[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 19, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 7495-7498] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-4063] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Discretionary Cooperative Agreements to Support the Air Bag Safety Campaign AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT. ACTION: Announcement of discretionary cooperative agreements to support the Air Bag Safety Campaign. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announces the availability of FY 1997 discretionary cooperative agreements to support the Air Bag Safety Campaign. The goal of this campaign is to inform the public about how to maximize the lifesaving capabilities of air bags while minimizing the risks and to increase the proper use of safety belts and child safety seats. NHTSA solicits applications from national nonprofit organizations, having regional, state or local chapters, for projects under this program. DATES: Applications must be received on or before March 21, 1997. ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Contracts and Procurement (NAD-30), ATTN: Georgeanne Moses, 400 7th Street, S.W., Room 5301, Washington, D.C. 20590. All applications submitted must include a reference to NHTSA Cooperative Agreement Program No. DTNH-97-H-05090, and identify the priority program area which the application is submitted. Interested applicants are advised that no separate application package exists beyond the contents of this announcement. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General administrative questions may be directed to Mark Kromer, Office of Contracts and Procurement, at (202) 366-9571. Programmatic questions relating to this cooperative agreement program should be directed to Ms. Cheryl Neverman, National Outreach Division, NHTSA, Room 5130 (NTS- 22), 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20590 (202) 366-2696. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Air bags, when combined with the use of a lap and shoulder belt, offer the most effective combination of protection to adults. More than 1700 lives have been saved by air bags since the mid-1980's. As of July 1996, about 56 million passenger cars and light trucks were equipped with air bags. In five years, more than 50 percent of the U.S. light vehicle fleet, 125 million vehicles, will have air bags. Beginning with model year 1998 for passenger cars and model year 1999 for light trucks, new vehicles will be required to have driver and passenger side air bags and safety belts. As vehicle fleets are being manufactured and sold with both driver and passenger side air bags, concerns have arisen about the dangers of air bags, particularly to children age 12 and under. Some infants, children and small stature adults have been injured or killed in traffic crashes by deploying air bags. In almost all cases to date, the occupants who died were unrestrained, incorrectly restrained, or positioned too close to the air bag. Since many people do not understand how air bags work, they fail to fully appreciate the threat air bags may pose to some passengers. Out of concern for the public's safety and the need to educate the public about the lifesaving benefits of air bags, a public and private partnership of automotive manufacturers, insurance companies, occupant restraint manufacturers, government agencies, health professionals, and child health and safety organizations was created to lead a national campaign--the Air Bag Safety Campaign. The privately funded Air Bag Safety Campaign, started in June 1996, is a two-year intensive education campaign whose goal is to inform the public about how to maximize the lifesaving capabilities of air bags, while minimizing the risks and to increase the proper use of safety belts and child safety seats. The campaign takes a three-pronged approach in conveying its messages to the American public: 1. Public Education: Development of an intense media campaign to get the ``safety belt/air bag/kids-in-back'' message out to the public. The group urges people to convey to their friends and neighbors the importance that children ride in proper places and with proper restraints in vehicles. 2. Legislation: The campaign supports states in upgrading safety belt and child safety seat laws in order to increase safety restraint use nationwide. Currently, 11 states have ``primary'' enforcement laws, that allow police to stop and ticket motorists who fail to wear safety belts. Belt use in these states is much higher than in ``secondary'' law states where police must ticket a motorist for another violation before issuing a safety belt citation. 3. Enforcement: The campaign supports high visibility enforcement of safety belt and child safety seat laws. This type of enforcement has proven very effective in increasing safety restraint use and reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities. The campaign is basing its activities, in part, on experience over the past decade. This experience has shown that a combination of intensive public education, well-written legislation, and high visibility, statewide enforcement of laws will result in an immediate and substantial increase in public awareness and occupant protection use. Increased safety belt and correct child safety seat use will significantly reduce the number of children and adults who are injured during air bag deployments. Current issues and concerns for the Air Bag Safety Campaign can be summarized as follows: [[Page 7496]] --Approximately 67% of motorists currently use safety belts. From 1982 through 1994, an estimated 65,290 lives