Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), Non-Traffic Surveillance (NTS) and Special Studies Data Collection, 77948-77952 [2022-27561]

Agencies

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 243 (Tuesday, December 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77948-77952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27561]



[[Page 77948]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. DOT-NHTSA-2922-0049]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for 
Comment; Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), Non-Traffic Surveillance 
(NTS) and Special Studies Data Collection

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a request for extension with 
modification of a currently approved 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) 
abstracted below will be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of 
the information collection and its expected burden. This document 
describes a currently approved collection of information for which 
NHTSA intends to seek approval from OMB for extension with modification 
on NHTSA's Records-Based Crash Data Studies: Crash Report Sampling 
System (CRSS), Non-Traffic Surveillance (NTS), and special studies. A 
Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments on the following information collection was published on 
September 28, 2022. One supporting comment was received.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by January 19, 2023.

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 
on, 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 Jonae S. Anderson, State Data Reporting Systems Division (NSA-
120), (202) 366-1028, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590. Please identify the relevant collection of 
information by referring to its OMB Control Number.

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 to 
OMB.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
public comments on the following information collection was published 
on September 28, 2022 (87 FR 58905).
    Title: Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), Non-Traffic 
Surveillance System (NTS), and Special Studies.
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0714.
    Form Number(s): 1696.
    Type of Request: Request for extension with modification of a 
currently approved information collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information:
    NHTSA is authorized by 49 U.S.C. 30182 and 23 U.S.C. 403 to collect 
data on motor vehicle traffic crashes to aid in the identification of 
issues and the development, implementation, and evaluation of motor 
vehicle and highway safety countermeasures to reduce fatalities and the 
property damage associated with motor vehicle crashes. Using this 
authority, NHTSA established the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), 
CRSS related Special Studies and the Non-Traffic Surveillance (NTS). 
Through these efforts, NHTSA collects data on motor vehicle crashes, 
including crashes involving injuries and fatalities, property damage 
only crashes, as well as non-traffic crashes that involve injuries and 
fatalities. NHTSA uses information from these data collections to 
support NHTSA's mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce 
economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes.
    Since late 1970s, NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and 
Analysis (NCSA) has utilized a multidisciplinary approach to meet the 
data needs of our end users that leverages an efficient combination of 
census, sample-based, and existing State files to provide information 
on traffic crashes on a timely basis. Beginning in 2016, the CRSS has 
been used to identify highway safety problem areas and provide general 
data trends. The Non-Traffic Surveillance System (NTS) provides data 
regarding fatalities and injuries that occur in non-traffic crashes and 
non-crash incidents.
    CRSS obtains data from a nationally representative probability 
sample selected from police reported motor vehicle traffic crashes. 
Specifically, CRSS collects data on crashes involving at least one 
motor vehicle in transport on a trafficway that resulted in property 
damage, injury or a fatality will be included in the CRSS sample. The 
crash reports sampled will be chosen from selected areas that reflect 
the geography, population, miles driven, and the number of crashes in 
the United States. No additional data beyond the selected crash reports 
will be collected. Once the crash reports are received, they will be 
coded and the data will be entered into the CRSS Records Based 
Information Solution (RBIS), the repository for CRSS cases and 
reporting tools.
    CRSS will acquire nationally representative information on 
fatalities, injuries and property damage directly from existing State 
police crash reports. The user population includes Federal and State 
agencies, automobile manufacturers, insurance companies, and the 
private sector. Annual changes in the sample parameters are minor in 
terms of operation and method of data collection, and do not affect the 
reporting burden on respondents.
    The Non-Traffic Surveillance (NTS) is a data collection effort for 
collecting information about counts and details regarding fatalities 
and injuries that occur in non-traffic crashes and non-crash incidents. 
Non-traffic crashes are crashes that occur off a public trafficway 
(e.g., private roads, parking lots, or driveways), and non-crash 
incidents are incidents involving motor vehicles but do not involve a 
crash scenario, such as carbon monoxide poisoning and hypo/
hyperthermia. NTS non-traffic crash data are obtained through NHTSA's 
data collection efforts for the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), 
the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS),\1\ and the Fatality 
Analysis Reporting System (FARS).\2\ NTS also includes data outside of 
NHTSA's own data collections. NTS' non-crash injury data is based upon 
emergency department records from a special study conducted by the 
Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury

