[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30505-30509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14173]



[[Page 30505]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Discretionary Grants To Support a Teen Safe Driving Initiative

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of discretionary grants to increase seat belt use 
and decrease impaired driving and speeding among the teen population.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
announces a discretionary grant program to provide funding to four 
communities to support the demonstration of teen safe driving 
initiatives. This notice solicits pre-applications from public and 
private, non-profit and for-profit organizations, state and local 
governments and their agencies. Interested applicants must submit a 
pre-application package as further described in the Pre-Application 
Procedures section of this notice. The pre-applications will be 
evaluated to identify those that warrant further development. Only 
selected pre-applicants will be invited to submit a full application. 
For these four demonstration programs, NHTSA desires a mix of rural, 
suburban and urban areas, as well as diverse populations.

DATES: Pre-applications must be received by the office designated below 
on or before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Contracts and Procurement 
(NAD-30), Attn: Henrietta R. Mosley, 400 7th Street, SW., Room 5301, 
Washington, DC 20590. All applications submitted must include a 
reference to NHTSA Grant Program No. DTNH22-01-G-05218.

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General administrative questions may be 
directed to Henrietta R. Mosley, Office of Contracts and Procurement by 
e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (202) 366-9570. 
Programmatic questions relating to this grant program should be 
directed to Ed Pacchetti, Occupant Protection Division (NTS-12), NHTSA, 
400 7th Street, SW., Room 5118, Washington, DC 20590, by e-mail at 
[email protected], or by phone at (202) 366-2708. Interested 
applicants are advised that no separate application package exists 
beyond the contents of this announcement.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for youth 
(youth and teen will be used interchangeably to describe persons 15-20 
years old throughout the document). In 1999, 64 percent of young people 
killed or injured were not wearing seat belts. In addition, alcohol 
contributes to non-belt use. Seventy-three percent of young drivers who 
had been drinking and were killed were not wearing seat belts. The 
combination of non-belt use, impaired driving and speed is a deadly 
combination for all drivers, but especially America's teens. In 1999, a 
total of 8,175 15 to 20-year-old drivers were involved in crashes in 
which there was a fatality. In these crashes, 3,561 of the drivers were 
killed and an additional 362,000 were injured. Compared with fatality 
rates for drivers 25 through 69 years old, the rate for teenage drivers 
(16 to 19 years old) is about four times greater (Traffic Safety Facts, 
NHTSA, 1999).
    The magnitude of risky teen driver behaviors is reflected in an 
annual cost to society of $32 billion. The factors that contribute to 
the startling fatality and injury statistics for teens are lack of 
driving experience, immaturity, high risk-taking behavior, and the 
feeling of invincibility.
    There are three primary strategies for reducing the incidence of 
motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries for this age group. The first 
strategy is to increase the use of seat belts. Seat belts save lives, 
yet nationwide, only 71 percent of Americans take advantage of these 
life-saving devices. For those at age 18, seat belt use is far below 
the national average. For those in the 16-20 year old age group, 64 
percent of those killed or injured in traffic crashes were not wearing 
seat belts.
    The second strategy is to decrease the number of youth who drive 
impaired. An estimated 2,210 (35.8 percent) of youth ages 15-20 died in 
alcohol-related crashes. The severity of a crash increases with 
alcohol/drug involvement. In 1998, 2 percent of the 15 to 20-year old 
drivers involved in property damage-only crashes had been drinking, 3 
percent of those crashes resulting in injury had been drinking, and 21 
percent of those involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.
    The third strategy for reducing motor vehicle fatalities and 
injuries for youth is reducing the speed at which they drive. 
Approximately 30 percent of 15-20 year old drivers involved in fatal 
crashes were speeding. Speeding reduces a driver's ability to steer 
safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance 
necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle 
travels while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation. In addition, 
speeding causes more serious damage and injury when crashes occur.
    To address the high fatality rate among youth 15-20 years of age, 
NHTSA is announcing the availability of funds to develop and enhance 
community-based programs. The aim of these demonstration grants is to 
increase seat belt use, and reduce speeding, underage drinking and 
impaired driving among the 15-20 year old youth population.

Objective of This Grant Program

    The objective of this grant program is to increase seat belt use 
and reduce the incidence of impaired driving, underage drinking and 
speeding among youth populations. This grant will support the 
implementation of new programs that build upon strategies known to be 
effective in accomplishing these goals.