were saved by safety belts and more than 1.5 million moderate to critical injuries were prevented. If all passenger vehicle occupants over age 4 had worn safety belts, an additional 9,500 lives could have been saved in 1994. NHTSA's Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data indicate that 40% of the children under age 5 who died in fatal motor vehicle crashes were unrestrained. --During pre-crash braking, an unrestrained occupant may be thrown against the dashboard or steering wheel in the immediate proximity of an air bag. Air bags inflate in less than \1/25\th of a second--faster than a blink of an eye. The air bag's blast of energy can severely injure or kill small children and drivers who are too close to the air bag during inflation. --Although vehicle and child safety seat manufacturers warn against placing a rear-facing child safety seat on the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag, at least 9 children have been killed as a result of deploying air bags. --As of January, 1997, NHTSA has identified 35 crashes where the deployment of the passenger side air bag resulted in fatal head or neck injuries to a child. Of these deaths, 9 were infants in rear-facing child seats. At the time of these crashes, almost all the other fatally-injured children were unrestrained or improperly restrained. --Safety belts and child safety seats have proven to be very effective at reducing fatalities and serious injuries as a result of motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when correctly used, child safety seats can reduce fatalities among children less than 5 years of age by 71 percent. As a result, child safety seats are one of the most effective automotive safety innovations ever developed. This message must be communicated to the American public. Since 1981, NHTSA has worked with opinion leaders, such as physicians, nurses, law enforcement officers, educators, employers and civic groups, who have motivated people through interpersonal contacts. One of the most effective means of educating the public about the lifesaving benefits of occupant protection has been through groups that have strong national, State and local affiliates (i.e., the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Emergency Nurses Association of the PTA). Implementation of statewide programs, including education about the importance of occupant protection in crash survival and support for enforcement of safety belt and child safety seat use laws, relies heavily on the outreach efforts of organizations like these. Objectives To help achieve the goals set by the Air Bag Safety Campaign, NHTSA seeks to establish cooperative efforts between NHTSA and qualified national organizations to educate their members and their customers on the issues related to air bag safety and proper safety belt and safety seat use. Despite the apparently high rate of child safety seat use, many of these seats are being misused and underused. Use of child safety seats drops off dramatically after age one. Due to incorrect use and nonuse, child safety seats are not saving as many lives and preventing as many injuries as they should. The objectives of this cooperative agreement program are to gain further child injury/fatality reductions by increasing overall use of child passenger protection systems, increasing correct use of child safety seats, alerting the public to the risk of unbuckled or incorrectly buckled occupants (especially children) caused by deploying air bags and enhancing enforcement of child passenger safety laws. The goal is not to duplicate the efforts of the Air Bag Safety Campaign, but to give national organizations an opportunity to participate in short-term activities to support efforts at the national level. Specific objectives for this cooperative agreement program will complement two of the Campaign's approaches: Public Education and Legislation. 1. Public education approach: The Air Bag Safety Campaign will create a national focus on education and enforcement. The campaign will build and coordinate partnerships with law enforcement, government agencies, health and safety organizations, corporations and community groups. The intense, ongoing activity of the campaign will peak each year with a focused effort to educate and mobilize the nation. Outreach activities by public safety officials would include safety checkpoints in every state in the Spring of each year. Sate and local law enforcement agencies, with the support of governors, mayors and communities, will conduct these safety checkpoints--not to give tickets in most cases, but to give drivers the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe within their motor vehicles. Other ongoing activities--announcements in schools and churches, tray liners in fast food restaurants, materials in physicians' offices, corporate outreach to employees and customers will complement this public safety education and enforcement effort. A strategy of the public education approach is to get as much media coverage as possible. Involving key elected officials when conducting major events and activities will get the media to cover the issue and provide the information to a greater number of people. 