National Traffic Safety Survey
ICR Part A
Information Collection Request Supporting Statement: Part A
National Traffic Safety Survey
OMB Control No. 2127-New
Abstract:1
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking approval of this information collection request (ICR) to allow NHTSA to conduct six information collections as part of a new voluntary research effort titled the National Traffic Safety Survey (NTSS). The purpose of the surveys is to obtain up-to-date information about road user attitudes and behaviors related to motor vehicle safety. The respondents will be members of the public that are contacted through nationally representative sampling methods. Participation by respondents will be voluntary. Each of the surveys will contain a set of core questions that will be asked across all surveys and a combination of two additional sections consisting of questions related to seat belts, distracted driving, new vehicle technologies, or traffic safety and traffic safety enforcement. This collection only asks respondents to report their answers; there are no record-keeping costs to respondents. Each survey will have a combination of two of the four topic areas, and the order of the topic areas will be varied. The NTSS is intended to collect approximately 6,001 surveys, or 1,000 of each type of survey (with 500 surveys collected for each order in which the additional topic sections would appear). NHTSA intends to conduct a pilot of the survey first with approximately 250 respondents, followed by a full administration of the survey to 6,001 respondents, and a possible follow-up administration of the survey two years later with 6,001 respondents. For purposes of this ICR, NHTSA assumes that the survey will be conducted twice, as well as the pilot being conducted once. Accordingly, the estimates for the three-year approval are based on an average annual burden based on these targets, with an estimate that there will be approximately 681 annual respondents for each of the six information collections.
The contractor conducting this information collection is ICF International, Inc. ICF’s IRB will review and approve this data collection prior to fielding. ICF’s IRB meets all federal requirements in 45 CFR 46, is registered with the Office for Human Research Protections, and has a Federalwide Assurance (FWA00002349).
NHTSA will use the information from this collection to produce a technical report that presents the results of the survey, as well as a dataset that does not contain any personally identifiable information (PII). The technical report will provide aggregate (summary) statistics and tables as well as the results of statistical analyses of the information, but it will not include any PII. The technical report will be shared with State highway safety offices, local governments, policymakers, researchers, educators, advocates, and others who may wish to use the data from this survey to support their work. NHTSA estimates the total annual burden associated with this ICR to be 2,046 hours and $0.
Justification
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal and administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.
NHTSA was established to reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation’s highways. The agency develops, promotes, and implements effective educational, engineering, and enforcement programs with the goal of ending preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. A primary way NHTSA identifies problems and supports the development of effective countermeasures is through conducting nationally representative surveys of public attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behaviors regarding various traffic safety topics. Traffic safety is a key behavioral area for which NHTSA has developed comprehensive programs to meet its injury reduction goals. The major components of traffic safety programs are education, enforcement, and outreach. Periodic data collection is necessary to assess whether the programs continue to be responsive to the public’s information needs, behavioral intentions, attitudes, and other factors that contribute to safety while driving or riding in a motor vehicle.
NHTSA has conducted seven previous iterations of the Motor Vehicle Safety Survey (MVOSS), beginning in 1994,2 to ascertain critical information on driver and other road user attitudes and behaviors related to safety. While the MVOSS had a particular focus on occupant protection, NHTSA has now determined that it needs information on new topic areas as well, as modern vehicle features like advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) become more common, and NHTSA’s behavior research needs are evolving to encompass ways in which drivers and other road users interact with these transformative technologies. The NTSS that NHTSA is proposing to conduct includes new questions addressing emerging trends such as the rapid development of vehicle technology. Additionally, the NTSS includes new questions about behavior and attitudes related to traffic safety countermeasures and enforcement. Overall, although the NTSS has some overlap with previous iterations of MVOSS, NHTSA is changing the form and face of the MVOSS to include more traffic safety topics and to increase relevance to current and future traffic safety issues. By expanding on the MVOSS, the NTSS will deliver highly relevant, actionable data on current and future topics in traffic safety that support the agency’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs resulting from traffic crashes. The push-to-web with mail supplement survey will be completed by a national probability sample of approximately 6,001 U.S adults (aged 18 and older). Dependent on agency needs, departmental priorities, and budget considerations, NHTSA may conduct a second survey administration approximately two years after the first survey administration to be completed by a national probability sample of approximately 6,001 US adults (aged 18 and older). As stated above, for purposes of this ICR, we assume that NHTSA will conduct the second full administration of the survey within the three-year period for which approval is sought.
