Supporting Statement: Section A
Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses
Abstract1
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting a research study on the illegal passing of stopped school buses. This dangerous driving behavior is a frequent occurrence all across the country with over 17 million illegal passes estimated as occurring during the 2018-2019 school year.2 When a child boarding or disembarking a school bus is struck by a passing vehicle, it often results in serious injury or death. Even though every State has a law requiring drivers to stop for a stopped school bus displaying flashing red lights, violations abound. Little is known about driver knowledge of school bus passing laws, or why drivers violate the laws in spite of their universality.
The most recent in-depth study on the issue of illegal passing of school buses was performed over 20 years ago at the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR).3 This single-State study found that, even in the most common roadway conditions in which a driver encounters a stopped school bus (2-lane undivided roadway), 14% of drivers were still unaware that they needed to stop when the school bus displayed red lights and extended its stop-arm. This dated, single-State study may not be representative of current driver knowledge and attitudes across the United States. A nationally representative sample of respondents is needed to develop a current and more accurate estimate of driver knowledge of and attitudes towards school bus passing laws.
The current study consists of two new voluntary surveys of drivers in the general public to collect data to support NHTSA’s effort to reduce illegal passing of school buses. The first survey involves a one-time nationally representative sample of drivers to assess their knowledge and attitudes related to the passing of stopped school buses. The second involves a field study in two communities to examine the effectiveness of a high-visibility enforcement approach that includes the use of automated cameras on the school bus. The study sites will be cities or counties of approximately 100,000 to 300,000 population served by no more than two law enforcement agencies. They will have existing State or local laws that permit the use of camera enforcement of school bus passing violations by sending a citation to the registered owner of the violating vehicle. The survey will be given in two waves in each of the two communities, once before and once after implementation of the countermeasure, for a total of four collections. The study will also involve a review of violation rates that does not involve any contact with the public. The study’s survey data collection in the test communities before and after program implementation will examine awareness of the enforcement program, driver knowledge of and attitudes towards school bus passing laws, and self-reported behavior when encountering a school bus.
In summary, this study seeks to fill a gap in the state of knowledge concerning the illegal passing of stopped school buses. NHTSA will use the information to produce a technical report that will present summary statistics and tables. No identifying information is being collected, and no individual responses will be reported. The results of this research will assist NHTSA in better understanding how to develop successful programs to reduce illegal passing of school buses. The results can also be used by school bus operators, law enforcement agencies, researchers, government agencies at all levels, and others to plan and execute countermeasures against illegal school bus passing.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct a data collection effort to assess the knowledge and opinions of drivers regarding the illegal passing of stopped school buses. Undertaking this important research will support NHTSA’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity.
NHTSA’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce traffic-related fatalities and other economic costs. The agency develops, promotes and implements educational, enforcement, and engineering programs with the goal of ending preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. Since 1991, NHTSA supported efforts to conduct national surveys focusing on different program areas with the hopes of enhancing its resources in those areas. Local community surveys have also been used to evaluate the effectiveness of educational and enforcement programs by documenting changes in community knowledge, attitudes, self-reported behavior, and awareness of program efforts.
One highway safety problem NHTSA has been following closely involves vehicles illegally passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended and striking school children. The annual national stop-arm violation count by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS)4 continues to show a surprisingly high number of these illegal passes. Although the existence of violations themselves is well documented, to date no national survey has assessed the levels of driver knowledge and understanding of the laws prohibiting passing of stopped school buses. Information from such a survey is needed to inform NHTSA’s development of effective programs to prevent these illegal passes. Similar knowledge and attitude data as well as measures of exposure to an experimental high-visibility enforcement program using automated school bus camera enforcement is needed in test communities to evaluate program effectiveness. NHTSA can then use the evaluation results to better inform States and local communities as to the usefulness of the studied approach.
Section 403 of Title 23, United States Code, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to conduct research and development activities, including demonstration projects and the collection and analysis of highway and motor vehicle safety data and related information with respect to all aspects of highway and traffic safety systems and conditions relating to vehicle, highway, driver, passenger, motorcyclist, bicyclist, and pedestrian characteristics; accident causation and investigations; and human behavioral factors and their effect on highway and traffic safety, including impaired driving.
This is a new collection of information involving two surveys: 1) a survey of a nationally representative sample of drivers (National Survey), and 2) a separate survey to evaluate the effectiveness of a countermeasure deployment (Community Survey). No similar studies in the United States have focused on these populations using these methodologies. This new collection will address the substantial gap in knowledge regarding drivers’ awareness and knowledge of school bus stop laws and the effectiveness of the studied countermeasure. 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. The report will not include any personal identifying information because none will be collected. The technical report will be shared with State Highway Safety Offices and other stakeholders interested in improving highway and school transportation safety. Study results will be used by NHTSA to inform traffic safety stakeholders on drivers’ knowledge of school bus stop laws and the effectiveness of the studied countermeasure in reducing violations of the prohibition on passing a stopped school bus.
