[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 106 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33221-33225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13902]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Child Passenger Protection Education Grants

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of grants for child passenger protection 
education.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
announces a grant program under Section 2003(b) of the Transportation 
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to implement child passenger 
protection programs that are designed to prevent deaths and injuries to 
children, educate the public concerning the proper installation of 
child restraints, and train child passenger safety personnel concerning 
child restraint use. This notice solicits applications from the States, 
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Territories and the 
Indian Tribes through the Secretary of the Interior.

DATES: Applications must be received by the office designated below on 
or before July 9, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the appropriate National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration Regional Administrator.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For program issues contact Ms. Judy A. 
Hammond, Office of Injury Control Operations and Resources, NTI-200, 
NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

[[Page 33222]]

Washington, DC 20590; telephone (202) 366-2121. For legal issues 
contact Ms. Dana Sade, Office of the Chief Counsel, NCC-110, NHTSA, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, telephone (202) 366-2580.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    While motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of 
unintentional injury-related deaths among children for every age from 1 
to 14 years in the United States, there has been a 16 percent decline 
in motor vehicle occupant deaths from 1988 to 2001. During the same 
period, motor vehicle occupant nonfatally injured children under age 15 
decreased by 11 percent. The Nation is reaping the benefits of the many 
years of hard work by State and local advocates promoting correct use 
of child safety seats, booster seats and safety belts. A valuable cadre 
of trained and certified child passenger safety technicians has been 
established in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico 
to promote the correct use of these occupant protection devices. To 
maintain the gains, it is essential that this child passenger safety 
infrastructure be sustained.
    For this fourth year of the program, States are encouraged to 
perform a program review and comprehensive evaluation of the existing 
infrastructure to help them strategically place limited resources to 
meet their unique needs, and to ensure that the needs of culturally 
diverse and underserved populations, special needs and booster seat 
size/age children are appropriately addressed.
    Motor vehicle injuries and fatalities occur when children ride 
unrestrained or are improperly restrained. The Child Passenger 
Protection Education grant program is intended to help reduce injuries 
and deaths by educating the public about the importance of correctly 
installing and using child safety seats, booster seats and safety 
belts.

1. Children Riding Unrestrained

    Approximately 20-25 percent of children ages 1 through 15 years 
ride unrestrained. Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury 
in a crash by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 
percent for toddlers (1-4 years old). In 2001, there were 497 passenger 
vehicle occupant fatalities among children under 5 years of age. Of 
those 497 fatalities, where restraint use is known, 242 (49 percent) 
were totally unrestrained. The problem of riding unrestrained is not 
limited to infants and young children. From 1975 through 2001, the 
lives of an estimated 5,085 children were saved by the use of child 
restraints (child safety seats or adult safety belts). In 2001, among 
children under age 15 who were killed as occupants of passenger 
vehicles, where restraint use was known, 55 percent were not using 
safety restraints at the time of the collision.
    Examination of the demographics of children killed in motor vehicle 
crashes (for which the most complete data available is 1999) shows that 
safety restraint use differs markedly by race. For example, while 
somewhat less than half (46.5 percent) of white children up to age 9 
riding in passenger motor vehicles were using safety restraints at the 
time of their deaths, that was true of less than one-third (30.4 
percent) of black children. Native American children under age 15 have 
a motor vehicle occupant death rate twice that of white children. 
(Injury and fatality data for other minority groups is currently being 
collected.) Restraint use is also lower in rural areas and low-income 
communities. Lack of access to affordable child safety seats and 
booster seats contributes to a lower usage rate among low-income 
families. However, research shows that 95 percent of low-income 
families who own a child safety seat use it. Improving access to 
affordable child restraint systems and educating parents and caregivers 
about proper installation and use are key components to improving use 
rates in these communities.

