[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 7, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4624-4625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-2429]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 571

[Docket No. 96-004; Notice 1]


Mirror Safety Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This document announces a public meeting at which the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will seek information 
from interested parties on the safety of mirror systems and suggestions 
for actions to enhance safety with respect to NHTSA's regulatory and 
non-regulatory mirror-related actions. This docuemnt also invites 
written comments on the same subject.

DATES: Public meeting. The meeting will be held on March 13, 1996 at 
1:30 pm. Those wishing to make an oral presentation at the meeting 
should contact Gary R. Woodford, at the address, telephone number, or 
fax number listed below, by February 29, 1996.
    Written comments. Written comments are due by March 22, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Public meeting. The public meeting will be held at the 
following location: Royce Hotel, 31500 Wick Road, Romulus, MI 48174, 
near the Detroit Metro Airport.
    Written comments. All written comments should be mailed to the 
Docket Section, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room 
5109, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. Please refer to the 
docket number at the top of this notice when submitting written 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary R. Woodford, Office of Safety 
Performance Standards, NHTSA, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. 
Telephone 202-366-4931; Fax 202-366-4329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulatory Reform

    Calling for a new approach to the way Government interacts with the 
private sector, President Clinton asked the Executive Branch agencies 
to both improve the regulatory process and seek non-regulatory means of 
working with our customers and partners. Specifically, the President 
requested that agencies: (1) Cut obsolete regulations; (2) reward 
results; (3) create grassroots partnerships by meeting with affected 
and interested parties; and (4) use consensual rulemaking more 
frequently. This public meeting responds to the third item by reaching 
out to the agency's grassroots partners with regard to the safety 
performance of mirrors for cars, light trucks and vans, sport utility 
vehicles, and heavy trucks. A separate meeting will be held to address 
motorcycles, including mirror issues unique to motorcycles.
    Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111 sets minimum 
requirements for the performance and location of original equipment 
mirrors to assure that they provide drivers with a clear and reasonably 
unobstructed rearward field-of-view. To help NHTSA assess the need for 
possible enhancements to the standard and to keep abreast of new mirror 
developments, NHTSA has conducted much research to identify how mirror 
system design influences driver performance during lane changing and 
merging. Specifically, the research goal has been to develop a safety 
relevant procedure to assess the effect of mirror image quality (e.g., 
distortion and minification) and field-of-view on the ability of 
drivers to process mirror information quickly and accurately.
    Before proceeding with future research, regulatory, or other 
activities for improving safety through enhanced rearward vision, NHTSA 
is holding this outreach meeting to obtain information from its 
customers and partners, including drivers, inventors, mirror 
manufacturers, motor vehicle manufacturers, vehicle and traffic safety 
organizations, consumer groups, and others concerned about vehicle 
mirror use and design. The information is needed to help NHTSA better 
understand mirror safety problems that can be addressed through 
regulatory and non-regulatory actions by the agency working with other 
interested parties. The types of issues of particular interest to NHTSA 
include the following:

Non-Regulatory

    1. What are the types of safety problems drivers are experiencing 
with current mirror systems?
    2. Are drivers making proper use of current mirror systems? If not, 
what information could NHTSA provide to drivers and how can the agency 
and other groups best help to disseminate the information?
    3. Are there unique needs or different patterns of use of mirrors 
of special driving populations, such as older persons, novice drivers, 
drivers with disabilities, drunk or drugged drivers, fatigued drivers, 
and drivers with vision problems, which original equipment or 
aftermarket mirrors could address? Should we inform drivers about these 
options to encourage their use, and if so, how? What training would be 
advised or required to effect a safe transition from conventional 
mirror systems?
    4. What aftermarket mirrors exist that could reduce ``blind 
spots,'' such as aspheric mirrors? Should the agency play a role in 
informing the public about the benefits or problems with these mirrors?
    5. Are there steps the agency could take to increase consumer 
receptivity to using certain aftermarket mirrors?
    6. Should consumers be made aware that there are market choices 
available in mirrors provided as original equipment?
    7. Do drivers have a difficult time getting used to new mirror 
systems or operating multiple vehicles with 