Title 23, United States Code, Section 403 authorizes NHTSA to conduct research and development activities, including demonstration projects and the collection and analysis of highway and motor vehicle safety data and related information needed to carry out this section, with respect to all aspects of highway and traffic safety systems and conditions relating to vehicle, highway, driver, passenger, motorcyclist, bicyclist, and pedestrian characteristics; accident causation and investigations; and human behavioral factors and their effect on highway and traffic safety. [See 23 U.S.C. 403(b)(1)(A)(i)-(ii); 23 U.S.C. 403(b)(1)(B)]3.
Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
ICF, the contractor, will conduct this study under a task order to NHTSA on an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract with GSA. Participation in this study will be voluntary, and participants will be sampled from all 50 States and the District of Columbia using address data from the most recent USPS Delivery Sequence File (DSF) of residential addresses.
The surveys will be self-administered and completed either via web or paper and pencil. The first part of the form is a screener for all sampled households to determine eligibility to participate in the survey. Eligible respondents are U.S. adults (18 years old and older). The survey form will specify that the adult with the next birthday be the one to complete the survey form. Eligible respondents will be administered a questionnaire about traffic safety attitudes and behaviors followed by demographic questions.
Survey invitation materials and reminders will inform potential participants about the study and guide them through informed consent. Following consent, participants will complete a questionnaire that covers attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and behaviors on traffic safety topics—referred to as the National Traffic Safety Survey (NTSS).
The purpose of this survey is to collect population-level data that will provide critical information on attitudes and behaviors related to traffic safety. Understanding these human factors is a key component of NHTSA’s research to improve the safety of road users. Detailed information provided by the survey will identify information deficits that exist within the populace concerning key safety issues. The survey also will identify factors that foster or inhibit injury prevention behavior. The data from this study will provide NHTSA with information that will inform traffic safety stakeholders from communities across the country.
More specifically, the surveys will collect detailed information important to developing effective programs, including data addressing the following areas of interest:
Core (will be included in each of the six surveys): General information about driving behaviors, exposure, vehicle characteristics, and demographic characteristics;
Additional (each survey will include 2 additional topic areas): Information about seat belt use behaviors, as well as attitudes and beliefs about seat belts, seat belt laws, and messaging;
Additional (each survey will include 2 additional topic areas): Information about distracted driving behaviors, as well as attitudes and beliefs about distracted driving, distracted driving laws, and other distracted driving countermeasures;
Additional (each survey will include 2 additional topic areas): Information about experience with and attitudes towards specific new vehicle technologies (e.g., rear view cameras; blind spot warning) and general attitudes towards new vehicle technologies; and
Additional (each survey will include 2 additional topic areas): Information about experiences with driving and traffic safety enforcement, as well as attitudes and beliefs about traffic safety, traffic safety enforcement, and messaging.
NHTSA will use the information to produce a technical report that presents the results of the survey, as well as a dataset that does not contain any personally identifiable information (PII). The technical report will provide aggregate (summary) statistics and tables as well as the results of statistical analyses of the information, but it will not include any PII. The technical report will be shared with State highway safety offices, local governments, policymakers, researchers, educators, advocates, and others who may wish to use the data from this survey to support their work. Up-to-date information about attitudes and behaviors regarding traffic safety issues will help NHTSA track trends over time and develop appropriate traffic safety countermeasures.
Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also, describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
Participant data will be collected using Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI)—a programmed, self-administered web survey—with paper versions available if the participant does not respond via CAWI. CAWI systems collect responses electronically. They also perform several functions which aid in avoiding errors that occur when using hard copy questionnaires, including:
Providing correct question sequence;
Automatically executing skip patterns based on prior question answers (which decreases overall interview time and, consequently, the burden on respondents);
Recalling answers to prior questions and displaying the information in the text of later questions;
Providing random rotation of specified questions or response categories (to avoid bias);
Ensuring that questions cannot be skipped; and
Rejecting invalid responses.
The CAWI system lists questions and corresponding response categories automatically on the screen, eliminating the need for respondents to follow skip patterns and flip pages. This allows the instrument to be administered efficiently, thus reducing burden on the respondent and analysts. Moreover, the respondents enter responses directly from their keyboards or electronic devices, and the information is automatically recorded in the cloud’s memory.