2. Misuse of Child Safety Seats and Improper Seating Positions

    According to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey, in 2002, 
99 percent of infants (children under age 1) were restrained while 
riding in motor vehicles, as were 94 percent of toddlers (children ages 
1 through 3). The study also revealed that 83 percent of children ages 
4 through 7 were restrained. However, it is estimated that 
approximately 80 percent of children who are placed in child safety 
seats are improperly restrained. Furthermore, adult safety belts do not 
adequately protect children ages 4 to 8 (about 40 to 80 pounds) from 
injury in a crash. Although car booster seats are the best way to 
protect them, only 6 percent of booster-age children are properly 
restrained in car booster seats.
    In addition, there is a high risk of severe injury or fatality to 
children riding in the front seat of vehicles equipped with a passenger 
side air bag, due to the deployment force of the air bag. However, even 
if the air bag is shut off or there is no air bag, the back seat is the 
safest place for children to ride. Under no circumstances should a 
parent place a rear-facing infant seat in front of an air bag. It is 
estimated that children ages 12 and under are 36 percent less likely to 
die in a crash if seated in the rear seat of a passenger vehicle.
    Furthermore, children are not cargo; they should not ride in the 
rear of pickup trucks. In 2001, 128 people died as a result of riding 
in the cargo area of pickup trucks. Nearly half of these were children 
and teenagers.
    Children with special health care needs are another area of growing 
concern. Approximately 12 million children under 18 are in this 
category and many have special transportation needs that need to be 
addressed.
    Child passenger safety professionals, educators, emergency 
personnel and others need to be adequately trained on all aspects of 
child restraint use in order to help reduce the problems of misuse and 
encourage the safest seating positions for all children riding in motor 
vehicles. In addition, parents and caregivers need easily accessible 
locations where they can receive information on choosing the correct 
child safety seat for their child, and identifying which child safety 
seats are compatible with various types of passenger motor vehicles. 
Parents and caregivers also need to know how to properly install a 
child safety seat, how to properly secure their child into that seat, 
and that the safest position in a vehicle is the back seat, away from 
front passenger air bags and not in the cargo area of pick-up trucks.
    With these concerns in mind, the Transportation Equity Act for the 
21st Century (TEA-21), which the President signed into law on June 9, 
1998, established a grant program under Section 2003(b), to promote 
child passenger protection education and training and authorized $7.5 
million each year for fiscal years 2000 and 2001. In the DOT 
Appropriation Act of 2002, Congress provided $7.5 million to fund the 
Child Passenger Protection Education grant program for fiscal year 
2002. For FY 2003, Congress again provided $7.5 million to fund the 
Child Passenger Protection Education Grants.

Grants for Child Passenger Protection

    Section 2003(b) provides Federal funds to States for activities 
that are designed to prevent deaths and injuries to children; educate 
the public concerning the design, selection, placement, and 
installation of child restraints; and train and retrain child passenger 
safety professionals, police officers, fire and emergency medical 
personnel, and other educators concerning all aspects of child 
restraint use. A State may expend the funds itself

[[Page 33223]]

or elect to distribute some or all of the funds to carry out the public 
education and training activities as grants to political subdivisions 
of the State or appropriate private entities.
    Prior years funding (FY 2000 and 2001) has resulted in over 16,056 
persons becoming certified child passenger safety technicians by the 
AAA after having completed NHTSA's 32-hour Standardized Child Passenger 
Safety Training course. In addition, 593 went on to become certified 
child passenger safety technician instructors. Funding has provided for 
the establishment of 900 inspection/fitting stations across the 
country.
    Given administrative, programmatic, and funding considerations 
facing the States, NHTSA is working with the Governors Highway Safety 
Association (GHSA) to develop a Child Passenger Safety Program 
Assessment tool designed to help the States strategically plan and 
locate their child passenger safety trainings, education efforts, and 
inspection stations to meet the needs of the community.
    A ``team'' of peers will review all elements of the State's Child 
Passenger Safety program and how training strategically fits into their 
overall program. The assessment will examine many aspects including: 
Does the child passenger safety program effectively address older 
children (booster seat and safety belt size/age); special needs; 
culturally diverse and underserved populations; does it effectively 
cover all areas of the State with training, public education and 
information; and, are inspection stations established across the State. 
The assessment tool should be ready for use in Fall 2003. States are 
strongly encouraged to use Section 2003(b) funds to pay for conducting 
the assessment.
    States are also encouraged to direct funds obtained through this 
grant program to organizations that can deliver training and education 
to ensure positive impact in minority and low-income communities where 
lack of child passenger protection is especially severe.
    Funds could also be used for training on the appropriate methods 
for restraining children with special needs in motor vehicles.
    Section 2003(b) provides that the Federal share of the cost of a 
program carried out with the grant funds is not to exceed 80 percent. A 
State that receives a grant must submit a report describing the program 
activities carried out with the funds.

