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Agency Information Collection Activities; Approval of a New Information Collection Request: Crash Causal Factors Program: Knowledge of Systems and Processes Publication: Federal Register Agency: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Byline: Thomas P. Keane Date: 25 May 2023 Subjects: American Government  , Safety, Trucking
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33960-33962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11189]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA-2022-0235]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Approval of a New
Information Collection Request: Crash Causal Factors Program: Knowledge
of Systems and Processes
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department
of Transportation (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 its
review and approval and invites public comment. This ICR relates to the
planned ``Study of Commercial Motor Vehicle Crash Causation,'' mandated
by Congress in the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA). To
plan and execute this study, FMCSA must collect information from the
States and local jurisdictions to understand their interest or ability
to participate in the study. FMCSA will collect information on existing
crash data collection processes, systems, and resources and commercial
motor vehicle (CMV) enforcement funding mechanisms and sources.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before June 26,
2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection (IC) should be sent within 30 days of
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find
this IC by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for Public
Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Stowe, Office of Analysis,
Research, and Technology/Research Division, DOT, FMCSA, West Building
6th Floor, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001; 202-
366-2646; kelly.stowe@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Crash Causal Factors Program: Knowledge of Systems and
Processes.
OMB Control Number: 2126-00XX.
Type of Request: New ICR.
Respondents: State and local Government employees (first-line
supervisors of police and detectives; police and sheriff's patrol
officers; general and operations managers; chief executives; computer
and information systems managers; and computer and mathematical
operations workers).
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,320 respondents.
Estimated Time per Response: 1.61 hours (rounded) per response,
average (across all ICs).
Expiration Date: N/A. This is a new ICR.
Frequency of Response: Once for each IC.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,124 hours total, or 708 hours
annually (51 annual hours for State computer and information systems
managers + 9 annual hours for local computer and information systems
managers + 119 annual hours for State police and sheriff's patrol
officers + 9 annual hours for local police and sheriff's patrol
officers + 114.75 annual hours for State first-line supervisors of
police and detectives + 42.75 annual hours for local first-line
supervisors of police and detectives + 114.75 annual hours for State
general and operations managers + 40.5 annual hours for local general
and operations managers + 114.75 annual hours for State chief
executives + 40.5 annual hours for local chief executives + 34 annual
hours for State computer and mathematical operations workers + 18
annual hours for local computer and mathematical operations workers =
708 annual hours).
Background
On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
(Pub. L. 116-260), was signed into law, appropriating $30 million to
FMCSA to ``carry out [a] study of the cause[s] of large truck
crashes.'' On November 14, 2021, the President signed into law the IIJA
(Pub. L. 117-58), which contains requirements for a larger study under
[[Page 33961]]
section 23006, ``Study of Commercial Motor Vehicle Crash Causation.''
The requirements under section 23006 define the scope of the study to
include all CMVs as defined in 49 U.S.C. 31132.
Section 23006(b)(1) of the IIJA requires the Secretary to ``carry
out a comprehensive study to determine the causes of, and contributing
factors to, crashes that involve a commercial motor vehicle.'' Section
23006(b)(2) further requires the Secretary to:
A. Identify data requirements, data collection procedures, reports,
and any other measures that can be used to improve the ability of
States and the Secretary to evaluate future crashes involving CMVs;
B. Monitor crash trends and identify causes and contributing
factors; and
C. Develop effective safety improvement policies and programs.
To meet the requirements of section 23006, FMCSA is establishing a
Crash Causal Factors Program. Through this program, FMCSA will execute
a multi-phased study of crash causal factors, with Phase 1 focused on
fatal crashes involving Class \7/8\ large trucks. This Phase 1 effort
is referred to as the Large Truck Crash Causal Factors Study. Future
phases of the study will focus on different CMV populations (such as
medium-duty trucks) or crash severities (e.g., serious injury crashes).
