322 of Part II—Safety Through
Informed Consumers Act of 2015. Public Law 114–
94.
4 15 U.S.C. 1232.
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information, NHTSA is seeking
approval to conduct qualitative focus
groups with 66 consumer participants.
The focus groups aim to achieve the
following objectives:
(1) Evaluate the overall appeal of each
label concept and identify specific likes
and dislikes associated with specific
components of the label;
(2) Measure the ease of
comprehension for each label concept
and understand which visual and text
features are most effective at conveying
vehicle safety information;
(3) Assess the distinctiveness of how
the information is displayed and
understand how best to make the
vehicle safety information stand out on
the Monroney label; and,
(4) Identify additional areas of
improvement related to the three main
label sections relating to safety
protection, safety technology, and
overall vehicle safety performance.
Description of the Need for the
Information and the Proposed Use of
the Information: This collection of
information will allow NHTSA to obtain
critical information to assist the agency
in fulfilling the 2015 FAST Act’s
requirement that NHTSA issue a rule to
ensure that crash-avoidance information
is provided next to crashworthiness
information on vehicle windows
stickers.5 Specifically, the data from this
collection will be used to not only
enhance consumer understanding of
NHTSA’s vehicle safety ratings and
advanced driver assistance systems
performance assessments, but also guide
the development of communications
that will help consumers as they
consider this information in their
vehicle purchase decisions.
60-Day Notices:
On April 28, 2020, NHTSA published
a notice in the Federal Register
soliciting public comments with a 60day comment period (85 FR 23598).
NHTSA received 4 public comments
submitted to the docket during this
period. Given the extended time period
since the initial publication of that
notice, NHTSA published a new 60-day
notice on November 19, 2021 (86 FR
64989) seeking comment on the same
ICR. The November 19, 2021 notice
sought public comment on the ICR and
also responded to the comments
received on the original notice.
The comment period for the
November 19, 2021 notice closed on
5 Section 24322 of Part II—Safety Through
Informed Consumers Act of 2015 requires the
Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by delegation)
to issue a rule to ensure that crash-avoidance
information is indicated next to crashworthiness
information on stickers placed on motor vehicles by
their manufacturers. Public Law 114–94, December
4, 2015.
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January 18, 2022. NHTSA received
seven (7) public comments. NHTSA
received public comments from General
Motors (GM), National Safety Council
(NSC), National Automobile Dealers
Association (NADA), Motor &
Equipment Manufacturers Association
(MEMA), VERITY Now, Auto Innovators
and a member of the general public.
In addition to receiving general
comments about the ICR, NHTSA
received comments on the following
topics: (1) selection of and number of
research participants (2) study
methodology; and (3) suggestions
regarding the content of the labels
presented to research particpants.
NHTSA also received comments
regarding topics not directly related to
the ICR. The public comments and
NHTSA’s responses are summarized
below.
NHTSA received general support for
conducting the research from two
commentors. NSC’s comment stated that
they ‘‘applaud the proposed action of
NHTSA to conduct qualitative research
to identify ways to improve the
information displayed and
communicated through the 5-Star Safety
Ratings.’’ Auto Innovators stated that it
supports the proposed collection of
information as it is both necessary for
the proper performance of the functions
of the agency in ensuring a modernized
approach to NCAP, and because the
information can have practical utility in
informing the structure and content of
the Monroney label. The comment from
Auto Innovator also encouraged NHTSA
to prioritize this information collection
effort to ensure that it is completed in
a timely manner.
Participant Selection:
NHTSA received three comments
regarding participant selection. NADA
urges NHTSA to pre-screen potential
participants to ensure they are
prospective purchasers. GM stated that
it believes participants should be drawn
from the population of households that
acquired a new vehicle, not used as the
window label is more relevant to new
vehicle buyers. GM also recommended
reducing the number of participants
from 9 to 6 to provide for better
engagement of participants.
The comment from the National
Safety Council (NSC) suggests that
NHTSA should conduct the research to
improve the sharing of information by
engaging a diverse set of the consumers
and having representative selection in
each focus group to ensure the best
input with all consumers. GM suggested
reducing cities and suggested that
conducting the research in 4 cities may
be unnecessary.
