NHTSA Seeks Comments on Event Data Recorder Collection Reinstatement

Content

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments on a request for reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request
(ICR) summarized below will be 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. NHTSA seeks comment on a reinstatement of a previously approved
information collection regarding event data recorders (EDRs). EDRs are devices voluntarily equipped in vehicles that record
technical data related to vehicle operation and safety system performance. A
Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this information collection was published on July 22, 2025. NHTSA
received one public comment that was not relevant to the information collection request.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before April 20, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection, including suggestions for reducing burden, should
be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. To find this particular information collection, select “Currently under Review—Open for Public Comment” or use the search
function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For additional information or access to background documents, contact Joshua McNeil, Office of Crashworthiness Standards,
(202) 366-1810, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, W43-466, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Please identify the relevant collection of information by referring to its OMB Control Number
(2127-0758).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB for approval, it must first publish a document in
the
Federal Register
providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed
collection of information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must be included in such a document. Under
OMB's regulation (at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following: (a) whether the proposed collection
of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) how to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond,
including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other
forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses. In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public comments on the
following proposed collection of information for which the agency is seeking approval from OMB.

Title: Part 563, Event Data Recorders.

OMB Control Number: 2127-0758.

Form Number(s): N/A.

Type of Request: Reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

Type of Review Requested: Regular.

Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.

Summary of the Collection of Information: This notice seeks public comment on NHTSA's intention to seek approval from OMB to reinstate a previously approved information
collection, OMB No. 2127-0758, related to the requirements outlined in 49 CFR part 563, Event Data Recorders (EDRs). Part
563 establishes uniform national standards for vehicles voluntarily equipped with EDRs regarding the collection, storage,
and retrieval of onboard crash data. Specifically, voluntarily installed EDRs in vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating
(GVWR) of 3,855 kilograms (8,500 pounds) or less must record 15 essential data elements; record up to 30 additional data elements
if the vehicle has the capability; record data in a standardized format, including specifications for range, accuracy, resolution,
sampling rate, recording duration, and filter class; remain functional after full-scale vehicle crash tests as specified in
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) Nos. 208 and 214; and have the capacity to record data from two events in a
multi-event crash. Furthermore, Part 563 requires vehicle manufacturers make a tool for retrieving EDR information commercially
available and include a standardized statement in the owner's manual indicating the vehicle has an EDR and describing its
purpose. Part 563 aims to ensure that EDRs record crash data in a readily usable format, which is valuable for effective crash
investigations and the analysis of safety equipment performance, such as advanced restraint systems.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the Information: Under 49 U.S.C. 322(a), the Secretary of Transportation (the “Secretary”) is authorized to prescribe regulations to carry
out the duties and powers of the Secretary. One of the duties of the Secretary is to administer the National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safety Act, as amended. The Secretary has delegated the responsibility for carrying out the National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safety Act to NHTSA. (1) Two statutory provisions, 49 U.S.C. 30182 and 23 U.S.C. 403, authorize NHTSA to collect motor vehicle crash data to support
its safety mission. NHTSA collects motor vehicle crash information under these authorities to support its statutory mandate
to establish motor vehicle safety standards and reduce the occurrence and cost of traffic crashes. (2) NHTSA also utilizes crash data in the enforcement of motor vehicle safety recalls and other motor vehicle highway safety programs
that reduce fatalities, injuries, and property damage caused by motor vehicle crashes. In 2006, NHTSA exercised its general
authority to issue such rules and regulations as deemed necessary to carry out Chapter 301 of Title 49, United States Code
to promulgate 49 CFR part 563. (3)

NHTSA issued Part 563 to improve crash data collection by standardizing data recorded on EDRs to help provide a better understanding
of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur, which will in turn lead to the development of safer vehicle designs.
EDR data are used to improve the quality of crash data collection to assist safety researchers, vehicle manufacturers, and
the agency in crash investigations to understand vehicle crashes better and more precisely. Similarly, vehicle manufacturers
use EDRs to improve vehicle designs and develop more effective vehicle safety countermeasures.

In addition, 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.

60-Day Notice: A
Federal Register
notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting public comments on the following information collection was published on July
22, 2025 (90 FR 34576). NHTSA received one comment (4) from the People's Republic of China.

The commenter requested NHTSA to provide a detailed list of the data elements required to be recorded by an EDR and asked
NHTSA to improve the standard to ensure data survivability in extremely severe events. The comment did not address the estimated
cost and hour burden of this information collection, so no response is provided in this notice and no changes have been made
to the burden calculations based on the comment.