Both the national and test community surveys will be administered via an internet-hosted survey. AmeriSpeak5 panel members will complete the national survey on their own personal computer or portable electronic device. Community survey participants will complete the survey on a tablet or other portable computer provided by the researchers. This technology will improve the efficiency of collection and data management, help to preserve the integrity of data, never contain any personal identifiers, and reduce the likelihood of data loss. Both survey collection approaches have been assessed for possible issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other than the need to wait for schools to reopen and a reasonable level of school busing to resume, no changes in the described approach to the data collections due to the pandemic are foreseen.
This is the only study to date of drivers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards school bus passing laws that utilizes a nationally representative sample of United States drivers. A study on the issue of illegal passing of school buses was performed over 20 years ago at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida.6 The Florida study, though, is now dated and only involved a sample of Florida drivers. A nationally representative sample of respondents is necessary to develop a current and more accurate estimate of driver knowledge of school bus passing laws. In addition, no previous, carefully controlled study has evaluated the effectiveness of high-visibility enforcement that includes automated school bus cameras to catch and cite violators.
The collection of information does not involve small businesses or other small entities.
The illegal passing of stopped school buses has major implications for the safety of school-age children, who are one of the most vulnerable populations in the traffic safety domain. If the information is not collected, NHTSA’s ability to provide guidance to the public and traffic safety professionals about the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus will be reduced. Despite the pervasiveness of illegal passing, little is known about drivers’ knowledge and attitudes on the topic. Other Federal agencies, legislators, State highway safety offices, law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors are looking to NHTSA for information on the topic. In the absence of this study, some will use incomplete data or emotional arguments to guide decisions on traffic safety programs rather than relying on sound scientific evidence.
requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;
requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;
requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;
requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years;
in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;
requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;
that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes· sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or
requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.
There are no special circumstances that would cause this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
NHTSA published a 60-day Federal Register Notice on Friday, January 8, 2021(86FR1577).
Incentives will be provided to help keep participants engaged and motivated in order to obtain maximum survey participation. Participants in the national survey are pre-screened and registered with AmeriSpeak as part of a nationally representative panel of respondents. In accordance with their prior agreement with AmeriSpeak, they will be offered survey choice cash-equivalent “points” to redeem for prizes rather than a cash stipend. The points are funded by NHTSA, delivered via the online panel provider to respondents who complete the survey, and have an approximate value of $10. In essence, the AmeriSpeak respondent/panel members have an already-established account not unlike in an airline frequent flyer program. When they complete a survey such as the one proposed herein, their account is credited with a specific number of points. Providing points to panelists is positively associated with response rates.7,8,9 Participants in the test communities will receive an equivalent incentive in the form of a store coupon, gift card, or cash depending on the location of the survey. The incentives will be distributed to the participants by the researchers at the intercept site as soon as the participant completes the survey.
Participants who are qualified and choose to participate in this study will complete an institutional review board (IRB)-approved informed consent process that promises no individual results and no personal information will be published or shared with any organization. All published results will provide only summary statistics that cannot be used to identify any individual or an individual’s responses. No record of participant identity will be collected.
The survey does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.
It is estimated that up to 3,400 AmeriSpeak panelists will have to be screened using AmeriSpeak’s standard e-mail invitation to obtain 3,100 qualified volunteers (aged 18 or older who drive) to take the national survey in order to arrive at 3,000 fully completed surveys. The total burden hours for the respondents are derived by first estimating the number of minutes each respondent would spend on each form and then multiplying that estimate by the number of respondents and dividing by 60 to express the burden in terms of hours. The estimates were the consensus of the project staff and the study’s subject matter experts (some of whom are pupil transportation stakeholders) based on their own responses to the survey, their experience designing, administering, and taking surveys, and their discussions with family members. Recruitment and screening involve (1) reading an AmeriSpeak e-mail invitation and reminder if necessary (see Attachment); and (2) determining an individual’s eligibility. NHTSA estimates this step will require up to two minutes of the respondent’s time. Therefore, the estimated total burden hours for AmeriSpeak panelists that will have to be screened is 113 hours (3,400 × 2 min./60 = 113.33 or 113 hours). The estimated average time to complete the survey per participant for the national study is 15 minutes. For the 3,100 qualified volunteers who take the national survey, the estimated total burden hours is 775 hours (3,100 × 15 min./60 = 775 hours). The total estimated burden hours for the national survey using AmeriSpeak is 888 hours (113 hours screening + 775 survey hours).