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NHTSA Response: The study will use
focus groups to collect insights to guide
potential redesign of the Government 5Star Safety Ratings section of the
Monroney label (vehicle window
sticker). The target audience for the
research will include licensed drivers,
ages 18+ who are either a primary or
shared decision-maker for vehicle
purchases in the household, have either
recently purchased a motor vehicle (last
6 months) OR who are likely to do so
in the next 12 months AND reside in
one of the four target markets where the
research will be conducted. NHTSA will
use a total of four markets to provide a
mix of geographies (east coast, midwest, southwest and west coast).
Additionally, participants will be
recruited to represent a mix of
demographics (age, gender, ethnicity,
etc.).
Research Methodology:
NHTSA received several comments
on research methodology. Specifically,
GM and NADA noted that the 60-day
notice did not outline the specific
changes it will present to the focus
groups. GM’s comment stated that
NHTSA’s research plan in the public
notice did not discuss the specific
content or how the content will be
presented to participants. GM also states
that NHTSA did not specify the number
or format of the concepts or mention the
qualifications to participate in the
research study.
Response: NHTSA notes that the
study will use data driven insights from
the qualitative research to guide
potential redesign of the Government 5Star Safety Ratings section of the
Monroney label (vehicle window
sticker). The research will evaluate a
variety of concept executions to explore
both graphical and text-based
communications as potential
modifications to the Government 5-Star
Safety Ratings section of the Monroney
label with the intent of finding the most
effective way to display information
related to vehicle safety.6 During the
focus groups participants will first
review an example (poster-sized version
of a window sticker and smaller version
in a respondent workbook) of the
current design of the Monroney Label to
help identify what areas are effective at
grabbing their attention and which areas
(if any) are unclear or confusing. The
discussion will then focus on the
section of window sticker featuring the
Government 5-star safety ratings to
6 For more detailed information about the
research methodology, please see the background
documents available www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. To find this particular collection, select
‘‘Currently under Review—Open for Public
Comment’’ or use the search function.
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capture reactions (clarity of information,
size, color, ability to grab attention,
etc.). The remaining discussion will
focus on evaluating concepts for new
designs. The research expects to test
label concepts for improvement on three
main sections related to safety
protection, safety technology and
overall vehicle safety performance and
will include up to three alternative
design concepts. NHTSA is also
considering additional quantitative
market research to further confirm and
validate the findings.
One of the core objectives of the
research is to measure the clarity and
ease of comprehension for each concept
and understand which visual and text
features are most effective at conveying
safety information. This will be
accomplished through a mix of
workbook activities where each
participant can identify specific
elements, visuals, words or phrases that
are unclear or confusing and a
subsequent group discussion to debrief
on any problem areas. Furthermore, the
research will examine the vehicle safety
information in the current window
sticker design along with several
alternative concepts that use different
ways of displaying safety information to
determine the most effective way to
communicate the relative safety
performance. The use of different visual
designs will allow NHTSA to better
understand consumer reactions to the
size and orientation of safety content on
the label and to determine the
importance of various elements along
with and potential trade-offs to be
considered when prioritizing safety
information.
Label Content:
Several commenters included specific
recommendations about the different
designs that study participants would be
asked to evaluate. The comment from
Auto Innovators urges NHTSA to
explore testing different ratings formats
that differ from the current U.S. star
rating to determine whether consumers
can easily interpret information
presented in different formats on the
same label. Auto Innovators suggests
that NHTSA should consider whether
safety information can be effectively
communicated both in the presence or
absence of color. Auto Innovators also
suggests that NHTSA’s research should
assess differentiation between various
levels of performance. The comment
from the Auto Innovators also discussed
results from a consumer survey they
conducted and stated that the results of
the survey suggests that the assessment
criteria should be structured to allow for
differentiation between various levels of
performance. Specifically, 84% of
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respondents to their survey indicated
that half stars would be helpful with
few indicating they would be unhelpful.
Auto Innovators urged NHTSA to
consider this, and other results from
their suvery, as part of its focus group
engagement.
NHTSA also received general
comments regarding the label from
MEMA and NSC. MEMA suggests that
NHTSA should utilize common,
consumer-friendly technology
nomenclature, and maintain the use of
star ratings on the label/program. NSC
suggested that NHTSA’s new label(s)
should be approachable and include
well understood language that all
people can understand. Both Auto
Innovators and MEMA suggested
leveraging QR codes to provide more
detailed information to consumers.
