[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 34 (Monday, February 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8636-8637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4275]


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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 18, 1999, 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 March 3, 
1999. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding the agency's 
research and development projects. They must be submitted in writing by 
March 5, 1999, to the address given below. If sufficient time is 
available, questions received after the March 5 date will be answered 
at the meeting during 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 answers to questions submitted 
by March 5 will be available at the meeting and will be mailed to 
requesters after the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel, 9191 Wickham 
Road, Romulus, MI. Suggestions for specific R&D topics as described 
below and questions for the March 18, 1999, 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: In recent years, since April 1993, NHTSA has 
provided detailed information about its research and development 
programs in presentations at a series of public meetings. The purpose 
is to make available more complete and timely information regarding the 
agency's research and development programs. This is the twenty-third 
meeting in that series, and it will be held on March 18, 1999, at the 
Clarion Hotel, 9191 Wickham Road, Romulus, MI.
    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 March 3, 1999. 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 or at the E-mail address listed elsewhere in this 
notice, or from NHTSA's Web site under Announcements/Public Meetings at 
URL http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/meetings/. NHTSA asks that 
the suggestions be limited to six, in priority order, so that the 
presentations at the March 18 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. Additionally, if any interested parties would like to 
make a presentation regarding technical issues concerning any of 
NHTSA's research programs, information concerning the proposed topic 
and speaker should be submitted in writing by close of business March 
3, 1999.
    Specific R&D topics are: Fiscal Year 1999 R&D Research Efforts, 
International Harmonized Research Activities (IHRA), On-line tracking 
system for NHTSA's research projects, and Crash Injury Research and 
Engineering Network (CIREN).
    Specific Crashworthiness R&D topics are: 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 
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: National Advanced Driving 
Simulator (NADS), Intelligent vehicle initiative, Status and plans for 
anti-lock brake system (ABS) research and testing, Human factors 
guidelines for crash avoidance warning devices, Drowsy driver 
monitoring, Driver workload assessment, Rearend collision avoidance 
system guidelines, Road departure collision avoidance system 
guidelines, Intersection collision avoidance system

[[Page 8637]]

guidelines, 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 March 5, 1999, 
will be answered. The summary minutes of the meeting, copies of 
materials handed out at the meeting, and answers to the questions 
submitted for response at the meeting will be available for public 
inspection in the DOT Docket in Washington, DC, within 3 weeks after 
the meeting. Copies of this material will then be available at ten 
cents a page upon request to DOT Docket, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh 
Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590. The DOT Docket is open to the 
public from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The summary minutes, handouts, and 
answers to the questions will also be available on NHTSA's Web site at 
Announcements/Public Meetings at URL http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/
announce/meetings/.
    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 by telephone on 
(202) 366-4862, by telefax on (202) 366-5930, or by E-mail at 
[email protected] by close of business March 8, 1999.

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. E-mail: 
[email protected].

    Issued: February 12, 1999.
Raymond P. Owings,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 99-4275 Filed 2-19-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P