[[Page 77949]]

Surveillance System (NEISS) All Injury Program. NTS non-crash fatality 
data is derived from death certificate information from the Centers for 
Disease Control's National Vital Statistics System.
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    \1\ NHTSA's information collection for CISS is covered by the 
ICR with OMB Control No. 2127-0706.
    \2\ NHTSA's information collection for FARS is covered by the 
ICR with OMB Control No. 2127-0006.
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    For the NTS data collection this notice only discusses for the non-
traffic crash portion that is collected using methods for the CRSS data 
collection. The non-traffic crash data that feed into NTS from the FARS 
and CISS data collection efforts are covered under information 
collection clearances for those data collection efforts. This is done 
because the data is collected differently under each of NHTSA's three 
data collection efforts. During the CRSS and CISS sampling process, NTS 
applicable crashes will be chosen from the same sample sites. The FARS 
data collection effort uncovers NTS applicable reports received from 
the State during their normal data collection activities for FARS. 
Therefore, the burden for NTS is included in each study's calculation. 
No additional data will be collected beyond the NTS applicable reports. 
Once the crash reports are received, each case will be coded into the 
NTS RBIS application. NHTSA uses NTS data to estimate fatalities and 
injuries in non-traffic crashes, which are crashes which occur off the 
trafficways such as nonpublic roads, driveways, and parking lots.
    In addition to CRSS data collection, NHTSA may require special 
studies to further analyze motor vehicle crashes in the CRSS 
jurisdictions. One type of special study is the collection of data from 
the non-sampled crashes from CRSS Police Jurisdictions (PJs) by the 
crash report Strata, NTS applicable, or out of scope, to help assess 
the accuracy of the PJ frame. Non-sample PJs are defined as PJs that 
investigate motor vehicle crashes within the CRSS PSU boundaries but 
are not sampled through the CRSS study.
    Another special study NHTSA may require is the CRSS PJ frame 
evaluation. The PJ frame is constantly changing: new PJs start 
operating, existing PJs are closed, multiple PJs are merged into one 
PJ, or one PJ splits into multiple PJs. The current CRSS PJ sample was 
selected from the 2016 PJ frame and the PJ weights were calculated 
accordingly. If the PJ frame has changed dramatically from the 2016 PJ 
frame, the CRSS PJ weights are no longer correct and the CRSS estimates 
may be biased. To prevent this, NHTSA needs to evaluate the current PJ 
frame to identify all PJs that currently generate PCRs for the sampled 
non-Electronic Data Transfer (EDT) PSUs and collect 6 crash counts 
(total crashes, fatal crashes, injury crashes, pedestrian crashes, 
motorcycle crashes, and commercial motor vehicle crashes). The EDT is 
the nightly transfer of crash data. EDT PSUs have been collapsed into 
one PJ and sample crash reports throughout the county. Thus, the 
concern of completeness of the PJ frame in EDT PSUs, isn't an issue. 
Additionally, this study is different from the non-sample count special 
study, because the six crash counts are unrelated to CRSS or NTS 
applicability. These crash counts will be used as PJ measurement of 
size for PJ sample selection or PJ weight adjustment if needed.
    NHTSA is seeking approval to modify the existing information 
collection to (a) reduce the burden hour estimates for CRSS information 
collection to account for previous inflated estimates and current 
efficiencies and (b) add the non-sampled Special Study into this 
package. The combined impact is an increase of 6,998 burden hours to 
NHTSA's overall total.
