Request for Expedited Review

Memorandum
U.S. Department of Transportation
Office of the Secretary
of Transportation

Request for Expedited Review and Temporary Clearance for National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration information collection request 201509-2127-002
Subject:

Date: 12/16/15
Reply to: Claire Barrett, OCIO
From:

Claire W. Barrett
DOT Chief Privacy and Information
Governance Officer
Office of the Chief Information Officer

To:

Chandana Achanta
Desk Officer
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget

CLAIRE
W
BARRETT

Digitally signed by
CLAIRE W BARRETT
DN: c=US, o=U.S.
Government, ou=DOT
Headquarters,
ou=OSTHQ, cn=CLAIRE W
BARRETT
Date: 2015.12.16 16:24:51
-05'00'

SUMMARY
The Department of Transportation requests expedited review of the National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) information collection request 201509-2127002 entitled Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS). Unfortunately, due to operational
challenges only recently brought to management’s attention, the PRA clearance package was not
forwarded to OMB until now.
NHTSA’s collection and assessment of motor vehicle crash information is one of its most
important functions. Data collection activities support the agency’s efforts to work towards
elimination of highway safety related deaths, injuries, and crashes.
BACKGROUND
In support of these efforts, NHTSA has undertaken recent modernization efforts to upgrade its
data systems by improving the information technology infrastructure and updating the data to be
collected. The goal of this overall modernization effort is to develop a crash data system that
meets future data needs. With the current collection efforts ending on December 31, 2015, the
replacement system under these modernization efforts is set to begin collection on January 1,
2016. Consistent with the timeframe, the agency has entered into contracts supportive of these
activities.

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Although a continuation of past efforts in general, the new data system will be used for several
important purposes including estimating the overall crash picture, identifying highway safety
problem areas, and forming the basis for cost and benefit analyses of highway safety initiatives
and regulations. It will give motor vehicle researchers an opportunity to assess the overall state
of highway safety and identify existing and emerging highway safety trends as well as assess the
effectiveness of motor vehicle safety standards and highway safety programs. Users include
virtually every program area in NHTSA, other federal agencies such as the Federal Highway
Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, state and local governments,
domestic and foreign motor vehicle manufacturers, insurance and consumer organizations, safety
research organizations, universities, foreign government agencies, and individual citizens. In
short, the inability to collect this information will have drastic implications for NHTSA, the
Department of Transportation and the general public.
For this system, which requires data collection from individual State and local governments (as
the basic repositories of motor vehicle crash information), we understand that PRA clearance is
required. Pursuant to OMB regulations, the agency published a 60 day notice in September 2014
and a 30 day notice in May 2015. NHTSA did not receive any comments in response to the
notices.. Consequently, we are requesting that OMB provide a temporary three-month clearance
to cover the period from January 1 to April 1 so that these vital data collection activities may
continue without issue. Concurrent with this request for a temporary clearance, we are
submitting the PRA package for the data collection that covers the three-year period after
April 1.
We are happy to respond to any questions that OMB may have with the clearance package.
Please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss further.

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