CAWI surveys will be considered the default and encouraged because they employ question-skipping logic to only show the relevant questions, reducing burden because people will not see any skipped questions. This process will also improve data quality. Paper surveys will be designed to work with optical mark recognition and image scanning to facilitate ease of use and data accuracy. A separate program designed for the paper survey will include all survey skip logic. The program will detect and reconcile any inconsistent responses according to established data cleaning rules.
Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.
This data collection entails no duplication. Some of the same topics (e.g., occupant protection) were included in past administrations of the MVOSS, with the most recent MVOSS administered seven years ago.4 However, recent advances in vehicle safety technologies, increases in portable electronic device use, and changes in attitudes towards enforcement have all changed the driving environment, making this collection effort essential. There is a need to collect up-to-date information about the public’s attitudes and behavior on traffic safety and technology topics to better inform programs aimed at improving the safety of all road users.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
Questionnaire information for this study will only be collected from individuals. There is no burden on small businesses for this collection of information request.
Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
Motor vehicle crashes in 2021 accounted for 42,939 fatalities on US roadways, which was a 10% increase from 2020.5 NHTSA’s goal is to reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes on the Nation’s highways through the development and implementation of traffic safety programs. The primary way NHTSA assesses the extent to which current traffic safety programs meet the public’s safety needs is through periodic nationally representative data collections such as the NTSS. Technological advancements in driver assistance systems, the proliferation of portable electronic devices, and changes in the public’s attitudes towards enforcement have changed the traffic safety environment and thus NHTSA’s behavior research needs. The major components of traffic safety programs are education, enforcement, and outreach. The absence of current data on attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behaviors on these up-to-date topics inhibits NHTSA’s ability to develop effective messaging and countermeasures to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities. Findings from this survey will provide crucial information to be used in improving traffic safety programs; marketing communication and educational messages that focus on the safety of road users; soliciting the cooperation, support, and leadership of traffic safety stakeholders; and providing updated statistics. This information is necessary to support safety programs both at the local and national levels.
Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:
requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;
requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years;
in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;
requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or
requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.
For this information collection, NHTSA is requesting an exemption to the requirement at 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)(vi) to allow NHTSA to use a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB. Specifically, NHTSA seeks to use the seven minimum categories for race and ethnicity in lieu of collecting more detailed information as specified in Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). Given the sample size of 6,001 US adults (aged 18 and older), we do not anticipate having sufficient numbers of respondents in the detailed race/ethnicity categories (per OMB SPD 15) to permit analysis with them. Additionally, because of the relatively small sample size, we anticipate that much of the detailed race/ethnicity data would need to be suppressed in the final de-identified dataset in order to protect respondents’ privacy. Therefore, we are requesting to use the seven minimum categories for race/ethnicity.
Other than the request for exemption regarding SPD 15 for this information collection, there are no special circumstances that require this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to the comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views.
NHTSA published a 60-day notice on May 17, 2024, requesting comment on NHTSA’s intention to submit this ICR to OMB for approval (89 FR 43505). NHTSA received one comment in support of the proposed information collection from the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).
NAMIC expressed support for the project, specifically, that the information collection is “necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency” and that “the information will have practical utility.” NAMIC also suggested that insurance industry representatives may be able to provide input on potential applications of results from the proposed information collection.
NHTSA published a 30-day notice on July 29, 2024, that stated NHTSA’s intention to submit this ICR to OMB for approval (89 FR 60967).
A copy of each notice is attached.
Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
The study will offer all sampled households a $1 pre-survey incentive. A dollar bill will be included in the first mailing as motivation to complete the survey. We will employ an incentive plan consisting of a $1 cash pre‑incentive inserted into the first contact and a $10 post‑incentive in the form of an Amazon gift code for web and mail respondents, contingent on survey completion.
Our experience indicates that anything less than the proposed compensation would likely result in failure to survey enough participants to provide adequate statistical power. Other recent studies by NHTSA (National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behaviors [NSPBAKB], OMB Control No. 2127-0684; National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behaviors [NSSAB], OMB Control No. 2127-0613), have confirmed that this level of compensation is necessary to meet recruiting requirements. Additionally, the contractor conducted an incentive experiment in the Summer and Fall of 2023 as part of the NSPBAKB and found that response rates were higher with a $10 post-incentive versus a $5 post-incentive.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy. If the collection requires a system of records notice (SORN) or privacy impact assessment (PIA), those should be cited and described here.