Response: The research will examine
the vehicle safety information in the
current window sticker design along
with several alternative concepts that
use different ways of displaying safety
information to determine the most
effective way to communicate the
relative safety performance. The use of
different visual designs will allow
NHTSA to better understand consumer
reactions to the size and orientation of
safety content on the label and to
determine the importance of various
elements along with and potential tradeoffs to be considered when prioritizing
safety information. This, in turn, will
help to inform changes to the label
requirements as well as future consumer
communications on vehicle safety
ratings and safety technology systems
performance assessments to assist the
public when making vehicle purchasing
decisions.
The research will include several
alternative designs and consumer
reaction to the different elements will
help illustrate which format(s) are
effective at helping the consumer
quickly assess differentiation between
various levels of safety performance.
As part of the research, NHTSA
specifically plans to examine the role of
color and see if there is any evidence to
suggest concerns over the ability to
understand the differences when
showing information in black and white
(versus displaying it in color).
Other Comments:
NHTSA also received several
comments that were not relevant to the
information collection, but rather
commented on NCAP more generally.
NSC’s comment stated their support for
changes to NCAP to include, a
minimum, changes for crash avoidance,
crashworthiness, and pedestrian
detection. And recommended that
NHTSA should work with
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manufacturers at no additional cost to
consumers. NHTSA also received a
comment from VERITY Now, and an
individual, Maria, Kuhn, suggesting that
NHTSA’s test should be more equitable
to account for women. VERITY Now’s
comment suggested that the 5-star
program does not test for women in the
driver’s seat and that the crash test
dummies NHTSA uses to represent
women in other vehicle positions are
based on male physiology.
Response: While these comments are
not directly relevant to this ICR, NHTSA
notes that the agency does use female
crash test dummies in various crash
tests in both the 5-star safety ratings
program and the compliance crash test
program. The focus of this consumer
research, however, is to refine the
vehicle safety information currently
included in the 5-star safety ratings
program on the Monroney label from a
consumer-focused perspective. The
comment proposed here is outside the
scope of this consumer research effort.
However, the agency continues to
evaluate this matter from a technical
research perspective.
Affected Public: Members of the
public 18 years of age or older with a
driver’s license, who are a decisionmaker for vehicle purchases for their
household, has either purchased or
leased a vehicle in the last six months
or is planning to do so in the next 12
months and lives in one of the four
markets to conduct the research
(Arlington, VA; Dallas, TX; Columbus,
OH; or San Jose, CA).
Frequency: One time.
Number of Respondents: 500.
For this information collection,
NHTSA plans to conduct a total of eight
focus group sessions (two groups in
each of the following recommended
markets: Arlington, VA; Dallas, TX;
Columbus, OH; and San Jose, CA), each
lasting approximately 90 minutes.
NHTSA intends for each focus group to
consist of approximately nine
participants (six participants in
Arlington, due to social distancing
restrictions) for a total of 66 participants
in the focus group sessions. Based on
experience, NHTSA will need to recruit
up to 14 people per focus group in order
to ensure that the desired number will
appear at the focus group facility at the
appointed time. If more than the desired
number of participants show up at the
facility for a given session, the research
team will select nine participants (six in
Arlington) based on their profile
information provided in the recruitment
grid to seat. The remaining participants
will be paid their honorarium, thanked
for their willingness to participate, and
informed that they are free to go.
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 193 / Thursday, October 6, 2022 / Notices
Therefore, in order to ensure that there
are approximately nine participants (six
in Arlington) per focus group session, a
total of 100 potential participants (eight
per focus group in Arlington and 14 per
focus group in other markets) will be
recruited via telephone screening calls,
which are estimated to take five minutes
per call. In order to recruit 100 potential
participants, NHTSA estimates that it
will be necessary to initially reach out
to and screen 500 people. This is based
on experience that demonstrates that, of
the people who are contacted, 20% will
qualify for the study, be available and be
interested in participating in the focus
group.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 141 hours.
NHTSA estimates the total burden per
person actually participating in this
Number of
respondents
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Category of respondent
focus group research is estimated to be
95 minutes (five minutes for the
screening/recruiting telephone call plus
90 minutes in the focus group
discussion session). Additionally, the
total burden per person recruited (but
not participating in the discussions) is
five minutes. Therefore, the total annual
estimated burden imposed by this
collection is approximately 141 hours.
