[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 77 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10084]



[[Page 19742]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 572

[Docket No. NHTSA-99-5156]
RIN 2127-AG78


Anthropomorphic Test Dummy; Occupant Crash Protection

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This document grants a request to extend the comment period on 
an agency proposal to adopt new design and performance specifications 
for a 12-month-old infant dummy. Subsequent to publication of the 
proposal, the agency received a request for extension of the comment 
period for 60 days in order to prepare a considered comment to submit 
in response thereto. NHTSA is extending the comment period from April 
22, 1999 to June 22, 1999.

DATES: Extended comment closing date: Comments on the March 8, 1999 
proposal, 64 FR 10965, Docket No. 99-5156, must be received by the 
agency on or before close of business on June 22, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to Docket No. 99-5156 and be submitted 
to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, 
DC 20590. Docket room hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday 
through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For non-legal issues, you may call 
Stan Backaitis, Office of Crashworthiness Standards, at 202-366-4912.
    For legal issues, you may call Rebecca MacPherson, Office of the 
Chief Counsel, at 202-366-2992.
    You may send mail to both of these officials at National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C., 
20590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 8, 1999, NHTSA published a notice 
of proposed rulemaking to incorporate the Child Restraint Air Bag 
Interaction (CRABI) 12-month-old dummy into 49 CFR Part 572, and to 
adopt new design and performance specifications for that dummy. The 
modified CRABI is especially needed to evaluate the effects of air bag 
deployment on children who are out of position at the time of a crash. 
The proposed modifications would provide more useful information to 
better evaluate child safety in a variety of crash environments. 
Adopting the modified CRABI dummy would facilitate its use in 
evaluating the safety of air bags for infants and very young children. 
The separate issue of specifying the use of the dummy in performance 
tests, e.g., as part of the occupant protection standard and/or child 
restraint standard, will be addressed in other rulemakings, most 
notably the current rulemaking on advanced air bags.
    The NPRM specified a comment closing date of April 22, 1999 (45 
days after date of publication). However, on April 14, 1999, we 
received a request for an extension of the comment closing date from 
the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM). The AAM stated that, 
although it has used the CRABI dummy, it has been unable to adequately 
access our proposed changes. Upgraded dummies will apparently not be 
available for evaluation until early May. Accordingly, AAM stated that 
it will not be able to complete its review and prepare comments prior 
to the closing date of April 22, 1999. Therefore, AAM requested an 
additional 60 days for submission of its comments.
    Since AAM is the national trade association for vehicle 
manufacturers representing the majority of new vehicle sales, the 
agency is interested in its comments. Thus, in order to provide the AAM 
and other interested parties ample time and opportunity to express 
their views on the CRABI proposal, NHTSA believes that there is good 
cause for the extension of the comment period and that such extension 
is consistent with the public interest. Accordingly, the AAM request to 
extend the comment period for an additional 60 days is granted.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115, 30117, and 30166; 
delegation of authority is at 49 CR 1.50.

    Issued on: April 16, 1999.
L. Robert Shelton,
Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 99-10084 Filed 4-21-99; 8:45 am]
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