[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42083-42084]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20627]


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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 September 11, 1996, 
beginning at 1:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 5:00 p.m. The 
deadline for interested parties to suggest agenda topics is 4:15 p.m. 
on August 22, 1996. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding the 
agency's research and development projects. They must be submitted in 
writing by August 29, 1996, to the address given below. If sufficient 
time is available, questions received after the August 29 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 August 29 will be available at the meeting and will be mailed to 
requesters after the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Tysons Westpark Hotel, 8401 
Westpark Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102. Suggestions for specific R&D 
topics as described below and questions for the September 11, 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 fourteenth meeting in 
the series will be held on September 11, 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 August 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 September 11 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:
    Air bag assessment research,
    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,
    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
    Advanced frontal test dummy.
Specific Crash Avoidance R&D topics are:
    Strategic plan for NHTSA's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) 
program for 1997-2002,
    Estimation of safety benefits for ITS collision avoidance systems,
    Truck tire traction,
    Portable data acquisition system for crash avoidance research 
(DASCAR),
    Systems to enhance EMS response (automatic collision notification),
    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,
    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.
National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) topics are:
    Status of National Accident Sampling System (NASS), including 
implementation of electronic data collection and changes in sampling,
    NCSA information services, including electronic access to collected 
information, and
    Special crash investigation studies of air bag cases.

    Separately, questions regarding research projects that have been 
submitted in writing not later than close of business on August 29, 
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

[[Page 42084]]

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 4:00 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 September 4, 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.

    Issued: August 9, 1996.
William A. Boehly,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 96-20627 Filed 8-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P