[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70379-70380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29905]


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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 December 14, 2000, 
beginning at 1:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 5 p.m. The deadline 
for interested parties to suggest agenda topics is 5 p.m. on November 
29, 2000. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding the agency's 
research and development projects. They must be submitted in writing by 
December 4, 2000, to the address given below. If sufficient time is 
available, questions received after the December 4 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 December 4 will be available at the meeting and will be 
mailed to requesters after the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Best Western Gateway 
International Hotel, Romulus, Michigan 48174, telephone number 734-728-
2800. Suggestions for specific research and development topics as 
described below and questions for the December 14, 2000, 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 Street, SW., 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-eighth 
meeting in that series, and it will be held on December 14, 2000, at 
the Best Western Gateway International Hotel, Romulus, Michigan.
    NHTSA requests suggestions from interested parties on specific 
agenda topics to be presented at this meeting. NHTSA will base its 
decisions about the agenda, in part, on the suggestions it receives by 
5 p.m. on November 29, 2000. Before the meeting, NHTSA 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 
request to the telephone numbers listed in this notice, through the E-
mail address listed 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 three topics, in 
priority order, so that the presentations at the December 14, 2000, 
meeting can be most useful to the audience. Specific research and 
development 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 research and development topics of specific interest to 
their organizations or items of general interest. 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 5 p.m. on November 29, 2000.

Specific R&D topics are:
    Fiscal Years 2000-2001 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).

[[Page 70380]]

Specific Crashworthiness R&D topics are:
    Preparation of new dummies for assessment of advanced air bag 
technology,
    Improved frontal crash protection (program status, problem 
identification, offset testing),
    Vehicle compatibility,
    Upgrade side crash protection,
    Child restraint/air bag interaction (CRABI) dummy testing,
    Head and neck injury research,
    Lower extremity injury research, and
    Thorax injury research.
Specific Crash Avoidance R&D topics are:
National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS),
Intelligent vehicle initiative (the rear-end collision avoidance system 
operational test),
Drowsy driver monitoring,
Driver workload assessment, and
Lane change/merge collision avoidance system guidelines.
Specific National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) topics are:
Special crash investigation studies and
Crash avoidance data collection.

    Separately, questions regarding research projects that have been 
submitted in writing not later than 5 p.m. on December 4, 2000, 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, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. The DOT Docket is open to the public from 10 a.m. 
to 5 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/.
    Additionally, the agency is in the process of reviewing NHTSA's 
quarterly meetings on its safety performance standards and research and 
development programs. A survey has been posted on NHTSA's Web site at 
URL http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/meetings/ for those 
interested in commenting on the quarterly meeting process.
    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 5 p.m. December 4, 2000.
    Should it be necessary to cancel the meeting due to inclement 
weather or to any other emergencies, a decision to cancel will be made 
as soon as possible and posted immediately on NHTSA's Web site at 
Announcements/Public Meetings at URL http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/announce/meetings/. If you do not have access to the Web site, you may 
call for information at the contact listed below and leave your 
telephone or telefax number. You will be called only if the meeting is 
postponed or canceled.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rita Gibbons, Staff Assistant, Office 
of Research and Development, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590. Telephone: (202) 366-4862. Fax number: (202) 366-5930. E-mail: 
[email protected].

    Issued: November 16, 2000.
Raymond P. Owings,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 00-29905 Filed 11-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P