Participation
time
(minutes)
Burden
Recruit/screening call (assumes 20% qualify, are available and interested in participating in the focus group).
Participation in 90-minute group ................................................................
500
5
66
90
99.0 hours.
Total Burden .......................................................................................
........................
........................
141 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost:
$3,360.00.
The only cost burdens respondents
will incur are costs related to travel to
and from the research location. The
costs are minimal and are expected to be
offset by the honorarium that will be
provided to all research participants.
NHTSA estimates that each of the focus
group participants will travel less than
30 miles one-way to the focus group
location (60 miles round trip). Using the
IRS standard mileage rate of $0.56 per
mile,7 each respondent is expected to
incur no more than $33.60 in
transportation costs. Therefore, NHTSA
estimates that the total costs to all
respondents will be $3,360.00.
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
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) 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;
(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
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as
7 From Internal Revenue Services’ 2021 Standard
Mileage Rate for business miles driven. https://
www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileagerates, last accessed May 7, 2021.
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17:46 Oct 05, 2022
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amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order
1351.29A.
Issued on: September 30, 2022.
Juliette Marie Vallese,
Associate Administrator, Office of
Communications and Consumer Information.
[FR Doc. 2022–21712 Filed 10–5–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of Foreign Assets Control
Notice of OFAC Sanctions Actions
Office of Foreign Assets
Control, Treasury.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of the
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) is publishing the names
of one or more persons that have been
placed on OFAC’s Specially Designated
Nationals and Blocked Persons List
based on OFAC’s determination that one
or more applicable legal criteria were
satisfied. All property and interests in
property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of
these persons are blocked, and U.S.
persons are generally prohibited from
engaging in transactions with them.
DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for effective date(s).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
OFAC: Andrea Gacki, Director, tel.:
202–622–2420; Associate Director for
Global Targeting, tel.: 202–622–2420;
Assistant Director for Sanctions
Compliance & Evaluation, tel.: 202–622–
2490; Assistant Director for Licensing,
tel.: 202–622–2480; or Assistant Director
for Regulatory Affairs, tel.: 202–622–
4855.
SUMMARY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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41.7 hours, or 42 hours (rounded).
Electronic Availability
The Specially Designated Nationals
and Blocked Persons List and additional
information concerning OFAC sanctions
programs are available on OFAC’s
website (https://www.treasury.gov/ofac).
Notice of OFAC Action(s)
On October 3, 2022, OFAC
determined that the property and
interests in property subject to U.S.
jurisdiction of the following persons are
blocked under the relevant sanctions
authority listed below.
Individuals
1. NOVALIC, Fadil, Bosnia and
Herzegovina; DOB 25 Sep 1959; POB
Gradacac, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
nationality Bosnia and Herzegovina; citizen
Bosnia and Herzegovina; Gender Male; Prime
Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina (individual) [BALKANS–
EO14033].
Designated pursuant to section 1(a)(ii) of
Executive Order 14033 of June 8, 2021,
‘‘Blocking Property and Suspending Entry
into the United States of Certain Persons
Contributing to the Destabilizing Situation in
the Western Balkans,’’ 86 FR 31079 (June 10,
2021) (E.O. 14033) for being responsible for
or complicit in, or having directly or
indirectly engaged in, actions or policies that
undermine democratic processes or
institutions in the Western Balkans.
2. STANKOVIC, Slobodan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina; DOB 01 Jan 1949; POB Banja
Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; nationality
Bosnia and Herzegovina; Gender Male
(individual) [BALKANS–EO14033] (Linked
To: DODIK, Milorad).