For the community survey portion of the high-visibility enforcement evaluation, the Community Survey will be applied in two communities in two waves (before and after countermeasure program implementation). NHTSA estimates that a maximum of 1,600 potential participants will have to be screened (400 per wave x 2 communities x 2 waves) to obtain 1,200 fully completed surveys (300 per wave x 2 communities x 2 waves). The screening involves (1) reading a recruitment communication such as an email or listening to a researcher give a brief description of the study and the applicable incentive and (2) determining an individual’s eligibility (e.g., 18+ years old, current driver, lives in the community being studied). This is estimated to require up to three minutes of the respondent’s time. Therefore, the estimated total burden for the screening portion of the community surveys is 80 hours (1,600 × 3 min/60 min/hr = 80 hours). The total estimated burden hours for the community surveys themselves is 300 hours (1,200 × 15 min/60 min/hr = 300 hours). The total estimated burden hours for the community surveys is therefore 380 hours (80 screening hours + 300 survey hours). Total burden hours for the entire study is estimated at 1,268 hours over the one-year study period. Table 1 provides a summary of the burden hours per survey.
Additionally, pretests of each questionnaire will be conducted with nine or fewer participants typical of the two respondent groups. These will be accomplished after approval of the questionnaires. The pretests will be interactive with the researchers to permit probing any issues of understanding or flow.
Table 1. Estimated Total Burden Hours
Participant Group |
Form Name |
No. of Responses per Participant |
Est. Burden per Response |
No. of Participants |
Total Burden Hours |
National Survey |
Invite/Screening |
1 |
2 min. |
3,400 |
113.33 or 113 |
National Survey |
Online Survey |
1 |
15 min. |
3,100 |
775 |
Community Survey |
Screening |
1 |
3 min. |
1,600 |
80.00 |
Community Survey |
Online Survey |
1 |
15 min. |
1,200 |
300 |
Total |
|
|
|
|
1,268.33 or 1,268 hours |
To calculate the opportunity cost/lost time to respondents associated with the national survey, NHTSA used the national average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls which the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists at $28.52.10 NHTSA estimated the opportunity cost for each form (i.e.; screening for the national survey opportunity cost = (2 minutes ÷ 60 × $28.52 = $0.95) × 3,400 respondents = $3,232.27) and arrived at a total opportunity cost of $36,172.87 or $36,173. Table 2 includes the estimated burden hours and opportunity costs associated with each form.
Table 2. Estimated Burden Hours and Opportunity Costs
Information Collection |
Form Name |
No. of Responses per Respondent |
Average Time Burden per Response |
Est. Hourly Opportunity Cost |
Est. Opportunity Cost per Form |
No. of Participants |
Total Est. Opportunity Cost |
National Survey |
Screening |
1 |
2 min. |
28.52 |
$0.95 |
3,400 |
$3,232.27 |
National Survey |
Online Survey |
1 |
15 min. |
28.52 |
$7.13 |
3,100 |
$22,103.00 |
Community Survey |
Screening |
1 |
3 min. |
28.52 |
$1.43 |
1,600 |
$2,281.60 |
Community Survey |
Online Survey |
1 |
15 min. |
28.52 |
$7.13 |
1,200 |
$8,556.00 |
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$36,172.87 or $36,173 |
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: (a) capital and start-up costs, or (b) operation, maintenance, and purchase costs as a result of participating in the study.
The data collection portion of this study is slated to take place over a one-year period. Total annual estimated cost to the Government for data collection for this study is as follows (note that this does not include costs for project administration, study design, data analyses or report writing):
Table 3. Annual Cost to the Government
Item |
Cost Per Year |
Data Collectors ($45.33 loaded rate x 600 hours) |
$27,198.00 |
Participant Payments ($10 x 4,300 National and community participants) |
$43,000.00 |
TOTAL ESTIMATED ANNUAL COST TO GOVERNMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION |
$70,198.00 |
This is a new information collection. As such, it requires a program change to add the estimated hours 1,268 hours for the new information collection to existing burden.
The collected data will be analyzed to answer the research questions. Complex analytical techniques will be used only as appropriate. For example, the main analyses of the National Survey will be descriptive and deal with the percent of the driving population that correctly knows the laws. More complex analyses, for example to model the demographic characteristics of participants who do and do not know the laws, will be attempted. The Community Survey analyses will focus on non-parametric comparisons of the first and second waves of surveys at each site and multivariate regression analyses using site and wave as factors.
The project began on September 29, 2018. Given the pandemic, the start of data collection is anticipated no earlier than late spring 2021. The National Survey will be initiated first, followed closely by the baseline surveys in the two test communities. All data collection will be completed by November 1, 2021. A technical report and journal article will be delivered to NHTSA by September 2022. Thereafter, NHTSA plans to issue a final technical report on the study, and one or more journal articles may be submitted to refereed journals depending on the nature of the findings.
NHTSA will display the expiration date for OMB approval.