Affected Public: The respondents are manufacturers that voluntarily equip passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses
having a GVWR of 3,855 kg (8,500 pounds) or less and an unloaded vehicle weight of 2,495 kg (5,500 pounds) with EDRs.

Estimated Number of Respondents: Approximately 20 vehicle manufacturers.

Frequency: Annually.

Estimated Number of Responses: 15,230,000. The number of responses depends on how many vehicles manufacturers voluntarily choose to equip with EDRs.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: NHTSA estimates that there are no annual reporting or recordkeeping burdens associated with Part 563, except for the owner's
manual statement requirement which is incorporated into the consolidated owner's manual requirements information collection
(OMB Control Number 2127-0541). Vehicle manufacturers are not required to retain or report information gathered by EDRs because
the devices themselves

  continuously monitor vehicle systems and determine when to record, retain, and/or overwrite information. The information is
  collected automatically by electronic means. Data are only required to be locked and cannot be overwritten when a recordable
  event occurs (*e.g.,* an air bag deploys in a crash event). When recordable events do occur, EDRs only capture data for a few seconds. NHTSA estimates
  that there is no annual hourly burden associated with the information standardization requirements of Part 563.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: NHTSA initially estimated negligible costs for the 2006 final rule that established Part 563 for several key reasons. First,
in 2005, approximately 64 percent of new light vehicles already incorporated EDRs within their existing air bag control systems.
This meant the rule primarily required these systems to capture information they were already processing. Second, the agency
limited the scope of required EDR data elements and associated requirements to the minimum necessary to achieve its objectives.
At the time, NHTSA assessed that the industry's existing EDR technology largely satisfied the aims of Part 563, negating the
need for costly additional sensors or hardware. NHTSA stated in the 2006 final rule that the most significant potential costs
may result from data storage upgrades.

NHTSA estimated that 99.5 percent of model year 2021 light vehicles had compliant EDRs, indicating that manufacturers had
largely absorbed the costs of meeting the original Part 563 requirements. Given this near-universal adoption, NHTSA continues
to believe that the currently effective Part 563 requirements impose no additional or negligible costs. Consequently, the
cost burden for this information collection is discussed qualitatively.

Part 563 applies only to vehicles voluntarily equipped with EDRs. Therefore, any burden is based on the cost difference between
compliant and non-compliant EDRs. In assessing additional burden for compliant EDRs, NHTSA considered: (1) the added cost
of meeting the 10-day data crash survivability requirement; and (2) the added cost of meeting the data format requirements.
Part 563 requires that an EDR must remain functional during and after the compliance tests specified in FMVSS Nos. 208 and
214, and the stored data must be downloadable 10 days after the crash test. While this ensures a basic level of functionality
and survivability, it does not guarantee EDR survival in extremely severe events such as fires or submersion. The potential
burden for data survivability could include expenses for an additional power supply and enhancements to the Controller Area
Network (CAN), such as wiring, data bus, and harness. However, prior to Part 563, the agency had not documented widespread
EDR survivability issues, except in rare and extreme circumstances. Thus, NHTSA does not anticipate vehicle manufacturers
incurring additional costs to ensure the retrieval of essential data elements 10 days after the crash test.

NHTSA believes the current Part 563 requirements align with industry EDR practices and international EDR requirements in terms
of the minimum duration and sample rate for recorded data elements. Regarding the data storage for Part 563 requirements,
the adequacy of existing memory in non-compliant EDRs remains unknown due to proprietary concerns. However, EDRs have been
nearly universally adopted in the vehicle fleet and manufacturers have not had issues meeting the minimum data capture requirements.
Manufacturers may continue to equip EDRs that voluntarily capture a broader range of data elements than the Part 563 minimum.
Manufacturers can also continue capturing EDR data at longer durations and higher sample rates than the current minimum requirements
if they believe there are added benefits for additional data elements at increased sample rates or durations.

Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

Jane Doherty, Acting Associate Administrator, Rulemaking. [FR Doc. 2026-05503 Filed 3-19-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-59-P

Footnotes

(1) 49 U.S.C. 105 and 322; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.95.

(2) See 49 U.S.C. 30101 and 30111.

(3) 71 FR 50997, August 28, 2006.

(4) NHTSA-2025-0029-0002.

Download File

Download