Designated pursuant to section 1(a)(vi) of
E.O. 14033 for having materially assisted,
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or
technological support for, or goods or
services to or in support of, Milorad Dodik,
a person whose property and interests in
property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14033.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60744-60747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21712]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0033]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for
Comment; Government 5-Star Safety Ratings Label Consumer Research
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for approval of a
new information collection.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR)
summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This document describes a new
collection of information for consumer research purposes regarding the
Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section of the Monroney label for
which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval. A Federal Register Notice
with a 60-day comment period was published on November 19, 2021. Seven
(7) public comments were received before the closing date of January
18, 2022.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 7, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection, including suggestions for reducing burden,
should be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget at
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. To find this particular information
collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comment''
or use the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access
to background documents, contact Mike Joyce, Marketing Specialist,
Office of Communications and Consumer Information (NCO-0200), National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, W52-
238, Washington, DC 20590. Mike Joyce's phone number is 202-366-5600
and his email address is [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), a
Federal agency must receive approval from the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) before it collects certain information from the public and
a person is not required to respond to a collection of information by a
Federal agency unless the collection displays a valid OMB control
number. In compliance with these requirements, this notice announces
that the following information collection request will be submitted
OMB.
Title: Government 5-Star Safety Ratings Label Consumer Research.
OMB Control Number: 2127-New.
Form Number(s): NHTSA Form 1681, NHSTSA Form 1682, NHTSA Form 1683.
Type of Request: Request for approval of a new information
collection.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval
date.
Abstract: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91-
605, 202(a), 84 Stat. 1713, 1739-40). NHTSA'S mission is to save lives,
prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to crashes on the
nation's highways. Part C of the Motor Vehicle and Driver Programs, at
49 U.S.C. 32302, requires the Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by
delegation) to provide to the public information about the safety of
new passenger motor vehicles. Under its New Car Assessment Program
(NCAP) and 5-Star Safety Ratings Program, NHTSA conducts frontal crash,
side crash and rollover resistance tests of new vehicles and, based on
the results, assigns safety ratings to the tested vehicles. The ratings
enable consumers to consider and assess the relative safety of vehicles
before deciding which new vehicle they want to purchase.
In 2005, Congress enacted the Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)
(Pub. L. 109-59), which required the safety ratings assigned by NHTSA
under NCAP or a statement that the vehicle was not assigned safety
ratings under NCAP to be included on the window label for new vehicles,
known as the Monroney label.\1\ Per 15 U.S.C. 1232(g), the window label
must contain the safety ratings published or released by NHTSA's New
Car Assessment Program, including the graphical depiction of those
ratings, reference to the safety rating categories (e.g., frontal
impact crashes tests, side impact crash tests, and rollover restistance
tests), and information describing the nature and meaning of the crash
test data presented and a reference to https://www.safercar.gov. This
information must be presented in a legible, visible, and prominent
fashion that covers at least 8 percent of the total area of the label,
or an area with a minimum length of four and a half inches and a
minimum height of three and a half inches. If a vehicle has not been
rated by NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program, then the label much state
that.\2\ On December 4, 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's
Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which requires the Secretary of
Transportation (NHTSA by delegation) to issue a rule to ensure crash-
avoidance information is provided next to crashworthiness information
on vehicle window stickers.\3\
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\1\ The Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958, 15 U.S.C.
1231-1233, requires that new vehicles carry a sticker on a window
containing specified information about the vehicle.
\2\ 12 U.S.C. 1232(h).
\3\ Section 24322 of Part II--Safety Through Informed Consumers
Act of 2015. Public Law 114-94.
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In continuing support of its mission and to assist the agency in
meeting its FAST Act requirement, NHTSA proposes to conduct qualitative
research using focus groups in four geographic markets located across
the country to evaluate design and consumer information improvements to
the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section of the Monroney label.\4\
This information collection will involve a one-time, voluntary phone
screening survey involving members of the public to identify research
participants for a one-time, in-person focus group. Participants in the
research program will be asked to evaluate design and consumer
information improvements to the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings
section of the vehicle window sticker. NHTSA will use the findings from
this research to support planned changes to the current label
requirements and future designs for communicating vehicle safety
ratings and advanced driver assistance systems performance assessments
to consumers.
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\4\ 15 U.S.C. 1232.
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Summary of the Collection of Information: In this collection of
[[Page 60745]]
information, NHTSA is seeking approval to conduct qualitative focus
groups with 66 consumer participants. The focus groups aim to achieve
the following objectives:
(1) Evaluate the overall appeal of each label concept and identify
specific likes and dislikes associated with specific components of the
label;
(2) Measure the ease of comprehension for each label concept and
understand which visual and text features are most effective at
conveying vehicle safety information;
(3) Assess the distinctiveness of how the information is displayed
and understand how best to make the vehicle safety information stand
out on the Monroney label; and,
(4) Identify additional areas of improvement related to the three
main label sections relating to safety protection, safety technology,
and overall vehicle safety performance.