    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 losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. To 
accomplish this mission, NHTSA needs high-quality data on motor vehicle 
crashes. The CRSS supports this mission by providing the agency with 
vital information about a nationally representative sample involving 
motor vehicle traffic crashes that occur on our nation's roadways.
    CRSS data is used extensively by all the NHTSA program and research 
offices, other DOT modes, States, and local jurisdictions. The highway 
research community uses the CRSS data for trend analysis, problem 
identification, and program evaluation. Congress uses the CRSS data for 
making decisions concerning safety programs. The CRSS data is made 
publicly available to anyone interested in highway safety.
    The NTS is a Congressionally mandated data collection effort, which 
provides counts and details regarding injuries and fatalities that 
occur in non-traffic crashes and in non-crash incidents. NTS annual 
data is used to produce estimates for injuries and fatalities in non-
traffic crashes. The NTS data is also made publicly available for 
highway safety research purposes.
    The special studies such as the non-sample count and PJ frame 
evaluation are critical to assessing the quality of the PJ frame of the 
CRSS PSUs to determine PJ weights and measure of size for the CRSS PJ 
sample selection. Without the special studies, NHTSA may fail to 
accurately assess the national crash picture by missing pertinent crash 
data.
    60-Day Notice: NHTSA published a 60-day notice in the Federal 
Register on September 28, 2022 (87 FR 58905). NHTSA received one 
supporting comment from the National Association of Mutual Insurance 
Companies (NAMIC), emphasizing the proposed data collection is critical 
for the proper performance of the functions of NHTSA and the proposed 
collection will have great practical utility. Furthermore, NAMIC 
asserts NHTSA should propose more widespread, extensive, and granular 
auto safety and crash data recording and reporting. NAMIC also offered 
assistance with providing specific metrics, key performance indicators 
(KPIs), and measures of success.
    Burden to Respondents: NHTSA has provided a description of the 
affected public, estimated number of respondents, description of 
frequency, and estimates of the total burden hours and costs for the 
CRSS, NTS and Special Studies (CRSS, NTS and Special Studies) below. In 
aggregate, NHTSA estimates that the total annual burden is 42,680 hours 
and $0.
    Program: CRSS, NTS and Special Studies.
    Affected Public: Various police jurisdictions and State agencies.
    Local police jurisdictions (PJs) and State agencies that collect 
and maintain central databases of motor vehicle crashes partner with 
NHTSA to provide access to crash reports for the CRSS sample sites on a 
routine basis. CRSS collects data from sampled police jurisdictions in 
order to collect a nationally representative sample. However, because 
CRSS only collects information from police crash reports for many 
jurisdictions, NHTSA is able to collect the data directly from the 
States. This is because States have been moving toward more electronic 
and centralized data collection systems.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: NHTSA estimates that approximately 
28 States and 44 police jurisdictions will provide crash data to 
support CRSS in each of the next three years. Because the portion of 
NTS data that comes from the CRSS data collection relies on the CRSS 
data collection methodologies, NHTSA estimates that the same 72 
respondents will also provide data to NHTSA through the CRSS data 
collection effort. The estimated number of respondents for the non-
sample count special study is approximately 136 PJs. The estimated 
number of respondents for the PJ frame evaluation is approximately 
1,248 PJs.
    Frequency: Varies.