Congress anticipated that FMCSA would need to consult with the
States and a variety of other experts when planning and executing the
study, as noted in section 23006(d), which reads: ``In designing and
carrying out the study, the Secretary may consult with individuals or
entities with expertise on--
1. Crash causation and prevention;
2. Commercial motor vehicles, commercial drivers, and motor
carriers, including passenger carriers;
3. Highways and noncommercial motor vehicles and drivers;
4. Federal and State highway and motor carrier safety programs;
5. Research methods and statistical analysis; and
6. Other relevant topics, as determined by the Secretary.''
This IC will collect data from Federal, State, and local highway
and motor carrier safety programs. It will focus on identifying and
documenting States' and local jurisdictions' ability to participate in
the study; agreements that the States or jurisdictions will require to
participate in the study; existing crash data collection processes,
systems, training, and quality control processes; and CMV enforcement
funding mechanisms and sources.
How the Agency Will Use Collected Information
FMCSA will use collected information from four ICs:
IC-1: Identifying Points of Contact
IC-2: Sample Design; Partnerships and Coordination
IC-3: Crash Data Collection
IC-4: CMV Enforcement Resources and Funding
Information collected under these four ICs will inform various
elements of the study plan, including the sample design, data
collection plans, participation agreements, resourcing plans, and
development of the study database. Below are additional details on how
FMCSA will use collected information to develop various study plan
elements.
IC-1: Identifying Points of Contact
Before collecting information for ICs 2, 3, and 4, FMCSA will first
need to identify the appropriate points of contact in each State and a
sample of local jurisdictions for the remaining IC components. Once
FMCSA obtains contact information from the States, the Agency will
distribute a web-based survey for IC-2, IC-3, and IC-4 to the relevant
point of contact in each State or jurisdiction. Below are additional
details on how FMCSA will use collected information to develop various
study plan elements.
IC-2: Sample Design; Partnerships and Coordination
The original Large Truck Crash Causation Study conducted from 2001
through 2003 leveraged the sample design from the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) National Automotive Sampling
System (NASS) Crashworthiness Data System (CDS). NHTSA has since
developed the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS), which
replaces NASS CDS. Both NASS CDS and CISS are focused on crashes
involving passenger vehicles (i.e., passenger cars, light trucks, vans,
and utility vehicles). Neither sampling system was designed to collect
data on a representative sample of crashes involving CMVs. NHTSA
acknowledged this in its 2019 sample design and weighting documentation
for CISS, stating in a discussion on special crash populations, ``The
most efficient way to study a rare population is to design a special
study that solely targets that particular rare population.'' As a
result, FMCSA is planning to develop a new sample design specific to
crashes involving CMVs. However, FMCSA cannot simply select a random
sample of State and local jurisdictions to include in the sample
design. The Agency will need to identify an appropriate mix of State
and local jurisdictions to allow for a nationally representative sample
design. Participating States and local jurisdictions will be asked to
collect and share the required study data and troubleshoot study-
related issues as they arise. The information collected under IC-2 will
inform the sample design for this study. It will also provide important
information about State- or local jurisdiction-required participation
and data sharing agreements.
IC-3: Crash Data Collection
FMCSA is planning to leverage existing State and local jurisdiction
resources (where possible) to collect required study data. This will be
a complex effort that will require substantial information sharing and
coordination between participating States/jurisdictions and FMCSA.
Under IC-3, FMCSA will seek to learn more about the data elements
that State and local jurisdictions are already collecting; State and
local jurisdiction CMV crash reporting criteria and notification
processes; State and local jurisdiction crash data collection systems
and processes (e.g., what systems exist, who owns the system(s),
whether the system can interface with other systems, etc.); existing
crash data collection trainings offered by the State/jurisdiction; and
crash data quality reviews that States and local jurisdictions
currently conduct. The Agency will use this information to inform the
study crash data collection plan and requirements for the study
database.