Description of the Need for the Information and the Proposed Use of
the Information: This collection of information will allow NHTSA to
obtain critical information to assist the agency in fulfilling the 2015
FAST Act's requirement that NHTSA issue a rule to ensure that crash-
avoidance information is provided next to crashworthiness information
on vehicle windows stickers.\5\ Specifically, the data from this
collection will be used to not only enhance consumer understanding of
NHTSA's vehicle safety ratings and advanced driver assistance systems
performance assessments, but also guide the development of
communications that will help consumers as they consider this
information in their vehicle purchase decisions.
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\5\ Section 24322 of Part II--Safety Through Informed Consumers
Act of 2015 requires the Secretary of Transportation (NHTSA by
delegation) to issue a rule to ensure that crash-avoidance
information is indicated next to crashworthiness information on
stickers placed on motor vehicles by their manufacturers. Public Law
114-94, December 4, 2015.
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60-Day Notices:
On April 28, 2020, NHTSA published a notice in the Federal Register
soliciting public comments with a 60-day comment period (85 FR 23598).
NHTSA received 4 public comments submitted to the docket during this
period. Given the extended time period since the initial publication of
that notice, NHTSA published a new 60-day notice on November 19, 2021
(86 FR 64989) seeking comment on the same ICR. The November 19, 2021
notice sought public comment on the ICR and also responded to the
comments received on the original notice.
The comment period for the November 19, 2021 notice closed on
January 18, 2022. NHTSA received seven (7) public comments. NHTSA
received public comments from General Motors (GM), National Safety
Council (NSC), National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), Motor &
Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), VERITY Now, Auto Innovators
and a member of the general public.
In addition to receiving general comments about the ICR, NHTSA
received comments on the following topics: (1) selection of and number
of research participants (2) study methodology; and (3) suggestions
regarding the content of the labels presented to research particpants.
NHTSA also received comments regarding topics not directly related to
the ICR. The public comments and NHTSA's responses are summarized
below.
NHTSA received general support for conducting the research from two
commentors. NSC's comment stated that they ``applaud the proposed
action of NHTSA to conduct qualitative research to identify ways to
improve the information displayed and communicated through the 5-Star
Safety Ratings.'' Auto Innovators stated that it supports the proposed
collection of information as it is both necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency in ensuring a modernized
approach to NCAP, and because the information can have practical
utility in informing the structure and content of the Monroney label.
The comment from Auto Innovator also encouraged NHTSA to prioritize
this information collection effort to ensure that it is completed in a
timely manner.
Participant Selection:
NHTSA received three comments regarding participant selection. NADA
urges NHTSA to pre-screen potential participants to ensure they are
prospective purchasers. GM stated that it believes participants should
be drawn from the population of households that acquired a new vehicle,
not used as the window label is more relevant to new vehicle buyers. GM
also recommended reducing the number of participants from 9 to 6 to
provide for better engagement of participants.
The comment from the National Safety Council (NSC) suggests that
NHTSA should conduct the research to improve the sharing of information
by engaging a diverse set of the consumers and having representative
selection in each focus group to ensure the best input with all
consumers. GM suggested reducing cities and suggested that conducting
the research in 4 cities may be unnecessary.
NHTSA Response: The study will use focus groups to collect insights
to guide potential redesign of the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings
section of the Monroney label (vehicle window sticker). The target
audience for the research will include licensed drivers, ages 18+ who
are either a primary or shared decision-maker for vehicle purchases in
the household, have either recently purchased a motor vehicle (last 6
months) OR who are likely to do so in the next 12 months AND reside in
one of the four target markets where the research will be conducted.
NHTSA will use a total of four markets to provide a mix of geographies
(east coast, mid-west, southwest and west coast). Additionally,
participants will be recruited to represent a mix of demographics (age,
gender, ethnicity, etc.).
Research Methodology:
NHTSA received several comments on research methodology.
Specifically, GM and NADA noted that the 60-day notice did not outline
the specific changes it will present to the focus groups. GM's comment
stated that NHTSA's research plan in the public notice did not discuss
the specific content or how the content will be presented to
participants. GM also states that NHTSA did not specify the number or
format of the concepts or mention the qualifications to participate in
the research study.