In an invitation letter mailed to all sampled households, NHTSA advises respondents that their responses will be combined with responses from all other participants to protect their privacy. On the first page of the survey, respondents will be reminded that their participation in the survey is voluntary. NHTSA will publish results in an anonymized manner that will provide only summary statistics that do not identify an individual or the individual’s responses. There will not be any identifying information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, or Social Security numbers in the database delivered to NHTSA.
NHTSA adheres to the Department of Transportation policies that require the protection of personally identifiable information applicable to this information collection. DOT Order 1351.18, Privacy Risk Management provides for the protection of personally identifiable information in DOT systems and adherence to the Privacy Act, E-Government Act, the Federal Information Security Act, and general privacy management. In addition, DOT Order 1351.19, Personally Identifiable Information Breach Notification Controls, governs the response to the unauthorized dissemination of PII. Additionally, the contractor maintains an internal IRB with a Federalwide Assurance (FWA00002349). The IRB requires that research staff provide current Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program6) certificates demonstrating completion of human subjects research training. The contractor will obtain approval from their IRB prior to the pilot and survey administrations.
This information collection is not a Privacy Act system of records that would require a SORN. The survey response data and household address are held in separate files. The purpose of the collection is to understand the public’s attitudes and behaviors related to traffic safety, including vehicle technologies, to support the development of effective traffic safety programs. Importantly, NHTSA will not routinely retrieve information from this collection by a personal identifier. The identity of an individual who participates in the survey is unnecessary for the analysis of the data. NHTSA has taken steps to maintain the anonymity of the respondents and will not assign a unique identifier to the information provided by each respondent that links to the identity of that individual. The survey response data and household address are maintained in separate files, with the response data not organized by a personal identifier. To administer the survey, there will be minimal retrieval by address to identify responsiveness and reduce duplication. Also, each household will also receive a post-completion incentive which is either mailed to the household address if a respondent completed the survey on paper or displayed immediately upon completing the web survey. Each household is assigned a Master ID for these administration purposes. After data collection is completed and incentives distributed, Master IDs will be destroyed. The survey response data will reside in a database that is unable to be retrieved by an individual identifier.
NHTSA has published a PIA for research and studies performed by its Office of Behavioral Safety Research. The Department’s Senior Agency Official for Privacy adjudicated the PIA on June 10, 2019, and it is available at https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/privacy/nhtsa-office-behavioral-safety-research-obsr-research-studies.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
The questionnaire includes core and demographic questions and four modules covering different traffic safety topics including the following:
Seat belts
Distracted driving
New and emerging vehicle technologies
Attitudes regarding driving experiences, traffic safety, and law enforcement
The survey includes five questions about alcohol use, cannabis use, and frequency of driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs, and over-the-counter or prescription medications. The survey also includes questions about whether drivers have recently been involved in a crash, stopped by police conducting traffic safety enforcement, or received a ticket.
While some behaviors covered in some of these modules may be considered unsafe, no behaviors should be particularly sensitive to report. Additionally, the information will be anonymized and reported only in the aggregate. Collecting this information is critical to understanding safety problems, and it will only be used and reported in aggregate. The survey data collection does not contain any additional questions related to matters that are commonly considered sensitive or private.
Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information on the respondents and estimates of the annualized labor cost to respondents associated with that hour burden.
This ICR is for six versions of a survey that will be conducted up to three times. Each of the surveys will contain a set of core questions that will be asked across all surveys and a combination of two additional sections consisting of questions related to seat belts, distracted driving, new vehicle technologies, or traffic safety and traffic safety enforcement.
The first survey administration will be a pilot survey to assess the entire survey administration system prior to launching the full survey. The pilot will also include an experimental condition examining the effectiveness of different messaging techniques used in contact materials to increase survey response rates. The pilot administration will survey approximately 250 randomly selected respondents. The pilot will be followed by a first administration of the survey with approximately 6,001 randomly selected respondents during the main data collection effort. NHTSA may exercise an option to survey approximately 6,001 US adults (aged 18 and older) during a second survey administration. For purposes of this ICR, NHTSA assumes that it will conduct the second administration.