Examples of Effective Strategies

    NHTSA recognizes that highly visible enforcement is an important 
foundation upon which any effective program must be based. The agency 
also acknowledges the need to develop original and resourceful ways to 
get the enforcement message out to teens. An extensive review of 
innovative programs targeting teens show a relationship between raising 
traffic safety awareness among teens and safer driving habits and 
occupant protection behaviors.
    A primary way to promote awareness of unsafe driving habits is 
through enforcement. Recognizing this, to be considered for award of 
funds under this program, the central component of the applicant's 
project plan must be strict enforcement of existing laws. The 
enforcement component must be supported by a public information/
education component geared to promoting awareness of the enforcement 
activities, as well as emphasizing the need for enforcement to generate 
positive traffic safety habits. The education campaign must utilize 
members of youth organizations, because we know that some of the most 
effective education for this age group is delivered by their peers. The 
education campaign needs to empower youth to be part of the process, 
not just a target for enforcement. Youth can be utilized to support 
enforcement efforts that will save other youth from death or injury.
    An application may propose to implement its enforcement efforts in 
a number of ways. For example, in the metro Atlanta area, tying data to 
increased enforcement has been the key.

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The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that it takes deaths to get 
people's attention when it comes to driving. In the fall of 2000, they 
reported that 71 metro Atlantans age 15 through 20 were lost in traffic 
crashes B including 36 drivers B in just the first eight months of 
2000. Data like that put teen driving back on the public agenda. 
Publicizing data like this, as well as publicizing and funding an 
increased enforcement effort, can be a winning combination for a 
community that wants to have a positive effect on teen driving safety.
    To support and publicize the enforcement effort, a community based 
team made up of members representing all disciplines of the community, 
including traffic safety advocates, employers, prosecutors and judges, 
educators, business and health care professionals, must be formed if 
one doesn't already exist. The message of teen driving safety cannot be 
repeated too often, by too many people. Driving safely will only become 
a habit for teens when they are fully aware of the consequences of 
their risk taking behavior. These consequences should be clearly 
defined as getting a ticket, or being involved in a traffic crash that 
could result in injury or death. An aggressive community-wide media 
campaign that emphasizes the enforcement message will help to get this 
point across to our youngest drivers.

Evaluation of Programs

    Meaningful and timely evaluations of each recipient's program, 
management, and associated resources are very important to improving 
programs in subsequent years. Grantees and NHTSA need to conduct 
baseline seat belt use surveys before, during and after the program. In 
addition, data needs to be collected on the number of citations written 
to teens for traffic safety violations and the number of enforcement 
activities. A final evaluation measure will be teen fatalities and 
injuries that involve impaired driving and/or speed and non-belt use at 
the beginning of the program, and after the program has been completed. 
The observed difference in seat belt use, and the difference in the 
number of fatalities caused by non-belt use, impaired driving and 
speeding will provide additional measures of program effectiveness.

NHTSA Involvement

    In support of the activities undertaken by this grant program, 
NHTSA will:
    1. Provide a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) 
to coordinate activities between the Grantee and NHTSA during grant 
performance, and to serve as a liaison between NHTSA Headquarters, 
NHTSA Regional offices and the grantee.
    2. Provide information and technical assistance from government 
sources within available resources and as determined appropriate by the 
COTR.

Availability of Funds and Period of Support

    A total of $500,000 will be provided in FY2001 and $500,000 will be 
provided in FY2002, subject to available appropriations, to fund a 
total of four communities at $250,000 each. Each program will be split-
funded for an amount of $125,000 per 12-month period. The period of 
support for a grant under this program will be a total of 24 months, 
with 21 months of planning and implementation, and three months for 
evaluation and preparation of the final report. NHTSA estimates that 
the award of the four FY2001 Occupant Protection, Impaired Driving, and 
Speed Teen Initiative Grants will occur by September 30, 2001.

Allowable Uses of Federal Funds

    Allowable uses of Federal funds shall be governed by the applicable 
federal cost principles. Funds provided under this grant program shall 
be used to carry out the activities described in the Applicant's plan 
for which the grant is awarded. At least 75 percent must be spent on 
enforcement activities which may include salary for a coordinator and 
publicizing enforcement activities and, of that 75 percent, a maximum 
of 15 percent of funds may be used for the purchase of equipment to 
assist law enforcement agencies in carrying out enforcement activities.
    Because the primary component of the grant is enforcement, the 
applicant must be able to provide financial support to law enforcement 
agencies that have jurisdiction within the community or county. This 
would include local police, sheriff's offices, and State police/highway 
patrol that have jurisdiction within the geographical area targeted 
under the scope of the grant. If training is provided to law 
enforcement personnel for conducting Standardized Field Sobriety Tests 
or Drug Recognition Expert training, the NHTSA/International 
Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) curricula must be used.

