Overview
Title
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses
Agencies
ELI5 AI
The government wants to learn how well people know the rules about not driving past a school bus that's stopped with its lights flashing. They will ask drivers questions to help make passing school buses safer, and they'll use tools like cameras to catch rule-breakers.
Summary AI
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is collecting information to understand how well drivers know the laws about passing stopped school buses, which often have flashing lights. This information will come from national and community surveys of drivers, aiming to reduce illegal passes of school buses and improve safety. The study involves surveys conducted for drivers from different groups to evaluate the effectiveness of programs, including the use of automated cameras. Comments on the information collection can be submitted until February 8, 2021.
Abstract
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. This new information collection seeks to assess the knowledge of drivers nationwide about the laws governing passing a school bus. A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting public comments on the following information collection was published on July 17, 2020. By the close of the comment period, NHTSA received six comments.
Keywords AI
Sources
AnalysisAI
The document published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the Federal Register outlines a proposal for collecting information to evaluate drivers' understanding of the laws related to passing school buses. The goal is to reduce instances of illegal school bus passing, a significant safety concern, by assessing driver behavior through national and community surveys. The proposal seeks comments from the public to refine its approach, with a focus on the potential impact of using automated cameras as part of enforcement tactics.
Summary
NHTSA's initiative is aimed at addressing a crucial highway safety issue—illegal passing of school buses that threatens the safety of students. To this end, NHTSA plans to collect data from drivers nationwide to gauge their awareness and attitudes toward the laws governing school bus passing. The approach will involve two surveys: one representing a national sample and another targeting drivers in specific communities. The agency is also interested in understanding the effectiveness of high visibility enforcement methods like automated cameras on school buses.
Concerns
Several concerns arise from this document. Notably, the cost implications of implementing automated cameras are not explicitly detailed, leading to questions about financial responsibility and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, although the study is set to evaluate various technologies to curb illegal school bus passing, it does not clarify how these technologies will be chosen, allowing for potential bias or transparency issues.
The estimated annual burden of 1,268 hours for conducting these surveys might not seem justified in light of the potential benefits, as no concrete outcomes are stipulated. Moreover, while participants will be compensated for their time, the document does not specify the compensation amount, which may affect the overall budget and its transparency.
Another issue is the lack of clarity regarding how survey findings will influence policy or enforcement changes, posing questions on the practical utility of this data collection. The legal and procedural implications of using technologies such as automated cameras are also vaguely discussed, provoking concerns about regulatory transparency and clarity.
Public Impact
The outcomes of this initiative could broadly impact public safety by potentially leading to reduced instances of illegal passing of school buses, thereby safeguarding children. However, the lack of detailed cost analysis or outlined benefits might trigger public scrutiny over budget use.
Stakeholders
For stakeholders directly involved, such as school bus operators and law enforcement agencies, these findings might assist in developing more effective safety strategies. However, technologies' criteria not being clearly defined might raise concerns about fairness in selecting enforcement tools.
Motorists, as direct subjects of the survey, are a key stakeholder group. The findings could lead to increased traffic regulations that improve safety but might also result in technologies that infringe on privacy. Additionally, if financial allocations for these programs are substantial, taxpayers may express concern over fiscal responsibility.
This document provides a framework for a vital safety initiative but must address several substantive issues to ensure that its implementation is balanced, transparent, and beneficial to all stakeholders.
Issues
• The document does not provide detailed information on the cost implications for implementing automated cameras on school buses, which could raise potential concerns about fiscal responsibility and cost-effectiveness.
• The proposed data collection seeks to evaluate technologies for reducing illegal school bus passing but does not clarify the criteria for selecting these technologies, which might open the process to bias or lack of transparency.
• The document estimates an annual burden of 1,268 hours but does not correlate this with the potential benefits or outcomes, which might not justify the time investment.
• There is an acknowledgment that participants will be compensated for their time in the survey, but no specifics on the compensation amount and how this might affect budget allocation or expenditure transparency.
• The document does not provide clear guidelines on how the findings of this survey will translate into policy or enforcement changes, which might lead to questions about the practical utility of the study.
• The document's language around legal and procedural implications of the use of technologies like automated cameras remains vague, which might lead to concerns about transparency or legal clarity.