For the pilot survey, a mass mailing using USPS DSF to 1,200 addresses, of which 1,140 are expected to be valid contact addresses, is expected to reach about 250 willing respondents ages 18 and older. Respondents are expected to take 30 minutes to complete the survey (250 people, 30 minutes average length, 125 hours total).
For each survey administration, a mass mailing using USPS DSF to 28,700 addresses, of which 27,265 are expected to be valid contact addresses, is expected to reach about 6,001 willing participants ages 18 and older. As with the pilot survey, participants are expected to take 30 minutes to complete the survey. Details regarding NHTSA’s estimates for response rates and the number of mailings that would be sent to potential respondents is discussed in detail in the Supporting Statements: Part B.
Table 1 provides an overview of the survey administrations.
Table 1: Overview of the Survey Administrations
Information Collection |
Number of Respondents |
Burden per Response |
Total Burden Hours |
Pilot Survey |
250 |
30 minutes |
125 hours |
Survey Administration 1 |
6,001 |
30 minutes |
3,001 hours |
Survey Administration 2 |
6,001 |
30 minutes |
3,001 hours |
Total |
12,252 |
|
6,127 hours |
Since the survey administrations would occur over three years, NHTSA averaged the number of respondents responding to each of the six surveys over the three-year period to estimate that each of the surveys would have approximately 681 respondents per year. The burden estimates are based on this estimate.
NHTSA estimates that each of the six versions of the survey will have approximately 681 respondents each year and estimates that it takes approximately 30 minutes to complete each survey. Accordingly, NHTSA estimates that each of the surveys will have a burden of 341 hours per year, for a total of 2,046 hours of annual burden for all six of the surveys.
NHTSA estimates the opportunity cost to respondents using an average hourly wage. The May 2022 mean hourly wage for all occupations in the United States was $29.76 per hour.7 Therefore, NHTSA estimates the total annual opportunity cost to be approximately $60,889 ($29.76 × 2,046 = $60,888.96). Table 2 provides a summary of the estimated annual burden hours and labor costs associated with those submissions.
Table 2: Annual Burden Estimates
Information Collection |
Number of Respondents |
Burden per Response |
Hourly Opportunity Cost |
Opportunity Cost Response |
Total Opportunity Cost |
Total Burden Hours |
Survey Version 1 |
681 |
30 minutes |
$29.76 |
$14.88 |
$10,148.16 |
341 hours |
Survey Version 2 |
681 |
30 minutes |
$29.76 |
$14.88 |
$10,148.16 |
341 hours |
Survey Version 3 |
681 |
30 minutes |
$29.76 |
$14.88 |
$10,148.16 |
341 hours |
Survey Version 4 |
681 |
30 minutes |
$29.76 |
$14.88 |
$10,148.16 |
341 hours |
Survey Version 5 |
681 |
30 minutes |
$29.76 |
$14.88 |
$10,148.16 |
341 hours |
Survey Version 6 |
681 |
30 minutes |
$29.76 |
$14.88 |
$10,148.16 |
341 hours |
Total |
4,086 |
|
|
|
$60,888.96 |
2,046 hours |
Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information. Do not include the cost of any hour burden already reflected in the response provided in question 12.
Participation in this study is voluntary, and there are no costs to respondents beyond the time spent completing the questionnaires.
Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.
The data, updating and developing the final reports, and other project planning and administrative costs. Averaged over the three-year approval period, the annual cost to the Federal Government for task order to conduct the pilot, first survey cost to the Federal Government for the task order to conduct this study is $1,633,276 over 60 months. We estimate that incentives for the pilot and two survey administrations will cost $181,120 and are included among the task order costs. In addition to administering the survey, this cost includes updating and testing the survey, cleaning and analyzing the administration, and second survey administration is $544,425.
The estimated cost in terms of Government time is approximately 210 hours for the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR; Grade 14, Step 2) and 20 (Grade 15, Step 1) hours for the supervisor per year. The fully-loaded wage (i.e., unloaded wage plus 30%) is $89.73/hour for the COR and $105.53/hour for the COR’s supervisor,8 yielding $20,953 total in wages per year. Given that the task order to conduct the study has a period of performance of 60 months (5 years), this represents a total of $104,766 for Government time. These costs are separate from the task order award amount.