2. Legislation approach: The campaign's network of businesses, corporations, associations, churches, law enforcement, schools, and children's advocacy groups will support state and local efforts to upgrade occupant protection laws and provide for primary enforcement of safety belt laws. Other upgrades could include closing gaps in child protection laws and providing for driver license demerit points and higher fines. Nine states have been identified by the Legislative Coordinating Council of the Air Bag Safety Campaign for funding campaigns to upgrade their occupant protection laws. The Council proposes funding for 9 priority states: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio and Oklahoma. The specific approach will be decided on a state-by-state basis. The level of assistance, where and how it is applied, leadership responsibility, and the structure of the state coalitions will be designed to fit specific state conditions. Specific Agreement Objective: The applicant shall choose to conduct a project complementing either or both of the approaches. The applicant shall draw on the above ideas and develop a proposal to extent the campaign to its members and to its members' customers. A proposal including a legislative project shall describe the planned approach in the 9 targeted states and any other states, and identify strategies to achieve the legislative proposal. NHTSA Involvement The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Communications and Outreach, National Organization's Division (NOD), will be involved in all activities undertaken as part of the cooperative agreement program and will: 1. Provide a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) to participate in the planning and management of the cooperative agreement and to coordinate activities between the organizations and the NOD and TSP; 2. Provide information and technical assistance from government sources, within available resources and as determined appropriate by the COTR; [[Page 7497]] 3. Provide liaison to the Air Bag Safety Campaign and with other government and private agencies as appropriate; and 4. Stimulate the exchange of ideas and information among cooperative agreement recipients through periodic meetings. Period of Support Cooperative agreements may be awarded for a period of (1) year. The application for the funding period (12 months) should address what is proposed and can be accomplished during that period. Anticipated funding level for six FY 1997 projects will be $40,000 each, totaling $240,000. Federal funds should be viewed as seed money to assist organizations in the development of traffic safety initiatives. Monies allocated for cooperative agreements are not intended to cover all of the costs that will be incurred in the process of completing the projects. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment of financial or in-kind resources to support the proposed projects. Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible to participate in this cooperative agreement program, a national nonprofit organization must meet the following requirements: --have an established membership structure with regional, state or local chapters throughout the country having a mechanism for disseminating and coordinating project efforts at the local level. --have in place a schedule of regular/National/regional or state conferences or conventions, and one or more communication mechanisms that can be used for motivating members and other constituents to become involved in occupant protection at the State and local levels. Application Procedure Each applicant must submit one original and two copies of their application package to: NHTSA, Office of Contracts and Procurement (NAD-30), ATTN: Georgeanne Moses, 400 7th Street, S.W., Room 5301, Washington, D.C. 20590. Applications are due no later than 30 days after the appearance of this announcement in the Federal Register. Only complete application packages received by the due date shall be considered. Submission of four additional copies will expedite processing, but is not required. Applications must be typed on one side of the page only. Applications must include a reference to NHTSA Cooperative Agreement Program No. DTNH22-97-H-05090. The Applicant shall specifically identify any information in the application for which confidentiality is requested, in accordance with the procedures of 49 CFR Part 512, Confidential Business Information. Application Contents The application package must be submitted with OMB Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4-88, including 424A and 425B), Application for Federal Assistance, with the required information filled in and the certified assurances included. While the Form 424-A deals with budget information, and section B identifies Budget Categories, the available space does not permit a level of detail which is sufficient to provide for a meaningful evaluation of the proposed costs. A supplemental sheet should be provided which presents a detailed breakdown of the proposed costs, as well as any costs which the applicant proposes to contribute in support of this effort. Also included shall be a program narrative statement which addresses the following: 1. A description of the project to be pursued which addresses: a. A summary describing the organizational membership, customers and purpose; b. an explanation demonstrating the need for assistance; c. the goals, objectives, and the anticipated results and benefits of the project (supporting documentation from concerned interests other than the applicant can be used.) d. the method or methods that will be used; e. identify the kinds of data to be collected and maintained, and discusses the criteria to be used to evaluate the results. e. any relevant data based on planning studies should be included or footnoted. f. describe any unusual features, such as design or technological innovations, reductions in cost or time, or extraordinary social/ community involvement; 2. Provide quantitative projections of the accomplishments to be achieved, if possible, or list the activities in chronological order to show the schedule or accomplishments and their target dates. 