[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 145 (Thursday, July 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44838-44841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-18650]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2010-0098]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for
Extension of Currently Approved Information Collection
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of request for extension of currently approved
information collection.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
to renew an information collection. We published a Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information
collection on May 19, 2010. We are required to publish this notice in
the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by August 30, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer.
You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection,
including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary for the
FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways
for the FHWA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the
collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be minimized,
including the use of electronic technology, without reducing the
quality of the collected information. All comments should include the
Docket number FHWA-2010-0098.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Tan, Ph.D, Office of Safety
Research and Development (HRDS), at (202) 493-3315, Turner-Fairbank
Highway Research Center, Federal Highway Administration, 6300
Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA, 22101, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Motorcycle Crash Causation Study and Pilot Motorcycle Crash
Causes and Outcomes Study.
OMB Control #: 2125-0619.
Background: Motorcycle injuries and fatalities have increased every
year since 2003 in the United States. Per vehicle mile traveled
motorcyclists were
[[Page 44839]]
about 32 times more likely to die, and 6 times more likely to be
injured in a motor vehicle crash than were passenger car occupants.
This data shows that the motorcycle crash problem is becoming more
severe.\1\ Congress has recognized this problem and directed the
Department of Transportation to conduct research that will provide a
better understanding of the causes of motorcycle crashes. Specifically,
in Section 5511 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Public Law
109-59, Congress directed the Secretary of Transportation to provide
grants to the Oklahoma Transportation Center (OTC) for the purpose of
conducting a comprehensive, in-depth motorcycle crash causation study
that employs the common international methodology for in-depth
motorcycle crash investigation developed by the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).\2\ The Secretary of
Transportation delegated authority to FHWA for the Motorcycle Crash
Causation Grants under Section 5511 (71 FR 30831).
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\1\ More detailed information on motorcycle crashes can be found
in Traffic Safety Facts--Motorcycles, published by NHTSA and
available on its Web site at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/Rpts/2006/810606.pdf.
\2\ The OECD methodology may be obtained by sending a request to
[email protected].
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Proposed Data Acquisition Methodology
Use of Parallel and Complementary Procedures
The OECD describes two complementary procedures to be performed for
acquiring the data needed to understand the causes of motorcycle
crashes. The first of these is the traditional in-depth crash
investigation that focuses on the sequence of events leading up to the
crash, and on the motorcycle, rider, and environmental characteristics
that may have been relevant to the crash. The second procedure, known
as the case-control procedure, complements the first. It requires the
acquisition of matched control data to allow for a determination of the
extent to which rider and driver characteristics, and pre-crash factors
observed in the crash vehicles, are present in similarly-at-risk
control vehicles.
Such a dual approach offers specific advantages to the
understanding of crashes and the development of countermeasures. The
in-depth study of the crash by itself allows for analysis of the events
antecedent to the crash, some of which, if removed or altered, could
result in a change in subsequent events that would have led to a non-
crash, or reduced crash severity outcome. For example, an in-depth
crash investigation may reveal that an automobile approaching an
intersection was in a lane designated for straight through traffic
only, but the motorist proceeded to make a left turn from that lane
into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. That finding can, by itself,
be used to develop countermeasures, and does not require matched
control data. However, acquiring matched control data from similarly-
at-risk riders and drivers provides additional critical information
about crash causes that cannot be obtained if only crashes are
examined. The main purpose of acquiring matched data is to allow for
inferences to be made regarding risk factors for crash causes. A brief
explanation is provided here so that those less familiar with case-
control procedures will understand the advantage of acquiring
controls.\3\ Consider a hypothetical situation where it is observed
that the proportion of motorcycle riders involved in crashes that have
a positive Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is the same as the proportion of
matched (similarly-at-risk) control motorcycle riders not involved in
crashes. And assume that the proportion of passenger-vehicle motorists
who crash with motorcycles at a positive BAC is greater than matched
control passenger-vehicle motorists. These data considered together
would suggest that for crashes involving passenger vehicles and
motorcycles, alcohol is a bigger risk factor for passenger vehicle
drivers than it is for motorcycle riders. That is, the relative risk of
crash involvement attributable to alcohol in motorcycle-automobile
crashes is greater for passenger-vehicle motorists than for
motorcyclists. Other risk factors for crashes (i.e., age, gender,
riding and driving experience, fatigue level) for both motorcyclists
and motorists can also be examined in this manner. If scaled interval
measurements of risk factor levels are obtained (for example, if the
level of alcohol is measured, not just its presence or absence), then
it becomes possible to calculate functions showing how risk changes
with changes in the variable of interest. Such risk functions are
highly useful in the development of countermeasures.\4\
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\3\ This being a study of crashes involving motorcycles, data
will be acquired from both crash-involved motorcycles and also motor
vehicles involved in those crashes as countermeasures may be
developed separately for each that could lead to a reduction in
crashes involving motorcycles. Similarly, when control data are
acquired, data from similarly-at-risk motorcycle rider controls and
similarly-at-risk automobile driver controls will also be acquired.
