[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 153 (Friday, August 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42852-42853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20964]


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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 17, 1997, 
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 21, 1997. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding the 
agency's research and development projects. They must be submitted in 
writing by September 3, 1997, to the address given below. If sufficient 
time is available, questions received after the September 3 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 September 3 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. Suggestions for specific R&D topics 
as

[[Page 42853]]

described below and questions for the September 17, 1997, 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., S.W., 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 eighteenth meeting in 
the series will be held on September 17, 1997.
    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 21, 1997. 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 17 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 topics are:
    On-line tracking system for NHTSA's research projects, and
    Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN).
Specific Crashworthiness R&D topics are:
    Automatic lifesaving system--improved triage, transport, and 
treatment decisionmaking for automatic collision notification 
technologies,
    Status of advanced air bag research,
    Demonstration of CD ROM for child restraint/vehicle compatibility,
    Preparation of new dummies for assessment of advanced air bag 
technology,
    Status of research on restraint systems for rollover protection,
    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,
    National Transportation Biomechanics Research Center (NTBRC),
    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:
    Intelligent vehicle initiative,
    Status and plans for anti-lock brake system (ABS) research,
    Truck tire traction,
    Human factors guidelines for crash avoidance warning devices,
    Drowsy driver monitoring,
    Driver workload assessment,
    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) topic is:
    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 September 3, 
1997, 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 at 
NHTSA's Technical Information Services, Room 5108, 400 Seventh St., 
S.W., Washington, DC 20590. Copies of the transcript will then be 
available at 10 cents a page, upon request to NHTSA's Technical 
Information Services. The Technical Information Services section 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 
or by telefax on (202) 366-5930 by close of business September 5, 1997.

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

    Issued: August 1, 1997.
Raymond P. Owings,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 97-20964 Filed 8-7-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P