Eligibility Requirements

    Public and private entities, non-profit and for-profit 
organizations, state and local governments and their agencies may 
apply. The applicant must be in a state that has a zero tolerance law. 
In addition, the community must have a total population of between 
100,000 and 250,000 people based upon Census 2000 data of the U.S. 
Census Bureau.

Pre-Application Procedures

    Each applicant must submit one original and two copies of the pre-
application package to: NHTSA, Office of Contracts and Procurement 
(NAD-30), Attn: Henrietta R. Mosley, 400 7th Street, SW., Room 5301, 
Washington, DC 20590. An additional three copies will facilitate the 
review process, but are not required. The pre-application may be single 
spaced, must be typed on one side of the page only, and must include a 
reference to NHTSA Grant Program No. DTNH22-01-G-05218. Only complete 
pre-application packages received on or before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 
3, 2001 will be considered.

Pre-Application Package Contents

    1. The pre-application package must be submitted with the completed 
cover page of the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 
424--Rev. 7-97). The Standard Form 424 can be found on the OMB website 
at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/index/html.
    2. The pre-application package must also include the following:
    (a) A copy of the applicable zero tolerance law and implied consent 
statute for the state, as well as an explanation of their compatibility 
in enforcing the laws.
    (b) A maximum 4-page project description that includes: a brief 
introduction of the community demographics that identifies the total 
population and the incidence of youth fatalities and injuries as a 
result of traffic crashes, as well as any past enforcement or 
educational programs that have targeted teens; and a description of the 
proposed community enforcement project designed to increase seat belt 
use, and decrease impaired driving and speeding among the teen 
population.
    (c) A 1-page summary that identifies the availability and location 
of the following data for the target community of youth at the outset 
and throughout the performance of the project: Motor vehicle fatalities 
and injuries; the incidence of alcohol use, seat-belt non-use and 
speeding in motor vehicle crashes; and citation data for non-use of 
seat belts, zero tolerance laws, speeding, underage drinking and 
impaired driving. It is not necessary to provide these data for the 
pre-application, only to ensure its availability.

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    (d) A 1-page staffing description that identifies the project 
management capability and the various personnel disciplines proposed.
    (e) A 1-page budget summary. At least 75 percent must be spent on 
enforcement activities which may include salary for a coordinator and 
publicizing enforcement activities and, of that 75 percent, a maximum 
of 15 percent of funds may be used for the purchase of equipment to 
assist law enforcement agencies in carrying out enforcement activities. 
The budget summary must identify the level of effort proposed for the 
professional, technical and support staff, including fringe benefits 
and other labor overhead; any proposed equipment, training, or travel; 
and proposed other direct and indirect costs.

Project Review Procedures and Criteria

    Pre-applications, once received, will be screened to ensure that 
they meet the eligibility requirements. Pre-applications meeting the 
requirements will be reviewed by a panel using the criteria outlined 
below.
    1. Project Approach: The overall soundness and feasibility of the 
community enforcement project and the potential effectiveness of the 
activities described for increasing seat belt use, and decreasing 
impaired driving, speeding and underage drinking among the target youth 
population. The extent to which the project describes a significant 
combined enforcement component that addresses non-use of seat belts, 
and the incidence of impaired driving, speeding and violating the zero 
tolerance law.
    2. Data Availability: Documentation supporting the current and 
continued availability of the identified data which must be collected 
to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of the project.
    3. Organizational Resources: The organizational resources 
demonstrate effective project management capability and personnel 
expertise to successfully perform the activities that will result in 
increased belt use, and decreased speeding and impaired driving among 
the teen population. The relative level of effort for the professional, 
technical, and support staff as identified in the budget summary will 
be considered.
    Each pre-application will be reviewed and rated in accordance with 
the evaluation criteria outlined above. Those applicants whose pre-
applications are not selected will be informed in writing. Those 
applicants whose pre-applications are selected for further development 
will also be notified in writing and a date for submitting full 
applications will be set. More than four pre-applications will be 
selected for further development. During this second phase, full 
application proposals will be reviewed by panel members who were 
involved in the review of the pre-applications. Negotiations will then 
take place in connection with the full application. It is anticipated 
that awards will be made by September 30, 2001.

Final Application Procedures

    If a pre-application is chosen for the further development, the 
applicant must submit one original and two copies of the full 
application package to: NHTSA, Office of Contracts and Procurement 
(NAD-30), Attn: Henrietta Mosley, 400 7th Street, SW., Room 5301, 
Washington, DC 20590. An additional three copies will facilitate the 
review process, but are not required. Applications must be typed on one 
side of the page only. Applications must include a reference to NHTSA 
Grant Program No. DTNH22-01-G-05218. Only complete application packages 
will be considered.

