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 OMB.

Title: Drive-Mode Design Best Practices.

OMB Control Number: New.

Form Number: NHTSA Form 2112, 2113, 2114, and 2115.

Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection request.

Type of Review Requested: Regular.

Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.

Summary of the Collection of Information: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking approval for a one-time voluntary information collection from 96 licensed drivers of various ages for a research study which will examine how drive-mode implementations ( i.e., the simplified user interfaces for mobile phone applications designed to make operating the phone more safe when driving) affect driver attention and performance compared to standard interfaces. NHTSA expects to provide screening questionnaires to 300 potential participants in the greater Phoenix area to determine their eligibility for this experiment. Recruiting participants for this study has an estimated burden of approximately 75 hours for the screening questions. The data collection will include a test track component and a cones course component, in which 36 participants are estimated to be eligible and interested in each. (While the goal is 36 final participants per experiment, the research team will ensure eligibility and interest of up to 96 participants total to account for potential attrition and replacement). The test track experiment has a total expected burden of 128 hours, and the cones course experiment has a total expected burden of 104 hours. In the test track experiment, participants will perform tasks on a mobile phone in a stationary vehicle, while wearing occlusion glasses, and then perform tasks while driving around a test track. In the cones course experiment, participants will perform tasks while driving through a cones course. Across both experiments, data will be collected by the experimenter who will provide instructions to the participant and will observe participant performance; using GoPro cameras that will monitor the participant and the driving environment; and using the Ergoneers Dikablis Glasses X eye-tracking system, which will record gaze position, pupil diameter, and blink behavior. The total expected burden for this collection is 331 hours. NHTSA will use this information to produce a technical report that will provide summary figures and tables, as well as the results of statistical analysis of the information. No identifying information or individual responses will be reported. The technical report will be shared with NHTSA and the Department of Transportation. Members of the general public would have access to the aggregated information when written reports are published. This project involves approval by an institutional review board, which the contractor will obtain before contacting potential participants. This collection will be used to generate evidence-based best practices for the design of future drive-mode applications and functionalities for mobile phones operating independently of in-vehicle systems.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the Information: Driver distraction remains a significant safety threat, claiming thousands of lives annually, according to the latest data from NHTSA.^[1] NHTSA has implemented a multi-faceted approach to combat this issue, including public awareness campaigns like “Put the Phone Away or Pay,” increased law enforcement visibility ^[2] , and the development of Driver Distraction Guidelines for in-vehicle electronic device design.^[3]

A key focus of the NHTSA Distraction Guidelines has been addressing visual-manual distractions, which are a major safety concern with in-vehicle systems. ^[4] ( printed page 34719) The Guidelines established test protocols and acceptance criteria for measuring this type of distraction.^[5] In 2016, NHTSA proposed expanding these Guidelines to include portable and aftermarket devices.^[6] This proposal advocated for pairing smartphones with vehicle systems, contributing to the widespread adoption of platforms like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. NHTSA also promoted “drive-mode” for unpaired mobile phones, defining it as a simplified user interface designed for safe driving.^[7] To further refine its research agenda, NHTSA convened a Distraction Action Forum in August 2024.

Drive-mode limits phone functionality and simplifies the human-machine interface (HMI).

This collection will provide answers to NHTSA's objectives for this task order, which include determining how the interface of cell phones and electronic devices differ when operating in drive-mode relative to their standard operations, determining what changes in functionality occur when drive-mode is enabled, determining how much variability exists across different drive-mode implementations, determining how well drive-mode interfaces and functionality comply with the recommendations in the NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines, and identifying what factors influence user acceptance and use of drive-mode. This collection will be used to investigate how drive-mode implementations impact driver attention and performance as compared to their standard interfaces. NHTSA will use the information gathered to produce a technical report that presents the results of the study. The technical report will provide summary statistics and tables, as well as the results of data analysis of the information, but it will not include any personally identifiable information. The technical report will be published to the National Transportation Library and available to the general public. The report may also be of interest to a variety of stakeholders, including automotive manufacturers, suppliers, researchers, safety advocates, and regulators. The study results will provide NHTSA with valuable information to support initiatives to generate evidence-based best practices for the design of future drive-mode applications and functionalities for mobile phones operating independently of in-vehicle systems. The results support the agency's mission to reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes related to driver distraction on U.S. roads.

60-Day Notice: A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting public comments on the information collection was published on 02/11/2026 (91 FR 6284). Two comments were received during the comment period, one from Consumer Reports and one from The Alliance for Automative Innovation. NHTSA appreciates the input from these organizations and their support for the research.

Consumer Reports asked the agency to specify whether the current research will be able to identify which drive-mode elements trigger drivers to circumvent drive-mode and which result in task deferral. While determining the factors that lead drivers to circumvent drive-mode is not the primary purpose of this study, participants will perform tasks in various apps both with and without drive-mode while driving on the test track and then be asked about the likelihood that they would perform that task when driving in the real world. This subjective data would not be sufficient to provide a full understanding of the specific drive-mode elements that lead drivers to abandon drive mode or delay task engagement. However, a comparison of the responses to this question for drive-mode and standard versions of the app could help assess which version (standard or drive-mode) participants feel they would be more likely to use while driving. Additionally, this data, when combined with the information in the practice review conducted as background for this data collection effort, could begin to uncover common factors or elements of apps that participants report they are or are not likely to use while driving. However, it must be noted that the practice review indicates that there is limited element variability across drive-mode apps, and this lack of variability may limit the ability of the data to uncover the impact of individual elements that influence app use.

