# 2025-21598: Feds to Size Up Bikers' Gear: NHTSA's Cozy Survey Hits the Road 2025-21598, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Assessing the Fit and Comfort of Motorcycle Safety Gear, is a Federal Register notice from Transportation Department, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published 2025-12-01, effective Comments must be received on or before December 31, 2025.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-08). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21598 - As of: 2026-06-08 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2025-21598 - Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Assessing the Fit and Comfort of Motorcycle Safety Gear - Type: Notice - Agencies: Transportation Department; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Citation: 90 FR 55237 - Published: 2025-12-01 - Effective: Comments must be received on or before December 31, 2025. - Comments close: 2025-12-31 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-08 ## In one line Feds to Size Up Bikers' Gear: NHTSA's Cozy Survey Hits the Road ## Summary NHTSA is planning a new study to learn how comfortable and well-fitting motorcycle safety gear really is by asking 625 riders about their helmets, jackets, gloves, and more. This one-time survey will help improve gear safety and comfort without costing riders anything or taking much time. If you want to share your thoughts, you have until December 31, 2025, to comment! ## Abstract In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted 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 is seeking approval for a new, one-time information collection from a targeted sample of 625 motorcycle riders (from 1,250 screened for potential participations) about their use and preference for motorcycle protective gear including footwear, gloves, helmets, jackets, and pants. The collection will involve recruiting motorcyclists attending motorcycle events to gather information about their perceptions of the gear in terms of comfort, usability, and protective value, and to obtain objective measures of fit. The study will allow NHTSA to assess the relationship between perceived and objectively measured fit and understand rider beliefs about the protective value of gear that influence the selection and use of protective gear. Participation will be voluntary and anonymous. A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on January 13, 2025. NHTSA received five comments, which we address below. ## Effects PRIA read - One-time 625-rider motorcycle gear survey: benefit, low. NHTSA will run a one-time survey that asks 625 motorcycle riders (screening about 1,250 people) about the fit, comfort, and perceived protective value of helmets, jackets, gloves, pants, and footwear. The study will recruit 125 riders from each of five vehicle types (standard, cruiser, sport, adven… - Participant time and opportunity cost estimate: cost, low. If you participate fully, the survey takes about 30 minutes; some partial participants will spend about 15 minutes and screened-but-not-participating interactions average 1 minute. NHTSA estimates total burden of 341 hours, a total burden cost of $14,460, and an annual burden cost of $4,820 (total… - Physical fit measurements will be taken: cost, low. Study staff will take objective fit measurements (for example, head circumference) using ribbon tape or an anthropometer as appropriate for the gear type, and each participant will be assessed for one gear type. Study staff will observe gear worn by riders and record observations on a tablet. - No personal identifiers; de-identified data released: benefit, low. Participants will not report personally identifiable information and participation will be anonymous. NHTSA will publish a technical report with summary statistics and make a de-identified data set available to the public. ## Related documents - [2026-19964](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19964): The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule III for Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks, 2026-09-30 - [2026-11072](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11072): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 214; Side Impact Protection; Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 305a; Electric-Powered Veh…, 2026-06-03 - [2026-08144](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08144): Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures, 2026-04-27 - [2026-05024](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05024): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 102 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles, 2026-03-16 - [2026-05023](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05023): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 103 and FMVSS No. 104 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles; Incorporatio…, 2026-03-16 - [2025-22674](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-22674): Public Hearing for Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards: The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicle Rule III for Model Years 20…, 2025-12-12 ## Sources - [2025-21598 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/01/2025-21598/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-for) - [2025-21598 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-12-01/pdf/2025-21598.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2025-21596, Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21596) - [Next: 2025-21599, Notice of Availability; Crossroads-Hobbs-Roadrunner Transmission Project Habita…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21599) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-21598 (as of 2026-06-08).