No exceptions to the certification are made.
Attachment
AmeriSpeak Standard Invitation to Selected Respondents and Reminder
AmeriSpeak Standard Survey Invitation Text
Subject line: You're invited to complete your new AmeriSpeak survey (SID: [$Survey.ID]).
BEGIN YOUR SURVEY
and, if you are eligible, get X,000 AmeriPoints.
Dear FIRSTNAME,
Thank you for the valuable insights you provide to us at AmeriSpeak®.
We have a new survey for you. Please complete it at your earliest convenience, and if you are eligible, get X,000 AmeriPoints.
Remember, once you have 10,000 AmeriPoints, you can redeem them for a variety of things, such as a Mastercard® Reward Card or an Amazon.com gift card.
BEGIN YOUR SURVEY [Hyperlink]
Thank you for your time today. We look forward to hearing from you — and hearing your opinions!
Sincerely,
The AmeriSpeak Support Team
This email is intended for FIRSTNAME (PMID#).
Having trouble with the link? You can copy and paste this into your browser: URL.You can also go to my.AmeriSpeak.org or the AmeriSpeak app, log in using your member credentials, and click on the "Start Survey" button in your dashboard page.
Need more help or have questions? Email the AmeriSpeak Support Team at
support@AmeriSpeak.org or call toll-free (888) 326-9424. AmeriSpeak Support: 55 E Monroe St, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603. Copyright AmeriSpeak 2019. Use of any content or images is prohibited without prior written approval.
AmeriSpeak Standard Survey Reminder Text
Subject line: A reminder to complete your new AmeriSpeak survey (SID: [$Survey.ID]).
BEGIN YOUR SURVEY
and, if you are eligible, get X,000 AmeriPoints.
Dear FIRSTNAME,
Please do not forget to take your latest AmeriSpeak survey.
BEGIN YOUR SURVEY [Hyperlink]
Thank you for your time today. We look forward to hearing from you — and hearing your opinions!
Sincerely,
The AmeriSpeak Support Team
This email is intended for FIRSTNAME (PMID#).
Having trouble with the link? You can copy and paste this into your browser: URL.You can also go to my.AmeriSpeak.org or the AmeriSpeak app, log in using your member credentials, and click on the "Start Survey" button in your dashboard page.
Need more help or have questions? Email the AmeriSpeak Support Team at
support@AmeriSpeak.org or call toll-free (888) 326-9424. AmeriSpeak Support: 55 E Monroe St, 19th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603. Copyright AmeriSpeak 2019. Use of any content or images is prohibited without prior written approval.
1 The abstract must include the following information: (1) whether responding to the collection is mandatory, voluntary, or required to obtain or retain a benefit; (2) a description of the entities who must respond; (3) whether the collection is reporting (indicate if a survey), recordkeeping, and/or disclosure; (4) the frequency of the collection (e.g., bi-annual, annual, monthly, weekly, as needed); (5) a description of the information that would be reported, maintained in records, or disclosed; (6) a description of who would receive the information; (7) the purpose of the collection; and (8) if a revision, a description of the revision and the change in burden.
2 National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. (2019). 2019 Survey on Illegal Passing of School Buses. NASDPTS. See www.nasdpts.org/stoparm/2019/index.html.
3 Baltes, M. R. (1998). Measuring Motorist Comprehension of Florida’s School Bus Stop Law and School Bus Signalization Devices. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1640(1), 10-16.
4 See, for example, http://www.nasdpts.org/stoparm/
5 AmeriSpeak is funded and operated by National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago and is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population to take part in online and telephone surveys. See http://amerispeak.norc.org/about-amerispeak/Pages/default.aspx.
6 Baltes, M. R. (1998). Measuring Motorist Comprehension of Florida’s School Bus Stop Law and School Bus Signalization Devices. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1640(1), 10-16.
7 Thompson, W. (1985). “Utility of Paying Respondents: Evidence from the Residential Energy Consumption Surveys.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, May 1985.
8 Dillman, D.A., Smyth J.D., & Christian, L.M. (2014). Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
9 Fell, J. (2019). Underutilized strategies in traffic safety: Results of a nationally representative survey. Traffic Injury Prevention, 20(sup2), S57-S62.
10 February 2020. See https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t19.htm.
11 Specifically explain how the agency will inform potential respondents of the information required under 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3): the reasons the information is planned to be and/or has been collected; the way such information is planned to be and/or has been used to further the proper performance of the functions of the agency; an estimate, to the extent practicable, of the average burden of the collection (together with a request that the public direct to the agency any comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing this burden); whether responses to the collection of information are voluntary, required to obtain or retain a benefit (citing authority), or mandatory (citing authority);the nature and extent of confidentiality to be provided, if any (citing authority); and the fact that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
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| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Culbreath, Walter (NHTSA) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-19 |