Response: NHTSA notes that the study will use data driven insights
from the qualitative research to guide potential redesign of the
Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section of the Monroney label (vehicle
window sticker). The research will evaluate a variety of concept
executions to explore both graphical and text-based communications as
potential modifications to the Government 5-Star Safety Ratings section
of the Monroney label with the intent of finding the most effective way
to display information related to vehicle safety.\6\ During the focus
groups participants will first review an example (poster-sized version
of a window sticker and smaller version in a respondent workbook) of
the current design of the Monroney Label to help identify what areas
are effective at grabbing their attention and which areas (if any) are
unclear or confusing. The discussion will then focus on the section of
window sticker featuring the Government 5-star safety ratings to
[[Page 60746]]
capture reactions (clarity of information, size, color, ability to grab
attention, etc.). The remaining discussion will focus on evaluating
concepts for new designs. The research expects to test label concepts
for improvement on three main sections related to safety protection,
safety technology and overall vehicle safety performance and will
include up to three alternative design concepts. NHTSA is also
considering additional quantitative market research to further confirm
and validate the findings.
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\6\ For more detailed information about the research
methodology, please see the background documents available
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. To find this particular
collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for Public
Comment'' or use the search function.
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One of the core objectives of the research is to measure the
clarity and ease of comprehension for each concept and understand which
visual and text features are most effective at conveying safety
information. This will be accomplished through a mix of workbook
activities where each participant can identify specific elements,
visuals, words or phrases that are unclear or confusing and a
subsequent group discussion to debrief on any problem areas.
Furthermore, the research will examine the vehicle safety information
in the current window sticker design along with several alternative
concepts that use different ways of displaying safety information to
determine the most effective way to communicate the relative safety
performance. The use of different visual designs will allow NHTSA to
better understand consumer reactions to the size and orientation of
safety content on the label and to determine the importance of various
elements along with and potential trade-offs to be considered when
prioritizing safety information.
Label Content:
Several commenters included specific recommendations about the
different designs that study participants would be asked to evaluate.
The comment from Auto Innovators urges NHTSA to explore testing
different ratings formats that differ from the current U.S. star rating
to determine whether consumers can easily interpret information
presented in different formats on the same label. Auto Innovators
suggests that NHTSA should consider whether safety information can be
effectively communicated both in the presence or absence of color. Auto
Innovators also suggests that NHTSA's research should assess
differentiation between various levels of performance. The comment from
the Auto Innovators also discussed results from a consumer survey they
conducted and stated that the results of the survey suggests that the
assessment criteria should be structured to allow for differentiation
between various levels of performance. Specifically, 84% of respondents
to their survey indicated that half stars would be helpful with few
indicating they would be unhelpful. Auto Innovators urged NHTSA to
consider this, and other results from their suvery, as part of its
focus group engagement.
NHTSA also received general comments regarding the label from MEMA
and NSC. MEMA suggests that NHTSA should utilize common, consumer-
friendly technology nomenclature, and maintain the use of star ratings
on the label/program. NSC suggested that NHTSA's new label(s) should be
approachable and include well understood language that all people can
understand. Both Auto Innovators and MEMA suggested leveraging QR codes
to provide more detailed information to consumers.
Response: The research will examine the vehicle safety information
in the current window sticker design along with several alternative
concepts that use different ways of displaying safety information to
determine the most effective way to communicate the relative safety
performance. The use of different visual designs will allow NHTSA to
better understand consumer reactions to the size and orientation of
safety content on the label and to determine the importance of various
elements along with and potential trade-offs to be considered when
prioritizing safety information. This, in turn, will help to inform
changes to the label requirements as well as future consumer
communications on vehicle safety ratings and safety technology systems
performance assessments to assist the public when making vehicle
purchasing decisions.
The research will include several alternative designs and consumer
reaction to the different elements will help illustrate which format(s)
are effective at helping the consumer quickly assess differentiation
between various levels of safety performance.
As part of the research, NHTSA specifically plans to examine the
role of color and see if there is any evidence to suggest concerns over
the ability to understand the differences when showing information in
black and white (versus displaying it in color).
Other Comments:
NHTSA also received several comments that were not relevant to the
information collection, but rather commented on NCAP more generally.