[[Page 77950]]

    The frequency of providing crash reports is established by the 
local PJs and State agencies. Typically, weekly, or bi-weekly access to 
crash reports is provided.
    Estimated Number of Responses Annually: NHTSA estimates 677,005 
crash reports, which includes both the CRSS and NTS crashes from the 
sample PJs. However, of the 677,005 crashes, it is estimated that 3,000 
of those will be NTS applicable crashes and thus remainder could be 
CRSS applicable crashes is 674,005. Additionally, it is estimated that 
the non-sample special studies will generate 247,110 crashes from the 
non-sample PJs. The number of crashes for the PJ frame evaluation will 
be estimated at the total of crash reports generated from combining the 
sample and non-sample PJs to derive the six crash counts. Thus, the 
number of generated crash reports estimated is 
677,005+247,110=1,410,551 crashes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Estimated
                          Study                              number of
                                                              crashes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CRSS....................................................         674,005
NTS.....................................................           3,000
Non-Sample Special Study................................         247,100
PJ Frame Evaluation Special Study.......................       1,410,551
                                                         ---------------
  Grand Total...........................................       1,410,551
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 42,680 hours.
    Within the 30 States or 60 CRSS Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) there 
are Police Jurisdictions (PJs), from which a CRSS sampler must obtain 
crash reports for listing, categorization, and sampling. Currently, 50 
PSUs provide NHTSA data electronically--through EDT, State website 
access, or web service portal. For one State, the crash reports are 
obtained through EDT and manually since not all crashes are reported 
through EDT. Therefore, NHTSA counted that state more than once due to 
the crash report acquisition method. However, there is a total of 10 
PSUs, or 21 local PJs, where crash reports collection is conducted in 
the field using a combination of electronic and manual methods as 
dictated by the sample PJ's crash report collection methods. These PJs 
required field samplers which incur an increased burden due to the 
labor-intensive administrative practices and privacy protections 
associated with manually accessing the crash reports. The total 
respondents doesn't equal to 30 States or 60 PSUs, due to the variation 
in accessing crash reports throughout the sample.
    The annual burden estimate detailed in Table 1 is produced by 
identifying the crash report access method for each PSU and PJ and 
assigning the appropriate burden hours for that method as outlined 
below.
     EDT Maintenance--For PSUs providing crash report through 
EDT, the burden is estimated at 5 hours annually. This accounts for 
yearly updates to programming needed to successfully transmit data, 
such as updating data structures if new data elements are added or any 
changes to the state made to their crash report and/or databases.
     State website--User Access Only: For PSUs providing crash 
reports via a state repository/website or database, the burden is 
estimated at 10 hours annually. This represents time to process user 
account requests, establish credentials, and routine maintenance of the 
State's data repositories.
     State website--User Access and Additional Administrative 
Functions: For PSUs providing crash reports directly to NHTSA via web 
service or where the State employees provide user access accounts in 
addition to regularly searches for crash reports, compiles the lists of 
crashes to send to NHTSA monthly, the burden is estimated at 60 hours 
annually. This represents implementation, data transfer monitoring, and 
communications with NHTSA and its contractors.
     For PSUs providing crash reports to NHTSA via manual crash 
report access methods (i.e., weekly physical visits to a PJ, copying 
crash reports and mailing them, and searching for recently completed 
crash reports and uploading crash reports to secure email links), the 
burden is estimated at 470 hours annually. This represents--but is not 
limited to--maintaining a law enforcement presence while the crash 
reports are being reviewed, and/or providing resources to the CRSS 
sampler in order to access the crash reports. This is the most labor 
extensive access type due to the administrative burden and the 
additional processes required to protect PII. Other local police 
jurisdictions may photocopy crash reports and FedEx to the contractors 
or download electronic crash reports to submit electronically via 
secure email or thumb drive monthly.

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                                                                                  Number of
                                                                Hours per    respondents--police
                       Access method                          jurisdiction     jurisdiction (PJ)    Total hours
                                                                                  or states
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EDT (Maintenance)..........................................               5                 14                70
State Website (user access only)...........................              10                 11               110
State Website (user access and additional administrative                 60                  2               120
 functions)................................................
Web Service (user access and States query and compile info)              60                  1                60
Mixed Manual...............................................             470                 44            20,680
                                                            ----------------------------------------------------
    Grand Total............................................  ..............                 72            21,040
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    On an ad-hoc basis, NHTSA requests a non-sample count special study 
to assess the Police Jurisdiction (PJ) frame. The non-sample count and 
the PJ Frame evaluation studies are critical to assessing the quality 
of the PJ frame of the CRSS PSUs to determine PJ weights and measure of 
size for the CRSS PJ sample selection. Without the special studies, 
NHTSA may fail to accurately assess the national crash picture by 
missing pertinent crash data.
    Number of Respondents: 136 (Non-Sample Count Special Study).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 21,307 (Non-Sample Count 
Special Study).
    The burden calculation for the non-sample count special study is 
difficult to determine. Each burden calculation is associated with the 
agreed upon crash report access method for sample sites. For non-sample 
PJs we have no established relationship nor is it known which type of 
access to crash report is feasible. Most importantly, non-sample count 
special studies are conducted on an ad-hoc basis and not implemented 
every year. Table 2 illustrates non-sample counts by access method in 
the state for sample sites.