IC-4: CMV Enforcement Resources and Funding
FMCSA must collect information from States and local jurisdictions
to understand whether existing commercial vehicle enforcement resources
can meet the study needs, and if not, to determine how much additional
funding or resources jurisdictions will require to collect the
necessary data. IC-4 will identify available CMV enforcement resources
within States/jurisdictions, funding sources for existing commercial
vehicle enforcement resources and activities (e.g., State-funded versus
FMCSA grant-funded), and whether there is a mechanism for the local
jurisdiction to receive study funding through FMCSA's grant programs
(i.e., as a sub-grantee). Information collected under IC-4 will also
inform FMCSA resourcing plans outside of the States/jurisdictions.
[[Page 33962]]
Method of Collection
FMCSA will collect the required information for IC-1 via email. For
ICs 2, 3, and 4, FMCSA will leverage a web-based survey application
combined with email to collect information. FMCSA believes that all
respondents will have State or local government-provided information
technology equipment (e.g., laptops, mobile devices, etc.) and internet
access; as such, the Agency believes electronic submissions will be
most cost-effective and efficient for respondents (as opposed to mail-
based submissions or some other means). FMCSA estimates that 100
percent of submissions will be electronic.
Results of Data Collection
FMCSA does not plan to publish results from this data collection.
Results from this data collection, which will be descriptive and/or
qualitative in nature, will inform the study sample design,
participation agreements, data collection plans, resource plans, and
study database requirements. No complex analytical techniques will be
used. Final results from the overall study, once completed, will be
published in a final study report. Findings from the overall study will
ultimately inform the identification and development of countermeasures
to prevent crashes involving CMVs.
As part of the Crash Causal Factors Program, this IC supports the
DOT Strategic Goal of Safety.
Response to Public Comments
On December 27, 2022, FMCSA published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register seeking public comment on this proposed IC (87 FR
79419). FMCSA received six comments, two of which were unrelated to
this ICR or the Large Truck Crash Causal Factors Study. Below are
summaries of the four relevant comments received, along with FMCSA's
responses.
Eric Hein (Two Comments)
Eric Hein submitted two comments. The first comment included (1) a
letter that discussed underreporting of fatal side underride crashes in
NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and requested
inclusion of side underride guard research in the Large Truck Crash
Causal Factors Study, and (2) a report examining underreporting of side
underride crashes in FARS. The second comment included revised versions
of the letter and report that Mr. Hein had submitted earlier in the
comment period.
Agency Response: Mr. Hein's comments are not related to the
proposed IC, but they are relevant to the Large Truck Crash Causal
Factors Study in general. While the Agency cannot predict what types of
crashes will occur in study locations during the data collection
period, if side underride crashes do occur, FMCSA plans to collect
relevant data to enable detailed analysis of such crashes. Before
collecting crash data for the study, FMCSA will issue a separate 60-day
notice announcing the proposed IC and requesting comments from the
public. FMCSA invites Mr. Hein to submit additional comments at that
time.
Industry Associations (Two Comments)
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) submitted a letter
expressing support for the proposed IC, along with a copy of the
comments they submitted in response to FMCSA's request for information
(RFI) on the Large Truck Crash Causal Factors Study, published January
15, 2020 (85 FR 2481).
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
submitted a letter that (1) expressed support for the proposed IC, and
(2) reiterated several comments the association had previously
submitted in response to FMCSA's January 2020 RFI on the Large Truck
Crash Causal Factors Study.
Agency Response: FMCSA acknowledges and appreciates ATA's and
OOIDA's support of the proposed IC and the Large Truck Crash Causal
Factors Study. The Agency previously reviewed ATA's and OOIDA's
comments on the January 2020 RFI and has taken those comments, along
with all other comments received on the docket for that RFI, into
consideration during the study planning process. The Agency will take
ATA's and OOIDA's comments into consideration when developing the crash
data collection ICR.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this IC, including: (1) whether the proposed collection is necessary
for the performance of FMCSA's functions; (2) the accuracy of the
estimated burden; (3) ways for 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 of 49 CFR 1.87.
Thomas P. Keane,
Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Registration.
[FR Doc. 2023-11189 Filed 5-24-23; 8:45 am]
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