NSC's comment stated their support for changes to NCAP to include, a
minimum, changes for crash avoidance, crashworthiness, and pedestrian
detection. And recommended that NHTSA should work with manufacturers at
no additional cost to consumers. NHTSA also received a comment from
VERITY Now, and an individual, Maria, Kuhn, suggesting that NHTSA's
test should be more equitable to account for women. VERITY Now's
comment suggested that the 5-star program does not test for women in
the driver's seat and that the crash test dummies NHTSA uses to
represent women in other vehicle positions are based on male
physiology.
Response: While these comments are not directly relevant to this
ICR, NHTSA notes that the agency does use female crash test dummies in
various crash tests in both the 5-star safety ratings program and the
compliance crash test program. The focus of this consumer research,
however, is to refine the vehicle safety information currently included
in the 5-star safety ratings program on the Monroney label from a
consumer-focused perspective. The comment proposed here is outside the
scope of this consumer research effort. However, the agency continues
to evaluate this matter from a technical research perspective.
Affected Public: Members of the public 18 years of age or older
with a driver's license, who are a decision-maker for vehicle purchases
for their household, has either purchased or leased a vehicle in the
last six months or is planning to do so in the next 12 months and lives
in one of the four markets to conduct the research (Arlington, VA;
Dallas, TX; Columbus, OH; or San Jose, CA).
Frequency: One time.
Number of Respondents: 500.
For this information collection, NHTSA plans to conduct a total of
eight focus group sessions (two groups in each of the following
recommended markets: Arlington, VA; Dallas, TX; Columbus, OH; and San
Jose, CA), each lasting approximately 90 minutes. NHTSA intends for
each focus group to consist of approximately nine participants (six
participants in Arlington, due to social distancing restrictions) for a
total of 66 participants in the focus group sessions. Based on
experience, NHTSA will need to recruit up to 14 people per focus group
in order to ensure that the desired number will appear at the focus
group facility at the appointed time. If more than the desired number
of participants show up at the facility for a given session, the
research team will select nine participants (six in Arlington) based on
their profile information provided in the recruitment grid to seat. The
remaining participants will be paid their honorarium, thanked for their
willingness to participate, and informed that they are free to go.
[[Page 60747]]
Therefore, in order to ensure that there are approximately nine
participants (six in Arlington) per focus group session, a total of 100
potential participants (eight per focus group in Arlington and 14 per
focus group in other markets) will be recruited via telephone screening
calls, which are estimated to take five minutes per call. In order to
recruit 100 potential participants, NHTSA estimates that it will be
necessary to initially reach out to and screen 500 people. This is
based on experience that demonstrates that, of the people who are
contacted, 20% will qualify for the study, be available and be
interested in participating in the focus group.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 141 hours.
NHTSA estimates the total burden per person actually participating
in this focus group research is estimated to be 95 minutes (five
minutes for the screening/recruiting telephone call plus 90 minutes in
the focus group discussion session). Additionally, the total burden per
person recruited (but not participating in the discussions) is five
minutes. Therefore, the total annual estimated burden imposed by this
collection is approximately 141 hours.
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Number of Participation
Category of respondent respondents time (minutes) Burden
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Recruit/screening call (assumes 20% qualify, 500 5 41.7 hours, or 42 hours
are available and interested in participating (rounded).
in the focus group).
Participation in 90-minute group.............. 66 90 99.0 hours.
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Total Burden.............................. .............. .............. 141 hours.
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $3,360.00.
The only cost burdens respondents will incur are costs related to
travel to and from the research location. The costs are minimal and are
expected to be offset by the honorarium that will be provided to all
research participants. NHTSA estimates that each of the focus group
participants will travel less than 30 miles one-way to the focus group
location (60 miles round trip). Using the IRS standard mileage rate of
$0.56 per mile,\7\ each respondent is expected to incur no more than
$33.60 in transportation costs. Therefore, NHTSA estimates that the
total costs to all respondents will be $3,360.00.
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\7\ From Internal Revenue Services' 2021 Standard Mileage Rate
for business miles driven. https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/standard-mileage-rates, last accessed May 7, 2021.
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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 agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) 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; (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 appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.
Issued on: September 30, 2022.
Juliette Marie Vallese,
Associate Administrator, Office of Communications and Consumer
Information.
[FR Doc. 2022-21712 Filed 10-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
