[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 206 (Wednesday, October 26, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26441]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: October 26, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
14 CFR Part 93

[Docket No. 27941]

 

Study of Child Restraint Systems

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Study and Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: On August 23, 1994, Public Law (Pub. L.) 103-305 was enacted 
and requires that the FAA conduct a study on the availability, 
effectiveness, cost, and usefulness of restraint systems that may offer 
protection to children, who presently do not use child restraint 
systems and who are presently carried on the laps of adults, aboard air 
carrier aircraft. The report to Congress is due February 23, 1995. This 
document requests comments from the public on the issues surrounding 
child restraint systems.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 11, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver other comments in triplicate to: Federal 
Aviation Administration, Office of Chief Counsel, Attention: Rules 
Docket (AGC-200), Docket No. 27941, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20591. Comments must be marked Docket No. 27941. They 
will be on display in Room 915G weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 
p.m., except on Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Gary Becker, APO-310, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, telephone No. 202-267-
7766.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    United States air carriers have a superb safety record that has 
continued to improve over time and now ranks among the best in the 
world. The risk of injury or death when traveling on an airline is low. 
Air carrier accidents are infrequent. Even identifying the causes of 
these accidents (e.g., severe inflight turbulence) requires thorough 
and wide-ranging research.
    Children under the age of two (infants) are permitted to travel 
aboard airlines on the laps of their parents, guardians, or attendants. 
Air carriers decide whether to charge for the transportation of infants 
who are held on adult laps. Infants traveling in this manner, however, 
are not secured by any safety/restraint systems. In the rare event of a 
crash or rapid aircraft movements such as those caused by severe in-
flight turbulence, forces may be too great for the accompanying adult, 
guardian, or attendant to protect the infant from injury. In these 
circumstances, infants are at higher risk of death or injury than all 
other travelers who must fasten safety belts.
    Infants may also be placed in acceptable child/infant safety seats. 
However, most air carriers require that a ticket be purchased for those 
children under two in order to reserve a seat to which the safety seat 
can be attached. The added ticket cost, and the generally perceived low 
rate of accidents and injuries, results in many parents, guardians or 
attendants opting to hold infants in their laps. The alternative of 
incurring an added cost to reserve a seat for use with an infant safety 
seat may divert some air travelers to other less costly modes of 
transportation. Infants and adults may be at a higher risk of death or 
injury when traveling in alternative modes than if they flew.
    Congress, in Public Law 103-305, amended the Airport and Airway 
Improvement Act of 1982. This amendment directs the FAA to conduct a 
study of child restraint systems on air carrier aircraft. The study is 
due to Congress on February 23, 1995. The purpose of this study is to 
determine the availability, effectiveness, cost, and usefulness of 
restraint systems that may offer protection to a child, carried in the 
lap of an adult aboard an air carrier aircraft or provide for the 
attachment of a child restraint device to the aircraft. Congress has 
directed the FAA to study the following issues:
    1. The direct cost to families of requiring air carriers to provide 
restraint systems and requiring infants to use them, including whether 
airlines will charge a fare for use of seats containing restraining 
systems.
    2. The impact on air carrier aircraft passenger volume by requiring 
use of infant restraint systems, including whether families will choose 
to travel to destinations by other means, including automobiles.
    3. The impact on fatalities and fatality rates of infants and 
adults using airplanes, automobiles, and other modes of transportation.
    4. The efficacy of infant restraints currently marketed as able to 
be used for air carrier aircraft.
    There are at least four additional issues that are related to the 
Congressional issues described above:
    1. What cost might airlines incur if the use of child safety seats 
was required by regulation? There are several subordinate issues 
related to cost. For example:
    (a) Would air carriers provide child safety seats?
    (b) What would it cost air carriers to purchase and maintain child 
safety seats?
    (c) How often would child safety seats have to be replaced?
    (d) How many times annually would child safety seats be used on air 
carrier aircraft?
    (e) How many child safety seats would be purchased during a year by 