Final Application Contents

    The applicant must include in its application all of the contents 
listed below:
    1. The application package must be submitted with OMB Standard Form 
424, (Rev. 7-97, including 424A and 424B), Application for Federal 
Assistance, with the required information provided and the certified 
assurances included. While the Form 424-A deals with budget 
information, and section B identifies Budget Categories, the available 
space does not permit a level of detail which is sufficient to provide 
for a meaningful evaluation of the proposed costs. A supplemental sheet 
should be provided which presents a detailed breakdown of the proposed 
total project effort, including evaluation and reporting, (direct 
labor, including labor category, level of effort, and rate; direct 
materials, including itemized equipment; travel and transportation, 
including projected trips and number of people traveling; subcontracts/
subgrants, with similar detail, if known; and overhead) and costs the 
applicant proposes to contribute or obtain from other sources in 
support of the projects in the plan.
    2. All applications shall include a plan detailing projects to 
increase enforcement and public information/education targeting youth 
populations to reduce the number and rate of fatalities within this 
population. The plan must provide the following information:
    a. An Introduction section with a brief general description of the 
population density, any unique population characteristics, and the most 
current year's data for the following information:
     Motor vehicle fatalities and injuries for the target 
community of youth,
     The incidence of alcohol use, seat belt non-use and 
speeding in motor vehicle crashes,
     Citation data for non-use of seat belts, zero tolerance 
laws, speeding, underage drinking and impaired driving. Providing the 
data broken down by age, so that youth can be a focus, is preferred.
    b. A Discussion section that presents the principal goals and 
objectives of the proposed plan and articulates the potential to reduce 
speeding, impaired driving and an increase in seat belt use rates 
within a youth population, with supporting rationale. This section must 
also identify any proposed partnerships, coalitions, or leveraging of 
resources that will be employed as a means to implement a comprehensive 
enforcement and public information/education activities. Letters of 
support of community partners such as citizen activists, educators, 
business owners, the judicial branch of government, public health 
personnel, and other public and private sector partners should be 
included. Documentation of existing public and/or political support 
must be included (e.g. endorsement of applicable law enforcement 
agencies, State Association of Chiefs of Police, Community Medical 
Society, etc). In addition, a letter demonstrating support and 
coordination of state plans must be provided by the State Highway 
Safety Office. Any known barriers to implementation of the applicant's 
plan should be identified, with a discussion of how such barriers will 
be overcome.
    c. A Project Description section, with a detailed description of 
the activities to be implemented by the applicant under the plan, 
including, for each activity:
    (1) The key strategies to be employed to achieve a significant 
increase in belt use and decrease in speeding and impaired driving;
    (2) The features (e.g. new participants, expanded efforts, unique 
resources, design or technological innovations, reductions in cost or 
time, integration with existing community efforts, extraordinary 
community involvement); and
    (3) A work plan listing milestones, in chronological order, to show 
the schedule of expected accomplishments and their target dates.
    For example, in a work plan based on a comprehensive program with

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community-wide participation, the applicant should provide the 
following information:
     The number of law enforcement agencies that are expected 
to participate. Favorable consideration will be given to an applicant 
that can demonstrate full support and participation from law 
enforcement,
     The kinds of law enforcement activities and strategies 
that will take place (e.g., checkpoints, saturation patrols, foot 
patrols at selected intersections, etc.),
     The number of officers that will participate,
     The percentage of these contacts with teens, on average, 
that are expected to result in a citation for a seat belt or impaired 
driving/speeding violation,
     The full extent that other community partners will be 
involved,
     Efforts to reduce underage drinking,
     Demonstration of coordination with prosecutors and judges 
processing juvenile cases.
    d. A Personnel section, which identifies the proposed program 
manager, key personnel and other proposed personnel considered critical 
to the successful accomplishment of the activities under the 
applicant's plan. A brief description of their qualifications and 
respective responsibilities shall be included. The proposed level of 
their effort and contributions to the various activities in the plan 
shall also be identified. Each organization, corporation, or consultant 
who will work on the project shall be identified, along with a short 
description of the nature of the effort or contribution and relevant 
experience.
    e. An Evaluation section, with a description of how the applicant 
will evaluate and measure the outcomes of the activities in its project 
plan. It is critically important that the programs funded as a result 
of this announcement be carefully evaluated so that others may learn 
the relative strengths and weaknesses of the strategies and approaches 
undertaken and what effects they have on seat belt use rates, and the 
incidence of impaired driving, underage drinking and speeding. The 
evaluation section shall describe the methods for assessing actual 
results achieved under the plan. Outcomes can be documented in a number 
of ways. Increases in observed seat belt use and reductions in motor 
vehicle crash fatalities and injuries provide the ultimate measure of 
success. However, intermediate measures, like changes in enforcement 
policies and procedures, as well as increases in citations for underage 
drinking, impaired driving, speeding and non-seat belt use may be 
utilized to measure progress. Favorable consideration will be given to 
applications that can demonstrate a pre-implementation measurement 
system through which a baseline can be determined, and following 
program implementation, a quantitative evaluation of effects can be 
ascertained.
    In particular, the application should describe how it intends to 
assess the effectiveness of its project with respect to:
     Seat belt use rates,
     Level of actual citations and other enforcement 
activities,
     Activity to generate support for enforcement,
     Reducing the incidence of speeding among teens,
     Reducing the incidence of impaired driving among teens,
     Increase public awareness of other enforcement efforts,
     Public support for teen traffic safety enforcement,
     Encouraging specific enforcement-related media efforts,
     Increasing the awareness of the dangers of impaired 
driving, speeding and not buckling up,
     Impact on youth offenses/citations adjudicated by the 
court system.
    Applications will be evaluated based on criteria that will be 
distributed when applications are requested. However, the criteria will 
be very similar to those used to evaluate the pre-applications.

