[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 157 (Monday, August 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 49633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20493]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Review: Antilock Brake 
Systems, Heavy Trucks; Evaluation Plan; Review: Rear Impact Guards, 
Truck Trailers; Evaluation Plan

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

ACTION: Notice of evaluation plan.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces NHTSA's publication of a plan for 
reviewing and evaluating its existing Safety Standards 121, Air Brake 
Systems, 223, Rear Impact Guards, and 224, Rear Impact Protection. The 
plan's title is Proposed Evaluations of Antilock Brake Systems for 
Heavy Trucks and Rear Impact Guards for Truck Trailers. The plan is 
available on the Internet for viewing on line at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/121223.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles J. Kahane, Chief, Evaluation 
Division, NPP-22, Plans and Policy, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, Room 5208, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 
20590. Telephone: 202-366-2560. FAX: 202-366-2559. E-mail: 
[email protected].
    John L. Jacobus, Mechanical Engineer, NPP-21, Plans and Policy, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room 5208, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-2586. FAX: 202-
366-2559. E-mail: [email protected].
    For information about NHTSA's evaluations of the effectiveness of 
existing regulations and programs: Visit the NHTSA web site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov and click ``Regulations & Standards'' underneath 
``Car Safety'' on the home page; then click ``Regulatory Evaluation'' 
on the ``Regulations & Standards'' page.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As required by the Government Performance 
and Results Act of 1993 and Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735), NHTSA 
reviews existing regulations to determine if they are achieving policy 
goals. Safety Standard 121 (49 CFR 571.121) requires Antilock Brake 
Systems (ABS) on air-brake equipped truck-tractors manufactured on or 
after March 1, 1997 and on semi-trailers and single-unit trucks 
equipped with air brakes and manufactured on or after March 1, 1998. 
Safety Standards 223 (49 CFR 571.223) and 224 (49 CFR 571.224) set 
minimum requirements for the geometry, configuration, strength and 
energy absorption capability of rear impact guards on full trailers and 
semi-trailers over 10,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 
manufactured on or after January 26, 1998. NHTSA's Office of Plans and 
Policy is planning to obtain crash data and statistically evaluate the 
effectiveness of ABS and rear impact guards for heavy trucks.
    NHTSA proposes to work with the State police from at least two 
large States. They will send data to NHTSA on every crash they 
investigate that involves a tractor-trailer, a bobtail tractor, or a 
medium or heavy single-unit truck. The data will include the basic 
State crash report plus a supplemental form identifying if the truck or 
trailer are ABS-equipped (as evidenced by presence of the malfunction 
indicator lights). The data will comprise approximately 10,000 tractor-
trailer crashes and 5,000 single-unit trucks. On the subset of 
approximately 1,000 truck-trailers and 700 single-unit trucks that were 
hit in the rear by the front of a passenger vehicle, police will fill 
out a second supplemental form describing the rear impact guard on the 
trailer and the damage pattern on the passenger vehicle. Data 
collection will start in January 2001, or as soon as feasible after 
that, and run for two years. NHTSA believes these samples will be 
adequate for statistically evaluating ABS and rear impact guards.
    The purpose of ABS is to help maintain directional stability and 
control during braking, and possibly reduce stopping distances on some 
road surfaces, especially on wet roads. ABS could reduce crashes 
involving jackknife, loss-of-control, run-off-road, lane departure, or 
skidding, or where trucks with conventional brakes were unable to stop 
in time to avoid hitting something frontally. On the other hand, ABS is 
unlikely to affect a control group of crashes where the truck was 
standing still, moving too slowly for ABS activation, or proceeding 
straight ahead when another vehicle unexpectedly hit it in the side or 
rear. The ratios of the various crash types where ABS has potential 
benefits to control group crashes will be compared for tractor-trailers 
where both units are equipped with ABS versus tractor-trailers where 
neither unit is equipped; also for ABS-equipped single-unit trucks vs. 
non-equipped trucks.
    The goal of a rear impact guard is to arrest the forward motion of 
the striking passenger vehicle and prevent a damage pattern called 
``underride with passenger compartment intrusion (PCI)'' that is 
dangerous for occupants of the passenger vehicle. The proportion of 
rear impacts that result in underride with PCI will be compared for 
trailers with guards that meet NHTSA and/or industry standards versus 
older trailers with guards that do not meet NHTSA or industry 
standards. Since the NHTSA standard does not apply to single-unit 
trucks, the analysis for these trucks will be limited to estimating the 
overall incidence rate of underride with PCI in rear-impact crashes.
    The full text of the plan is available on the Internet for viewing 
on line at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/121223.html.

How Can I Influence NHTSA's Thinking on This Evaluation?

    NHTSA welcomes your review and suggestions on the evaluation plan. 
You may send your suggestions or comments to Mr. Kahane or Mr. Jacobus, 
by e-mail, phone or letter, at the addresses shown above, preferably by 
October 1, 2000.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30111, 30168; delegation of authority at 49 
CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

William H. Walsh,
Associate Administrator for Plans and Policy.
[FR Doc. 00-20493 Filed 8-11-00; 8:45 am]
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