NHTSA Solicits Input Ahead of Information Collection
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is accepting public comments on the agency’s intention to request approval for an information collection regarding event data recorders (EDRs).
NHTSA issued the request for comments in a notice published in the Federal Register on Aug. 26.
Before a federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget. Prior to seeking OMB approval, the federal agency must solicit public comment on proposed information collections.
Members of the public can comment on whether the proposed information collection is necessary and will have practical utility, the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, how to enhance the quality of the information that is to be collected and how to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who will respond. Written comments should be submitted by Oct. 25.
NHTSA, which is responsible for carrying out the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, is authorized to collect motor vehicle crash data.
“NHTSA collects motor vehicle crash information to support its statutory mandate to establish motor vehicle safety standards and reduce the occurrence and cost of traffic crashes,” the Federal Register document states.
Also, the agency uses crash data in the enforcement of motor vehicle safety recalls and other highway safety programs aimed at reducing fatalities, injuries and property damage caused by crashes.
Nhtsa Comment Edrs by Transport Topics on Scribd
Part 563 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations is intended to improve crash information collection by standardizing data recorded on EDRs to offer a better understanding of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur. The data is used by safety researchers, vehicle manufacturers and NHTSA officials in crash investigations.
Vehicle manufacturers can use the data to improve designs and develop more effective safety countermeasures. Advanced Automatic Collision Notification systems can use EDR data to aid emergency response teams that are assessing the severity of a crash and estimating the probability of serious injury.
“The agency’s experience in handling unintended acceleration and pedal entrapment allegations has demonstrated that, if a vehicle is equipped with an EDR, the data from that EDR can improve the ability of both the agency and the vehicle’s manufacturer to identify and address safety concerns associated with possible defects in the design or performance of the vehicle,” the document states.
The Code of Federal Regulations outlines national requirements for EDRs. Specifically, federal regulations require voluntarily installed EDRs in vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or fewer to:
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• Record 15 essential data elements.
• Record up to 30 additional data elements if the vehicle is equipped to record these elements.
• Record these data elements in a standardized format, with specifications for range, accuracy, resolution, sampling rate, recording duration and filter class.
• Function after full-scale vehicle crash tests that are outlined in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
• Have the capacity to record two events in a multi-event crash.
Additionally, regulations require vehicle manufacturers to make a retrieval tool for the EDR information commercially available. These rules help ensure the devices record data that is valuable for effective crash investigations and for analysis of safety equipment performance.
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