This way a balanced picture of the causes of crashes involving
motorcycles and other vehicles will emerge.
\4\ Certainly other outcomes besides the one presented are
possible, and other comparisons are of interest. For example it
would be useful to compare crash-involved motorcyclists to non-crash
involved motorcyclists and crash-involved passenger vehicle
motorists to non-crash involved passenger-vehicle motorists. These
comparisons would allow for estimates of changes in relative risks
for riders and drivers independently.
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Issues Related to Sampling
Characteristics of the Crash Sample
To properly acquire in-depth crash data, it is necessary to find a
location in the country that experiences the full range of motorcycle
crash types that occur under a wide range of conditions and with a wide
range of motorcycle rider characteristics. The location must also have
a sufficiently high frequency of motorcycle crashes to allow
acquisition of the crash data in a reasonable amount of time. It is
anticipated that it will be possible to find a single location meeting
these requirements.
It is not necessary that the crash types observed (or other
composite indices or parameters of interest) be drawn from a nationally
representative sample, because it is not the intent of FHWA to make
projections of the national incidence of the causes of crashes
involving motorcycles from this study. Rather, the focus will be on
identifying the antecedents and risk factors associated with motorcycle
crashes. If it is deemed necessary, FHWA and NHTSA may utilize their
alternative databases that incorporate certain of the key variables
that will be acquired in this study, and those databases could be used
in conjunction with this study's data to make national estimates of
population parameters of interest.\5\
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\5\ There is a lengthy precedent for studying crashes using
case-control methods including the Grand Rapids study, (Borkenstein,
R.F., Crowther, F.R., Shumate, R.P., Ziel, W.B. & Zylman, R. (1974).
The Role of the Drinking Driver in Traffic Accidents (The Grand
Rapids Study). Blutalkohol, 11, Supplement 1), and of course the
Hurt study, (Hurt, H.H., Jr., Ouellet, J.V., and Thom, D.R. (1981).
Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of
Countermeasures Volume I: Technical Report).
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In addition, the crash investigations will be conducted on-scene,
while the involved operators and vehicles are still in place. This
provides access to physical data that is less disturbed by rescue and
clean up activities. It also facilitates the collection of interview
data while memories are unaffected. This quick-response approach is
most
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effective when a census of applicable crashes is selected for
inclusion.
Characteristics of the Control Sample
While the occurrence of a crash involving a motorcycle in the study
site is sufficient for it to be selected into the study, selecting the
similarly-at-risk controls is not as straightforward. The OECD
recommends several options for acquiring matched controls including
interviewing motorcyclists who may be filling up at nearby gas
stations, taking videos of motorcyclists who pass the crash scenes, and
interviewing motorcyclists at the location of the crash location at the
same time of day, same day of week, and same direction of travel. The
first of these methods suffers from the shortcoming that a rider or
motorist filling his fuel tank is not presented with the same risks, in
the same setting, as is the crash-involved rider and motorist. To
illustrate, consider a motorcycle rider who is hit from the rear by a
passenger vehicle motorist on a Friday night at 1 a.m. There is a
reasonable chance that alcohol is involved in this crash, but to
estimate the relative risk it will not help to measure the BAC of
passenger vehicle motorists (and motorcyclists) at a nearby gas
station. Passenger-vehicle motorists and motorcyclists will need to be
sampled at the location of the crash on the same day of the week, at
the same hour, and from the same travel direction. Even if the
suspected risk factor is not alcohol, but some other variable (e.g.,
distraction associated with cell phone use), it is still highly
advantageous to acquire the comparison data at the crash locations
(matched on time and direction), rather than somewhere else.