air carriers?
    2. For a family traveling with infants, what is the price 
elasticity of demand for air travel?
    (a) What fares doe air carriers now charge for infants currently 
seated in child safety seats?
    (b) If parents had to purchase a ticket for their child under the 
age of two and the price of the seats on their flight of choice was 
such that their only alternatives would be to (1) drive or (2) fly 
paying discount fares during off-peak hours (or a non-direct flight), 
which alternative would they choose?
    (c) Is there a difference in the elasticity of short versus long 
trips--(less than 300 miles and 300 miles or greater)?
    (d) Is 300 miles the appropriate demarcation for a short versus a 
long trip for a family traveling with infants? What, if any, is a 
relevant demarcation?
    (e) What is the cross-price elasticity of demand for air and 
automobile travel for families traveling with infants?
    3. What are the profiles of families with infants who drive? What 
are the profiles of families with infants who fly?
    For example:
    (a) How many infants are enplaned annually aboard domestic air 
carriers?
    (b) How many infants would be represented in an average size family 
that flies?
    (c) What is the average number of individuals in a family that 
flies?
    (d) How many families fly annually?
    (e) Of those families with infants who fly, what percent of 
families currently use child safety seats?
    4. What are the infant and adult mortality rates for air travel, 
automobile travel, and other modes of transportation? There are several 
subordinate issues related to mortality rates. For example:
    (a) What are the appropriate units of measure to use to compare 
infant fatalities/injuries from automobile travel to infant fatalities/
injuries from air travel?
    (b) What is the infant automobile passenger fatality, serious 
injury, and minor injury incidence rate for families with infants 
traveling by automobile? How does this incidence rate compare with 
those of families traveling by air?
    (c) What is the non-infant automobile passenger fatality, serious 
injury, and minor injury incidence rate for families with infants 
traveling by automobile? How does this incidence rate compare with 
those of families traveling by air?
    (d) How does the automobile accident rate for parents and guardians 
of infants compare with the automobile accident rate for the general 
population?
    (e) When is the passenger seat and safety belt that is available to 
an adult passenger (without the child safety seat) safe enough for a 
child?
    (f) When should seats not manufactured to federal motor vehicle 
safety standards be used (if at all)?
    With regard to the issue of the efficacy of infant restraints, the 
FAA has completed a study entitled ``The Performance of Child Restraint 
Devices in Transport Airplane Passenger Seats.'' A notice of 
availability was published in the Federal Register on September 27, 
1994 (59 FR 49276). The FAA is continuing to study child restraint 
systems and to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration to develop revised standards for child safety seat 
testing and labeling.
    The FAA will be seeking data from some individually selected air 
carriers, air taxis, and commercial operators or their representatives 
concerning anticipated pricing policies if child safety seats are 
mandated for infants. This data is needed to respond to the 
Congressional request for a report and would constitute competitive 
commercial information. To avoid any improper exchange of competitive 
price or marketing information the FAA will maintain the 
confidentiality of such information. Raw data of this nature will not 
be disclosed; rather, any presentation of such data will be aggregated 
to avoid any competitive concerns.

Comments Invited

    Parties interested in the congressionally mandated study of child 
safety seats are invited to submit such written data, views, or 
arguments as they may desire. Comments that provide a factual basis 
which support the views and suggestions presented are particularly 
helpful in analyzing the child safety seat issues. Comments are 
specifically invited on the overall regulatory, economic, competitive, 
and small business aspects of child safety seat use and of potential 
alternatives. Written submissions should identify the docket number and 
be submitted in triplicate to the Federal Aviation Administration, 
Office of Chief Counsel, Attention: Rules Docket (AGC-200), 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. Comments should not be 
sent or directed to any of the contractors that have been engaged by 
the FAA to provide information for the study.
    All comments received on or before the closing date for comments 
will be fully considered. To the extent possible, all comments received 
after the closing date will be considered also. All comments submitted, 
will be available for examination in the Rules Docket both before and 
after the closing date for comments.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 20, 1994.
Dale E. McDaniel,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, Planning, and International 
Aviation.
[FR Doc. 94-26441 Filed 10-25-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M