Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements |
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Jeffrey Michael
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
August 14, 2012
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48608-48609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-19940]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[U.S. DOT Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0094]
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Request for public comment on proposed collection of
information.
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SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from
the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit
public comment on proposed collections of information, including
extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections.
This document describes the collection of information for which
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 15, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
NHTSA-2012-0094 using any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Instructions: Each submission must include the Agency name and the
Docket number for this Notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov including any
personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan Block, Contracting Officer's
Technical Representative, Office of Behavioral Safety Research (NTI-
131), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., W46-499, Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Block's phone number is
202-366-6401 and his email address is alan.block@dot.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB
for approval, it must publish a document in the Federal Register
providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of
the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of
information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must
be included in such a document. Under OMB's regulations (at 5 CFR
1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following:
(I) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
(ii) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) How to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(iv) How to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses.
In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks public comment on
the following proposed collection of information:
Survey of DWI Courts
Type of Request--New information collection requirement.
OMB Clearance Number--None.
Form Number--NHTSA 1175.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval--3 years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information--The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposes to collect information
from specialized (or problem solving) courts known as DWI Courts and
Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts to obtain an inventory of their current
operational practices. All known operating DWI Courts and Hybrid DWI/
Drug Courts will be contacted by mail and/or email and asked to go to a
designated Web site to fill out the questionnaire. The most recent
figures (from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals
(NADCP)) show 598 Courts operating in the United States that are either
designated DWI Courts (192) or else Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts (406) as of
December 2010. That number is projected to increase to approximately
650 Courts by the time the survey is ready to enter the field. The
survey will ask about case flow, eligibility criteria, management
information systems, program staffing, treatment, testing, courtroom
practices, sanctions, and other relevant program characteristics. The
average amount of time for respondents to complete the survey is
estimated to be 40 minutes.
The survey will be conducted on-line, with the on-line technology
serving to reduce length and minimize recording errors. No information
will be collected that could be used to identify any clients
participating in the court programs. The information provided will
either describe program practices/characteristics, or provide
information aggregated across all cases.
Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information--NHTSA was established to reduce the number of deaths,
injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on
the Nation's highways. As part of this statutory mandate, NHTSA is
authorized to conduct research as a foundation for the development of
motor vehicle standards and traffic safety programs.
DWI Courts are a relatively new intervention to combat alcohol-
impaired driving and are authorized under MAP-21, the current DOT
authorization. Borrowing from the Drug Court Model, they are directed
at repeat offenders and offenders having high blood alcohol
concentration levels (BACs) at time of arrest. These Courts attack the
source of the problem by taking a comprehensive approach to changing
behavior that includes treatment. There is a body of research that now
exists to show that Drug Courts are effective. However, Drug Courts and
DWI Courts may treat different populations, and questions about the
effectiveness of DWI Courts and their services have yet to be
adequately answered. NHTSA is presently designing a program to evaluate
DWI Courts to directly answer key questions pertaining to their
effectiveness. But in order to do that, the agency first needs detailed
information on how the DWI Courts are operating.
NHTSA will use the findings from this proposed collection of
information to guide the design of an evaluation program to answer key
questions regarding the effectiveness of DWI Courts.
Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number,
and Proposed Frequency of Response to the
[[Page 48609]]
Collection of Information)--The respondents will be people involved in
the running of DWI Courts and Hybrid DWI/Drug Courts. These primarily
will be Judges and Court Staff, but may include others involved in
specific aspects of the DWI Court program such as treatment providers,
law enforcement and probation/parole personnel. Contacted Courts will
determine who is appropriate to complete the sections of the
questionnaire, and may apportion different sections to different people
to complete, if necessary. The projected total number of DWI Courts and
Hybrid Courts at the commencement of the field period is 650. Total
estimated time to complete the questionnaire is expected to average 40
minutes. All Courts will be administered the survey one time only.
Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Record Keeping Burden
Resulting from the Collection of Information--NHTSA estimates that the
Courts would require an average of 40 minutes to complete the survey or
a total of 433.33 hours for the projected 650 DWI and Hybrid Courts.
The survey would be fielded during a two month period in 2013. Thus the
annual reporting burden would be the entire 433.33 hours. Reporting
costs would entail salaried time for responding to the questionnaire.
Mean hourly wages for legal occupations range from $21.56 for legal
support workers to $53.34 for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and
Magistrates. At 433.33 total responding hours for the survey, this
would put the cost burden at a level between $9,343 and $23,114,
depending on which Court personnel respond to the survey. The
respondents would not incur any record keeping burden or record keeping
cost from the information collection.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. Section 3506(c)(2)(A)
Issued on: August 9, 2012.
Jeffrey Michael,
Associate Administrator, Research and Program Development.
[FR Doc. 2012-19940 Filed 8-13-12; 8:45 am]
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