[[Page 77951]]

    EDT has been removed from the table because CRSS samples from the 
entire county, there is no distinction between the non-sample and 
sample PJs. This is an added benefit to EDT implementation as we get an 
accurate assessment of the PSU frame by CRSS strata. State websites 
with user access have non-sample PJs however, there is no added burden 
because the initial access granted is at the state level. State website 
with user access and additional administrative functions provide NHTSA 
data at the county level, which includes both sample and non-sample 
PJs, thus there is no additional burden to the state. Webservice 
agreements also provide data at the county level, thus there is no 
additional burden to the state. States noted as having manual methods 
only account for the sample PJs. Without established cooperation, NHTSA 
can't forecast individual PJs access methods for the purposes of the 
burden calculation. Thus, the maximum burden for the non-sample count 
special study's estimated burden is 21,307 with the possibility of 
reduction with cooperative agreements finalized.

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                                                                                     Number of
                                                                                   respondents-
                          Access method                              Hours per        police        Total hours
                                                                   jurisdiction    jurisdiction
                                                                                  (PJ) or states
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State Website (user access only)................................              10               0               0
State Website (user access and additional administrative                      60               0               0
 functions).....................................................
Web Service (user access and States query and compile info).....              60               0               0
Manual..........................................................             470             136          21,307
                                                                                                     (470*136/3)
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Grand Total.................................................  ..............             136          21,307
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    Number of Respondents: 1,248 (PJ Frame Evaluation Special Study).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 333 (PJ Frame Evaluation 
Special Study).
    The activities associated with PJ frame evaluation special study 
include identifying the in-scope PJs and contacting the in-scope PJs 
for the 6 crash counts. NHTSA estimates there are total 40 non-EDT PSUs 
and about 1,248 PJs in those non-EDT PSUs. NHTSA estimates it would 
about 1 minute per PJ to confirm if any changes to the PJ since the 
2016. NHTSA anticipates approximately 15 minutes (0.25 hours) for each 
PJ to prepare the 6 crash counts. NHTSA estimates the total number of 
hours of response burden is about 333 hours.

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                                                                                     Number of
                                                                                    respondents
              PJ frame evaluation                    Hours per jurisdiction        jurisdiction     Total hours
                                                                                       (PJ)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manual........................................  16 Minutes......................           1,248             333
                                                                                                   (16/60*1,248)
                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Grand Total...............................  ................................           1,248             333
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    This hourly burden was calculated using the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics' mean hourly wage estimate for Court, Municipal, and License 
Clerks (Standard Occupational Classification #43-4031) \3\ from May 
2021 of $21.57. Therefore, NHTSA estimates the hourly wage associated 
with the estimated 21,040 burden hours to be $453,832.80 (21,040 hours 
x $21.57 per hour). This is a reduction of the previously reported 
burden of 35,680 labor hours and estimated costs of $705,036.80. The 
efficiencies with the increased implementation of the EDT and better 
understanding of local and state crash repositories contribute to the 
reduction in burden labor hours and subsequent costs. The Bureau of 
Labor Statistics estimates that for State and local government workers, 
wages represent 54.96% of total compensation.\4\ Therefore, the total 
cost of burden associated with this collection is estimated to be 
$825,751.09 ($453,832.80/.5496).
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    \3\ See May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational 
Employment and Wage Estimates, 43-4031--Court, Municipal, and 
License Clerks, available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes434031.htm (accessed May 18, 2022).
    \4\ See Table 1. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation by 
ownership (Dec. 2021), available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.t01.htm (accessed May 18, 2022).
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    The total burden hours are presented in the table below but 
described for each study.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Total burden
                          Study                                hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CRSS....................................................          21,040
NTS.....................................................               0
Non-Sample Special Study................................          21,307
PJ Frame Evaluation Special Study.......................             333
                                                         ---------------
    Grand Total.........................................          42,680
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $0.
    NHTSA estimates that there are no costs associated with this 
information collection other than labor costs associated with burden 
hours. This is a drastic decrease from the $1.7 M from when NHTSA last 
sought approval for this information collection. The decrease in costs 
is a result of removing labor costs associated with labor hours that 
were included in response to question 12, but unfortunately were 
incorrect.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the 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

[[Page 77952]]

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 1351.29.

Chou Lin Chen,
Associate Administrator, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2022-27561 Filed 12-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P