[[Page 4625]]
different mirror system designs? Should NHTSA take action to support 
better understanding and use of new mirror systems? If so, how?
    8. Should NHTSA work closely with States, dealerships, private 
organizations such as the American Association of Retired Persons and 
the American Automobile Association, and other groups to get 
information on mirror safety problems, and encourage and disseminate 
information on better mirror technology? Which organizations?
    9. Should a computer model that provides a standardized measure of 
indirect field-of-view be made available to help consumers and fleet 
purchasers compare field-of-view of different vehicles? What other 
mirror system performance characteristics should be made available to 
help vehicle purchasers compare rearview visibility from vehicles?
    10. What other non-regulatory topics should NHTSA consider 
regarding mirrors and driver behavior relative to mirrors?

Regulatory

    1. Are there near-term regulatory actions that NHTSA could take 
concerning vehicle mirror systems to help driver performance when 
changing lanes, merging, and backing?
    2. Are there any agency regulations which inhibit new mirror 
technology that could enhance driver safety? What factors should the 
agency consider in not inhibiting new mirror technology?
    3. Are there steps the agency should take to enhance international 
harmonization? What steps, and for what result?
    4. What mirror performance specifications should be considered to 
better accommodate special populations, such as novice drivers, older 
drivers, drivers with disabilities, drunk or drugged drivers, fatigued 
drivers, or drivers with vision problems?
    5. What safety problems could be addressed with NHTSA's future 
research?
    6. Should NHTSA undertake rulemaking to expand market choices for 
original equipment mirrors, such as automatic dimming mirrors?
    7. What other regulatory topics should NHTSA consider regarding 
mirrors and driver behavior relative to mirrors?
    NHTSA seeks the public's views on these and related issues 
concerning mirror technology, driver education and information, and how 
the driver interacts with the mirror system. Suggestions should be 
accompanied by a rationale for the action and the expected benefits and 
other consequences. Recommendations should include, where available, 
information on safety effects, consumer costs, regulated party costs, 
overall cost-effectiveness, small business effects, availability of 
voluntary industry standards, effects on international harmonization, 
and whether the action reflects a ``common sense'' approach to solving 
the problem.
    The public meeting will be held at 1:30 pm on March 13, 1996. The 
agency's quarterly technical meeting, which focuses on NHTSA's safety 
performance standards, safety assurance, and other programs, is also 
scheduled on March 13, starting at 9:30 am, and is more fully described 
in a separate Federal Register notice.

Procedural Matters

    Persons wishing to speak at the public meeting should contact Gary 
Woodford by the indicated date, including requests for audio-visual 
aids. Those speaking at the public meeting should limit their 
presentation to 15 minutes. However, because this meeting will be 
limited to one afternoon, if all speakers cannot be accommodated with a 
15 minute speaking time, it may be revised to 10 minutes at the 
meeting. If the presentation will include slides, motion pictures, or 
other visual aids, the presenters should bring at least one copy to the 
meeting for submission to NHTSA, so that NHTSA can readily include the 
material in the public record.
    NHTSA staff at the meeting may ask questions of any speaker, and 
any participant may submit written questions for the NHTSA staff, which 
NHTSA may, at its discretion, address to other meeting participants. 
There will be no opportunity for participants directly to question each 
other. If time permits, persons who have not requested time, but would 
like to make a statement, will be afforded an opportunity to do so.
    A schedule of participants making oral presentations will be 
available at the designated meeting room. NHTSA will place a copy of 
any written statement in the docket for this notice. A verbatim 
transcript of the meeting will be prepared and also placed in the NHTSA 
docket as soon as possible after the meeting.
    Participation in the meeting is not a prerequisite for the 
submission of written comments. NHTSA invites written comments from all 
interested parties. It is requested but not required that 10 copies be 
submitted.
    NHTSA will continue to file relevant information in the docket as 
it becomes available after the closing date. It is therefore 
recommended that interested persons continue to examine the docket for 
new material.

    Issued: January 30, 1996.
Barry Felrice,
Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 96-2429 Filed 2-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P