3. The proposed program director and other key personnel identified for participation in the proposed project effort, including a description of their qualifications, the nature of their contribution, and their respective organizational responsibilities. 4. A description of the applicant's previous experience or on-going program(s) that is (are) related to this proposed program effort. 5. A detailed breakdown of the proposed costs, as well as any costs which the applicant proposes to contribute in support of this effort. 6. A statement of any technical assistance which the applicant may require of NHTSA in order to successfully complete the proposed project. Review Process and Criteria Initially, all applications will be reviewed to confirm that they contain all of the information required by the Applications Contents section of this notice. Each complete application from an eligible recipient will then be evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Committee. The applications will be evaluated and ranked using the following criteria: 1. Technical Approach to Achieving Project Objectives The reasonableness, completeness, clarity and feasibility of the proposer's approach to achieving the objectives of this demonstration and evaluation project. This involves a comprehensive understanding of the issues associated with child occupant protection, such as proper safety belt and child safety seat use, and the lifesaving capabilities of air bags, a detailing of project objectives, and an identification and selection of potential obstacles, problems and critical political issues related to successful completion of the project. The applicant's understanding of the purpose and unique problems represented by the Campaign objectives of this cooperative agreement program as evidenced in the description of its proposed project planning, implementation, and evaluation effort. The technical of the proposed effort, including the feasibility of the approach, practicality, planned methodology, anticipate results. The likelihood that the proposed effort will make a significant contribution to the number of people made aware of the lifesaving benefits of automatic crash protection and increase the number of people properly using safety belts and child safety seats. 2. Qualifications of Project Personnel and Facilities The adequacy of the qualifications and experience of the professional team, the various disciplines represented, and the relative level of effort proposed for [[Page 7498]] professional, technical, contractual, and support staff. The expertise, both general and project related, education level, and availability of key project professional and technical personnel as evidenced by resumes and descriptions of past experience provided. Demonstrated evidence of specialized qualifications including knowledge of the proper use of safety belts and child safety seats. Key personnel include the project director, statistician, programmer, research assistants, and consultants. The adequacy of the facilities, equipment, and other resources identified to accomplish the proposed effort. 3. Project Planning and Scheduling The completeness and realism of the proposer's plan for accomplishing the demonstration and evaluation within the guidelines and timeframe established in the notice. Another reasonable timeframe may be acceptable to the Government, but it must be justified. Realistic project components or milestones should be in evidence in the schedule. 4. Conformance with Methodological and Funding Guidelines The demonstration of ability and intent to meet the basic guidelines and restrictions detailed in the notice in the conduct of the project. If certain guidelines cannot be met, reasonable justifications are given. Financial merit will be estimated by the cost to be borne by NHTSA and the in-kind contribution provided by the applicant as compared to the anticipated benefits. Terms and Conditions of Award 1. Prior to award, the recipient must comply with the certification requirements of 49 CFR Part 29--Department of Transportation Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants) 2. During the effective period of the cooperative agreement(s) awarded as a result of this notice, the agreement(s) shall be subject to NHTSA's General Provisions for Assistance Agreements; the cost principles of OMB Circular A-122, or FAR 31.2, as applicable to the recipient, and the requirements of 49 CFR Part 29. Each agreement with a non-profit organization or an educational institution shall also be subject to the general administrative requirements of 49 CFR Part 19. Reporting Requirements 1. The recipient shall submit quarterly reports documenting project efforts to date, suitable for public dissemination, within 15 days after the end of each quarter, and a final report summarizing the project effort by completion of the project. An original and three copies of each of these reports shall be submitted to the COTR. 2. The recipient may be requested to conduct an oral presentation of project activities for the COTR and other interested NHTSA personnel. For planning purposes, assume that these presentations will be conducted at the NHTSA Office of Communications and Outreach, Washington, D.C. An original and three copies of briefing materials shall be submitted to the COTR. Dated: February 13, 1997. James H. Hedlund, Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety Programs. [FR Doc. 97-4063 Filed 2-18-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-59-M