Agency Information Collection Activities; Approval of a New Information Collection Request: Motorcoach Passenger Survey: Motorcoach Safety and Pre-Trip Safety Awareness and Emergency Preparedness Information

G. Kelly Leone
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
April 18, 2014

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 75 (Friday, April 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21994-21995]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08872]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

[Docket No. FMCSA-2011-0279]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Approval of a New 
Information Collection Request: Motorcoach Passenger Survey: Motorcoach 
Safety and Pre-Trip Safety Awareness and Emergency Preparedness 
Information

AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA 
announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval. The FMCSA requests approval of a new ICR titled, 
``Motorcoach Passenger Survey: Motorcoach Safety and Pre-Trip Safety 
Awareness and Emergency Preparedness Information (OMB Control Number 
2126-XXXX),'' to assess the current levels of voluntary compliance by 
motorcoach operators and to obtain passenger opinions of the 
implementation of pre-trip safety awareness and emergency preparedness 
information. On May 15, 2013, FMCSA published a Federal Register notice 
allowing for a 60-day comment period on the ICR. The Agency received no 
comments on the notice. In addition, on October 18, 2011, FMCSA 
published an initial emergency request and 30-day notice, and received 
no comments.

DATES: Please send your comments by May 19, 2014. OMB must receive your 
comments by this date in order to act on the ICR.

ADDRESSES: All comments should reference Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2011-0279. Interested persons are 
invited to submit written comments on the proposed information 
collection to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office 
of Management and Budget. Comments should be addressed to the attention 
of

[[Page 21995]]

the Desk Officer, Department of Transportation/Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration, and sent via electronic mail to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov, or faxed to (202) 395-6974, or mailed to the 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 
20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dee Williams, Chief, Compliance 
Division, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, (202) 366-1812, 
dee.williams@dot.gov, MC-PRS, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration, 6th Floor, West Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., 
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Motorcoach Passenger Survey: Motorcoach Safety and Pre-Trip 
Safety Awareness and Emergency Preparedness Information.
    OMB Control Number: 2126-XXXX.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Respondents: Motorcoach passenger trips.\1\
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    \1\ A passenger trip is one passenger from a trip. The number of 
passenger trips may include one individual taking multiple 
motorcoach trips per year or even per day.
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    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,200 motorcoach passenger trips.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes maximum, with an average of 
5 minutes for most respondents.
    Form Numbers: Form MCSA-5868, Motorcoach Passenger Survey: Pre-Trip 
Safety Awareness and Emergency Preparedness Information--To collect 
motorcoach passengers' responses during one-of-five in-person survey 
events.
    Expiration Date: N/A. This is a new information collection.
    Frequency of Response: One-time.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 533 hours [3,200 respondents x 10 
minutes/60 minutes = 533 hours].

Background

    Due to several recent fatal motorcoach crashes, the Congress, the 
Department of Transportation (DOT), specifically the Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and other Federal oversight 
agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), 
have increased their scrutiny over the motorcoach industry and the 
enforcement of and compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Regulations (FMCSRs). NTSB issued safety recommendations, H-99-007 and 
H-99-008, to the Department of Transportation (DOT), on February 26, 
1999, requiring motorcoach operators to provide passengers with pre-
trip safety awareness information. This recommendation resulted from 
NTSB's investigation of two motorcoach crashes from the late 1990s 
which revealed that passengers felt a general sense of panic, not 
knowing what to do on a motorcoach in the case of an emergency. The 
intent of the recommendation is to empower passengers to take their 
personal safety into their own hands in the event of an imminent hazard 
or emergency situation. The decision was made to implement the 
recommendation through voluntary adoption and compliance of pre-trip 
safety briefings in the motorcoach industry.
    The goals and objectives of this survey are to assess the current 
levels of voluntary compliance by motorcoach operators and to obtain 
passenger opinions of the implementation of the pre-trip safety 
awareness and emergency preparedness information. The Form MCSA-5868 
will be used to survey motorcoach passengers. This information, along 
with its conclusions, will not serve as a national estimate, but will 
provide the Agency a general sense of voluntary compliance and 
suggestions for improvement. FMCSA will use the information to 
determine whether further evaluation is needed to support future 
program, policy, and regulatory initiatives. As appropriate, the 
information will be presented to NTSB and Congress, while also 
contributing to the general literature regarding practices for 
improving motorcoach safety in the United States.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection is necessary for the FMCSA to perform its functions; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for the FMCSA to enhance the 
quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) 
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of 
the collected information.

    Issued under the authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.87 on: April 7, 
2014.
G. Kelly Leone,
Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Information Technology 
and Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-08872 Filed 4-17-14; 8:45 am]
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