SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB for approval, it must first 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 regulation (at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following: (a) 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; (b) 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; (c) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 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 for public comments on the following proposed collection of information for which the agency is seeking approval from OMB. ( printed page 69303)

Title: Click It or Ticket Evaluation.

OMB Control Number: New.

Form Numbers: NHTSA Form 2188.

Type of Request: Request for approval of a new information collection.

Type of Review Requested: Regular.

Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of approval.

Summary of the Collection of Information: NHTSA is seeking approval of this one-time information collection request (ICR) to administer surveys as part of an evaluation of Click It or Ticket, a key high-visibility enforcement campaign aimed at increasing seat belt use through highly visible seat belt enforcement combined with communications and outreach strategies. The purpose of the self-report surveys is to measure the reach and awareness of CIOT communication and enforcement efforts and to evaluate the effects of the CIOT campaign on driver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to seat belt use.

The surveys will be administered at three timepoints/waves (before, during, and after the annual national CIOT mobilization, which occurs in May) to English-speaking adults (age 18+) with valid driver's licenses who are members of the Gallup Panel, a probability-based panel with over 100,000 panelists in the 50 States and Washington DC. During each of the three survey waves, data will be collected from 4,800 respondents, with an estimated burden of 15 minutes per respondent (an annual burden of 1,200 hours for 4,800 annual respondents, averaged over the three-year approval period). At each wave, 800 respondents will reside in one of four major metropolitan areas (MSAs) located in four States selected to participate in other components of NHTSA's CIOT evaluation,^[1] with 200 respondents per MSA. An additional 4,000 respondents will reside in the rest of the U.S. Participation by respondents will be voluntary. The total annual burden for this information collection is 1,200 hours.

The contractor conducting this information collection is Gallup Inc., subcontracted to toXcel, LLC (Toxcel), NHTSA's prime contractor. Gallup's Institutional Review Board (IRB) will review and approve this data collection prior to fielding. Gallup's IRB meets all Federal requirements in 45 CFR 46, is registered with the Office for Human Research Protections, and has a Federalwide Assurance (FWA00021937). Toxcel also has established a Federalwide Assurance (FWA00022882).

NHTSA will use the information from this collection to produce a technical report that presents the results of the survey and the other components of the CIOT evaluation, as well as a dataset that does not contain any personally identifiable information. No identifying information or individual responses will be reported. The technical report will be shared with State Highway Safety Offices, law enforcement, local governments, policymakers, researchers, educators, advocates, and others who may wish to use the information to support their work.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 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 and enforcement programs with the goal of ending preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. Seat belt use is a key behavioral area for which NHTSA has developed comprehensive programs to meet its injury reduction goals. The annual CIOT mobilization is a major component of NHTSA efforts in this area. CIOT is a high-visibility enforcement campaign aimed at increasing seat belt use, and ultimately reducing injuries and fatalities, through highly visible seat belt enforcement combined with communications and outreach strategies.

NHTSA has conducted previous evaluations of CIOT, with the most recent evaluation conducted over 12 years ago.^[2] As part of a broader effort to gather up-to-date information about CIOT, this survey will provide information about whether, how much, where, for how long, and for whom CIOT improves seat belt use, as well as potential impacts on other driver knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to seat belt use. These survey results will deliver highly relevant, actionable data on CIOT effectiveness in support of NHTSA's mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs resulting from traffic crashes.

Affected Public: Participants will be English-speaking licensed drivers aged 18 years and older who live in one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia.

Estimated Number of Respondents: Participation in this study will be voluntary, with 4,800 participants at each of three waves (before, during, and after the annual national CIOT mobilization) selected from the Gallup Panel, a large probability-based panel sample frame. An estimated 13,760 panel members at each wave (41,200 total) will be invited to participate.

Frequency: The study will be conducted once in three waves: before, during, and after the nationwide CIOT mobilization.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,200 hours annually.

This ICR will be conducted in three waves: before, during, and after the national CIOT high-visibility enforcement mobilization. At each survey administration (wave), respondents are expected to take 15 minutes to complete the survey. Table 1 provides an overview of the survey administrations.

NHTSA estimates that each wave will have approximately 4,800 respondents and estimates that it will take approximately 15 minutes for a respondent to complete the survey, with an annual burden of 1,200 hours averaged across the three-year approval period (Table 2).

To be eligible, potential respondents must be age 18 or older, reside in the U.S., have access to the internet, be English-speaking, and have a valid U.S. license. However, using demographic information respondents provided when they became Gallup Panel members, Gallup will only send survey invitations to panelists who meet these first four criteria. In addition, survey invitations and notifications sent to Gallup panelists will indicate that respondents must have a driver's license, with about 89 percent of U.S. adults being licensed drivers.^[3] Therefore, the number of respondents who read the invitation materials, decide to participate, but ultimately report not having a valid U.S. driver's license is expected to be near zero.

NHTSA estimates the opportunity cost to respondents using a fully-loaded average hourly wage. The May 2024 mean hourly wage for all occupations in the United States was $32.66 per hour.^[4] NHTSA adds 31.3 percent to this figure to account for benefits, for a fully-loaded average hourly wage of $42.88.^[5 6] Therefore, NHTSA estimates the annual opportunity cost to be approximately $51,456 ($42.88 × 1,200 = $51,456). Table 2 provides a summary of the estimated annual burden hours and opportunity costs associated with this ICR.

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.

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 69302