Terms and Conditions of the Award

    1. Prior to award, each grantee must comply with the certification 
requirements of 49 CFR Part 20, Department of Transportation New 
Restrictions on Lobbying, and 49 CFR Part 29, Department of 
Transportation Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-
procurement) and Government-wide Requirements for Drug Free Workplace 
(Grants).
    2. Reporting Requirements and Deliverables:
    a. Quarterly Progress Reports should include a summary of the 
previous quarter's activities and accomplishments, significant problems 
encountered or anticipated, a brief itemization of expenditures made 
during the quarter, and proposed activities for the upcoming quarter. 
Press clips and highlights from activities should be included in each 
quarterly report. Any decisions and actions required in the upcoming 
quarter should also be in the report.
    b. Draft Final Report: The grantee shall prepare a draft Final 
Report that includes a complete description of the overall project 
implementation, including a project time-line; the activities 
conducted, including partners; data collection efforts; evaluation 
methodology; and findings from the program evaluation. In terms of 
information transfer, it is important to know what worked and what did 
not work, under what circumstances, and what can be done to avoid 
potential problems in future projects. The report should provide 
information that will be helpful in assembling a ``Best Practices'' 
guide for use by other communities. The grantee shall submit the draft 
Final Report to the COTR 60 days prior to the end of the performance 
period. The COTR will review the draft report and provide comments to 
the grantee within 30 days of receipt of the document.
    c. Final Report: The grantee shall revise the draft Final Report to 
reflect the COTR's comments. The revised final report shall be 
delivered to the COTR 15 days before the end of the performance period. 
For the final report, the Grantee shall supply the COTR:

--A camera ready version of the document as printed.
--A copy, on appropriate media (diskette, Syquest disk, etc.), of the 
document in the original program format that was used for the printing 
process.

    Note: Some documents require several different original program 
languages (e.g., PageMaker was the program format for the general 
layout and design and Power Point was used for charts and yet 
another was used for photographs, etc.). Each of these component 
parts should be available on disk, properly labeled with the program 
format and the file names. For example, Power Point files should be 
clearly identified by both a descriptive name and file name (e.g., 
1994 Fatalities--chart1.ppt).


--A complete version of the assembled document in portable document 
format (PDF) for placement of the report on the world wide web (WWW). 
This will be a file usually created with the Adobe Exchange program of 
the complete assembled document in the PDF format that will actually be 
placed on the WWW. The document would be completely assembled with all 
colors, charts, side bars, photographs, and graphics. This can be 
delivered to NHTSA on a standard 1.44 diskette (for small documents) or 
on any appropriate archival media (for large documents) such as a CD 
ROM, TR-1 Mini cartridge, Syquest disk, etc.
--Four additional hard copies of the final document.

    d. The Grantee will be expected to provide a presentation of the 
program results in Washington, DC.
    3. During the effective performance period of grants awarded as a 
result of

[[Page 30509]]

this announcement, the grant shall be subject to the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration's General Provisions for Assistance 
Agreements, dated July 1995.

    Issued on: May 31, 2001.
Marilena Amoni,
Acting Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety Programs.
[FR Doc. 01-14173 Filed 6-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P