Therefore, the estimated total cost to the Federal Government for this information collection (i.e., the cost of the task order [$1,633,276] plus the cost in terms of Government time [$104,766]) is $1,738,042. Averaged over the three-year approval period, this represents an estimated annualized cost to the Federal Government of $579,347.
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported on the burden worksheet. If this is a new collection, the program change will be entire burden cost and number of burden hours reported in response to questions 12 and 13. If this is a renewal or reinstatement, the change is the difference between the new burden estimates and the burden estimates from the last OMB approval.
This is a new information collection. As such, it requires a program change to add the estimated 2,046 annual hours and $0 for the new information collection to existing burden.
For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions as applicable.
The technical report will include survey results in an aggregate form and methodology details. The results section will include summary statistics and tables, as well as the results of statistical analysis of the information, but it will not include any PII. Figures and tables will be presented with narrative text. The data presentations will be largely made up of percentage distributions and cross-tabulations. The data will be segmented by the respondent characteristics such as: age, race and ethnicity, and sex. The final sample size of each cell will determine the categories by which each characteristic will be analyzed. Only cells which have sufficient sample to draw reliable estimates will be used in the analysis and reported. The results section will also include relevant trends for any questions in the NTSS that overlap with previous administrations of the MVOSS survey. The methodology portion of the report will include information on the sampling frame, survey participation rate, weighting procedures, and copies of the questionnaires in both English and Spanish.
Additionally, NHTSA will publish a publicly available dataset after each survey administration. This dataset will not contain any personally identifiable information (PII) and can be used by other researchers or stakeholders to answer a broad range of questions related to traffic safety.
The current plan is for the final technical report and summary sheets to be published in late 2027. These plans are based upon data collection in Spring 2025 (Pilot Survey Administration), Summer 2025 (Survey Administration 1), and early 2027 (Survey Administration 2).
If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
NHTSA will display the expiration date for OMB approval.
Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions." The required certifications can be found at 5 CFR 1320.9.9
No exceptions to the certification statement are made.
The following statement will be provided to respondents on the survey documents:
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, a federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2127-New. The average amount of time to complete this survey is 30 minutes. The purpose of the survey is to collect information about road user attitudes and behaviors related to motor vehicle safety that will be used to inform the development of appropriate traffic safety countermeasures. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary. If you have comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, send them to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590
The NHTSA Form numbers will also be displayed.
1 The Abstract must include the following information: (1) whether responding to the collection is mandatory, voluntary, or required to obtain or retain a benefit; (2) a description of the entities who must respond; (3) whether the collection is reporting (indicate if a survey), recordkeeping, and/or disclosure; (4) the frequency of the collection (e.g., bi-annual, annual, monthly, weekly, as needed); (5) a description of the information that would be reported, maintained in records, or disclosed; (6) a description of who would receive the information; (7) if the information collection involves approval by an institutional review board, include a statement to that effect; (8) the purpose of the collection; and (9) if a revision, a description of the revision and the change in burden.
2 Boyle, J. M. (1995). Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey (Report No. DOT HS 808 334). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/1606/dot_1606_DS1.pdf
3 Highway safety research and development, 23 U.S.C. § 403. www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2012-title23/pdf/USCODE-2012-title23-chap4-sec403.pdf
4 Bailly, K., Martin, K. & Block, A. (2019, December). 2016 Motor vehicle occupant safety
survey: Volume 1, Methodology report (Report No. DOT HS 812 851). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
5 National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2023, October). Summary of motor vehicle traffic crashes: 2021 data (Traffic Safety Facts. Report No. DOT HS 813 515). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813515
7 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, April 25). May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000
8 Office of Personnel Management, Salary Table 2024-DCB, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/24Tables/html/DCB_h.aspx
9 Specifically explain how the agency display the OMB control number and expiration date and will inform potential respondents of the information required under 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3): the reasons the information is planned to be and/or has been collected; the way such information is planned to be and/or has been used to further the proper performance of the functions of the agency; an estimate, to the extent practicable, of the average burden of the collection (together with a request that the public direct to the agency any comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing this burden); whether responses to the collection of information are voluntary, required to obtain or retain a benefit (citing authority), or mandatory (citing authority);the nature and extent of confidentiality to be provided, if any (citing authority); and the fact that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-03-14 |