Consumer reports also noted the value of determining which drive-mode implementations affect long off-road glances. NHTSA agrees and has included eye tracking within this study to assess drive-mode implementations and characteristics that lead to long off-road glances.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation requested more information about the drive-mode applications being evaluated. They inquired about the driver performance metrics that will be used in the study and suggested lateral position and car following headway as potential metrics. They requested additional information on the planned driving conditions, noting that the complexity of the driving environment may influence driver performance. Clarification was requested on the purpose of the test track evaluation using occlusion goggles and the importance of eye tracking and baseline data were espoused. It was suggested that a post-study drive questionnaire could be used to identify the factors that influence user acceptance and use of drive-mode applications and to understand whether the driver's responses during testing are representative of their real-world driving behavior. Use of a priori power analyses to select sample sizes for the study was also suggested along with use of appropriate correction methods to account for tests with multiple comparisons. More information was also requested regarding the cone course scenario.

In response to these comments, NHTSA explains that many of the specifics about test conditions and test approach will be determined in the test planning phase of this effort. The information collection approval request process typically must be initiated well prior to the start of detailed study planning. The details of testing approach(es) will also be determined during detailed test plan development. Existing implementations of drive-mode will be reviewed and considered during detailed test plan development and specific implementations will be determined at that time. However, some responses based on current information are provided below.

The study will evaluate both standard and drive-mode applications on both Apple and android devices. Applications will be selected based on the types of activities that drivers most frequently engage in ( e.g., navigation, listening to music/audio books etc.). To ensure the study is considering all applications available at the time of testing, application selection will be finalized just prior to data collection. ( printed page 34720)

NHTSA acknowledges the importance of having baseline data and the value of collecting driving performance metrics and eye tracking data. Within the current study, participants will engage in both standard and drive-mode app task performance first in a static vehicle to establish baseline task performance and response time. This baseline will be compared to task performance when vision is occluded (using the occlusion goggles) and when driving on the test track were driving performance metrics, such as lane position and speed will be measured. Driver eye glance behavior will be recorded using an eye tracking system during the test track drive to record visual attention metrics such as mean glance duration and total eyes-off-road time. The proposed sample sizes were selected based on a priori power analyses, which account for the use of within-subject comparisons within the study. As suggested, appropriate correction methods will be employed to account for tests with multiple comparisons. While initial study ideas encompassed static, test track, and cone course data collections, the full details of the test approach will be determined during detailed test planning.

NHTSA agrees that there is value in understanding user acceptance and use of drive-mode. As part of the study, experimenters will be seeking subjective feedback from participants about each task immediately after completing that task on the test track, including information on perceived task demand, task acceptance, and how likely the driver would be to engage in this task while driving in the real world.

Affected Public: Study volunteers in the Phoenix, Arizona area between the ages of 18 and 60. Of the selected participants, equal numbers of males and females will be recruited.

Estimated Number of Respondents: The study anticipates screening 300 potential participants to obtain 96 individuals who meet the inclusion criteria. It is estimated that approximately 35% of those who begin the screening questionnaire will be eligible and will agree to participate in the study. While the goal is 36 final participants per experiment, (72 participants total) the research team will ensure eligibility and interest of up to 96 participants total to account for potential attrition and data loss.

Frequency: This is a one-time information collection, and there will be no recurrence.

Estimated Number of Responses: 492

Each respondent participant responds to each form once.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 111

The annual estimated burned is 111 hours. This estimate includes 25 hours for 100 potential participants to complete the initial screening. The annual burden estimate also includes 8 hours for 32 participants to review the consent form. An additional 43 hours are estimated for the 16 annual participants in the test track experiment and 35 hours for the 16 annual participants in the cones course experiment. The total burden is the sum of the burden across screening, consenting, and completing the test track or cones course drive. The details are presented in Table 1 and Table 2 below:

Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: Participation in this study is voluntary, and there are no costs to respondents beyond the time spent completing the questionnaires and visits to the study facility. Further, there is no preparation of data required or expected of respondents, thus there are no record keeping costs to the respondents. Participants do not incur capital and start-up costs, nor do they incur fuel costs as the vehicles being driven are not the participants' vehicles. Individuals will complete one study drive, either the test track drive or the cones course drive. For individuals who participate in the test track study, they will be offered $375 as compensation for their participation. For individuals who participate in the cones course study, participants will be offered $300 as compensation for completing the study requirements. Our experience indicates that anything less than the rate of $150 ( printed page 34721) per hour for total compensation would likely result in failure to recruit enough participants to provide adequate statistical power. This level of compensation is in line with past, similar efforts given the activities it requires of participants.

Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

91 FR 34718