Using the second method mentioned above, acquiring the risk sample
by taking video at the crash scenes provides a similarly-at-risk pool,
and it also allows for many controls to be acquired at low cost. Its
chief disadvantage is that it does not allow capture of some of the key
risk factors for crashes (e.g., BAC), while others (e.g., fatigue) may
be very difficult to capture. However, some risk factors could be
acquired later by contacting the riders and drivers if license tag
numbers are recorded, and so this method could be used to supplement
the safety zone interview (described below).
The final method, the voluntary safety research interview, involves
setting up a safety zone at the crash location, one week later at the
same time of day, and asking those drivers and motorcyclists who pass
through to volunteer in a study. With this method, Certificates of
Confidentiality are presented to each interviewed driver and rider and
immunity is provided from arrest. The main advantage of this method is
that the key variables that are thought to affect relative crash risk
can be acquired from drivers and riders who are truly similarly-at-
risk. A final decision on the means of acquiring control data has not
been made.
Information Proposed for Collection
The OECD protocol includes the following number of variables for
each aspect of the investigation:
Administrative log 28
Accident typology/configuration 9
Environmental factors 35
Motorcycle mechanical factors 146
Motorcycle dynamics 32
Other vehicle mechanical factors 9
Other vehicle dynamics 18
Human factors 51
Personal protective equipment 34
Contributing environmental factors 8
Contributing vehicle factors 13
Contributing motorcycle factors 57
Contributing human factors 50
Contributing overall factors 2
Note that multiple copies of various data forms will be completed
as the data on each crash-involved vehicle and person and each control
vehicle and person are acquired. This increases the number of variables
above the sum of what is presented above. There are also diagrams and
photographs that are essential elements of each investigation that are
entered into the database. In prior OECD implementations, about 2,000
data elements in total were recorded for each crash.
Estimated Burden Hours for Information Collection
Frequency: Annually.
Respondents: This study will be based on all crashes occurring
within the sampling area; however, this burden estimate is based on
what we know about fatal crashes. The plan calls for data to be
captured from up to 1200 crashes with motorcycle involvement, and for
all surviving crash-involved riders and drivers to be interviewed. Two
control riders will be interviewed for each crash-involved
motorcyclist, and one rider and one driver will be interviewed for each
rider and motorist in multi-vehicle crashes. Passengers accompanying
crash-involved riders and passenger-vehicle drivers will also be
interviewed. The following table shows the sampling plan and estimated
number of interviews assuming 1200 crashes are investigated.\6\
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\6\ The final crash sample size will depend on the rate at which
crashes can be acquired in the selected site(s) and other matters
related to logistics and the final budget. However, the study will
acquire crashes on a sample size that exceeds the requirements of
the OECD methodology, and will be of sufficient size to meet the
goals of the study.
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Maximum total crashes to be investigated is 1200.
Crash Interviews:
Single vehicle motorcycle crashes =............................ 540
Multi-vehicle (2-vehicle) motorcycle crashes (660*2) =......... 1320
Passenger interviews motorcycle (.10* 540 + .10*660) =......... 120
Passenger interviews cars (.68*660) =.......................... 449
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Total Crash Interviews (540+1320+120+449) =................ 2429
Control interviews:
Controls for single vehicle motorcycle crashes (2*540) =....... 1080
Controls for multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes (1*660 + 1*660) = 1320
Passenger Interviews =......................................... 0
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Total Control Interviews =................................. 2400
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Grand Total Crash plus Control Interviews (2429 + 2400) 4829
=.....................................................
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Estimated Average Burden per Interviewee: Crash interviews are
estimated to require about 15 minutes per individual interviewed. To
the extent possible, crash interviews will be collected at the scene,
although it is likely that some follow-ups will be needed to get
completed interviews from crash involved individuals. Control
individuals' interviews will be completed in a single session and are
expected to require about 10 minutes per individual.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Burden hours estimates are
based on the total of 2,429 crash interviews to be conducted at an
average length of 15 minutes each and 2,400 control interviews to be
conducted at an average length of 10 minutes each for a total one-time
burden on the public of 1007.25 hours.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued On: July 22, 2010.
Judith Kane,
Acting Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-18650 Filed 7-28-10; 8:45 am]
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