[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 29 (Monday, February 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5438-5439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-3006]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Research and Development Programs Meeting

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting at which NHTSA will 
describe and discuss specific research and development projects. 
Further, the notice requests suggestions for topics to be presented by 
the agency.

DATES AND TIMES: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
will hold a public meeting devoted primarily to presentations of 
specific research and development projects on March 12, 1996, beginning 
at 1:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 5 p.m. The deadline for 
interested parties to suggest agenda topics is 4:15 p.m. on February 
22, 1996. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding the agency's 
research and development projects. They must be submitted in writing by 
March 4, 1996, to the address given below. If sufficient time is 
available, questions received after the March 4 date will be answered 
at the meeting in the discussion period. The individual, group, or 
company asking a question does not have to be present for the question 
to be answered. A consolidated list of the questions submitted by March 
4 will be available at the meeting and will be mailed to requesters 
after the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Royce Hotel-Detroit Metro 
Airport, 31500 Wick Road, Romulus, Michigan 48174. Suggestions for 
specific R&D topics as described below and questions for the March 12, 
1996, meeting relating to the agency's research and development 
programs should be submitted to the Office of the Associate 
Administrator for Research and Development, NRD-01, National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, Room 6206, 400 Seventh St., SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. The fax number is 202-366-5930.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA intends to provide detailed 
presentations about its research and development programs in a series 
of public meetings. The series started in April 1993. The purpose is to 
make available more complete and timely information regarding the 
agency's research and development programs. This twelfth meeting in the 
series will be held on March 12, 1996.
    NHTSA requests suggestions from interested parties on the specific 
agenda topics to be presented. NHTSA will base its decisions about the 
agenda, in part, on the suggestions it receives by close of business at 
4:15 p.m. on February 22, 1996. Before the meeting, it will publish a 
notice with an agenda listing the research and development topics to be 
discussed. The agenda can also be obtained by calling or faxing the 
information numbers listed elsewhere in this notice. NHTSA asks that 
the suggestions be limited to six, in priority order, so that the 
presentations at the March 12 R&D meeting can be most useful to the 
audience. Specific R&D topics are listed below. Many of these topics 
have been discussed at previous meetings. Suggestions for agenda topics 
are not restricted to this listing, and interested parties are invited 
to suggest other R&D topics of specific interest to their 
organizations.

Specific R&D topic is:
    On-line tracking system for NHTSA's research projects.
Specific Crashworthiness R&D topics are:
    Improved frontal crash protection (program status, problem 
identification, offset testing),
    Advanced glazing research,
    Vehicle aggressivity and fleet compatibility,
    Upgrade side crash protection,
    Upgrade seat and occupant restraint systems,
    Child safety research (ISOFIX),
    Child restraint/air bag interaction (CRABI) dummy testing,
    Electric and alternate fuel vehicle safety,
    Truck crashworthiness/occupant protection,
    Highway traffic injury studies,
    Head and neck injury research,
    Lower extremity injury research,
    Thorax injury research,
    Human injury simulation and analysis,
    Refinements to the Hybrid III dummy, and
    Crash test dummy component development.
Specific Crash Avoidance R&D topics are:
    Truck tire traction,
    Portable data acquisition system for crash avoidance research 
(DASCAR),
    Systems to enhance EMS response (automatic collision notification),
    Vehicle motion environment data collection system,
    Crash causal analysis,
    Human factors guidelines for crash avoidance warning devices,
    Longer combination vehicle safety,
    Drowsy driver monitoring,
    Driver workload assessment,
    Pedestrian detection devices for school bus safety,
    Performance guidelines for ITS systems (approach),
    Variable dynamics test vehicle,
    Engineering description of precrash events,
    Preliminary rearend collision avoidance system guidelines,
    Preliminary road departure collision avoidance system guidelines,
    Preliminary intersection collision avoidance system guidelines, and
    Preliminary lane change/merge collision avoidance system 
guidelines.
Specific National Center for Statistics and Analysis topic is:
    Status and plans for calendar year 1996 for the National Accident 
Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS CDS).

    Separately, questions regarding research projects that have been 
submitted in writing not later than close of business on March 4, 1996, 
will be answered. A transcript of the meeting, copies of materials 
handed out at the meeting, and copies of the suggestions offered by 
commenters will be available for public inspection in the NHTSA's 
Technical Reference Division, Room 5108, 400 Seventh St., SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. Copies of the transcript will then be available 
at 10 cents a page, upon request to NHTSA's Technical Reference 
Division. The Technical Reference Division is open to the public from 
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    NHTSA will provide technical aids to participants as necessary, 
during the Research and Development Programs Meeting. Thus, any person 
desiring the assistance of ``auxiliary aids'' (e.g., sign- language 
interpreter, telecommunication devices for deaf persons (TTDs), 
readers, taped texts, braille materials, or large print materials and/
or a magnifying device), please contact Rita Gibbons on 202-366-4862 by 
close of business March 6, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rita Gibbons, Staff Assistant, Office 
of Research and Development, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590. Telephone: 202-366-4862. Fax number: 202-366-5930 

[[Page 5439]]

Issued: February 7, 1996.

William A. Boehly,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 96-3006 Filed 2-9-96; 8:45 am]
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