Application Procedures

1. Use of Funds

    To be eligible for funding under Section 2003(b), a State must 
submit an application that addresses how the State will implement child 
passenger protection programs that meet each of the three requirements 
listed below (see checklist below). For the education and training 
components, the grant application must identify expected program 
accomplishments, such as the estimated number of public education 
messages to be distributed (e.g. public service announcements or 
printed materials) and the type of audience to be targeted by these 
messages (e.g. minority or low-income communities); the estimated 
number and type of training classes conducted and the individuals or 
groups to be trained (e.g. representing minority, rural or low-income 
communities); the number of child safety seat clinics or check-ups 
performed; and the number of inspection stations established. A State 
is encouraged to identify the proposed locations of child safety seat 
clinics, check-ups and inspection stations, specifying the target 
population to be served.
    Specifically, the State must implement a child passenger protection 
program that:
    (a) Is designed to prevent deaths and injuries to children. The 
State should provide a statement describing how its program supports 
efforts to prevent deaths and injuries to children, and indicate if it 
plans to conduct a program assessment;
    (b) Educates the public on all aspects of child passenger safety. 
The public education program may include strategies that emphasize the 
four steps to child restraint use: infant seats for babies, forward 
facing child safety seats for toddlers, booster seats for young 
children, and safety belts for older children. It should include 
strategies that increase use of appropriate restraints and proper 
seating positions among targeted populations (e.g., minority, rural, 
low-income, or special needs populations), or develop and implement 
child safety seat clinics and/or permanent locations where consumers 
can have child safety seats and booster seats inspected. Additional 
information under public education may be included relevant to proper 
use of child restraint systems, booster seats, proper seating positions 
relative to air bag safety and cargo areas of pick-up trucks, and 
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 225--a standardized child safety 
seat system known as Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH).
    At a minimum, the public education program must:
    (1) Provide a summary of the information that the State intends to 
include or develop in the public education program. The information 
must address at least the following topics:
    [sbull] All aspects of proper installation of child restraints 
using standard safety hardware, supplemental hardware, and modification 
devices (if needed), including special installation techniques;
    [sbull] Appropriate child restraint design, selection, and 
placement [NHTSA interprets this to include instruction about proper 
seating positions for children in air bag equipped vehicles]; and
    [sbull] Harness threading and harness adjustment on child 
restraints.
    (2) Include a description of the public education information 
methods that the State intends to employ, how these messages will be 
delivered to the target population, and expected accomplishments. The 
methods could include billboards, public service announcements, and 
published materials. It is also important to deliver this information 
in the language of the targeted group.
    (c) Trains and retrains child passenger safety professionals, 
police officers, fire and emergency medical personnel, and other 
educators concerning all aspects of child restraint use. At a minimum, 
States should include in the application a description of or reference 
to the curricula that the State will use to train and retrain child 
passenger safety experts to reach the targeted populations; factors 
used to determine appropriate coverage and support to meet the needs of 
the community and expected accomplishments.
    All persons selected for training and retraining as child passenger 
safety professionals should achieve and maintain at least some minimum 
standards of expertise. In collaboration with partners, NHTSA has 
developed several model curricula including: ``Mobilizing America to 
Buckle Up Children'' and ``Operation Kids'' for law enforcement 
officers; ``Operation Kids'' for nurses; ``Moving Kids Safely In Child 
Care'' and the ``Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program'' 
for child passenger safety professional candidates. States are not 
restricted to using only these curricula, but States are encouraged to 
incorporate the learning objectives of these courses into the training 
and retraining provided to child passenger safety experts.

[[Page 33224]]

Funding for this grant program is intended to help States develop and 
sustain adequate cadres of persons with technical expertise in child 
passenger protection who will directly serve the public through child 
safety seat clinics, checkpoints, workshops, inspection stations and 
other training and educational opportunities.
    The State shall include in the budget for FY 2003 grant funds 
information on prior-year Section 2003(b) grant funds. Specifically, 
the State shall itemize how much of these prior year funds have not yet 
been expended and how they will support the FY 2003 program.

2. Certification

    A. The State must submit certifications that: (i) It will use the 
funds awarded under this grant program exclusively to implement a child 
passenger protection program in accordance with the requirements of 
Section 2003(b) of Pub. L. 105-178 (TEA-21); (ii) It will administer 
the funds in accordance with 49 CFR part 18; and (iii) It will provide 
to the NHTSA Regional Administrator no later than 15 months after the 
grant award a report of activities carried out with grant funds and 
accomplishments to date.

3. Eligibility Requirements

    Eligibility is limited to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, 
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Territories (which include the Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands) through their Governor's Office of Highway Safety, and Indian 
Tribes through the Secretary of the Interior.

Award Procedures

    The amount appropriated for this program in fiscal year 2003 is 
$7,500,000. In FY 2000, NHTSA awarded $7.5 million to 47 States, the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 4 U.S. Territories and the Indian 
Nations. In FY 2001, NHTSA awarded $7.5 million to 48 States, the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 4 U.S. Territories and the Indian 
Nations. In FY 2002, NHTSA awarded $7.5 million to 48 States, the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 4 U.S. Territories and the Indian 
Nations. A new application is required to seek an award for fiscal year 
2003 funds. Awards to applicants meeting the requirements of this 
notice will be made based upon the formula used for Section 402 
apportionment, subject to the availability of funds. The amount awarded 
to each State qualifying under this program shall be determined by 
multiplying the amount appropriated for this grant program for the 
fiscal year by the ratio that the amount of funds apportioned to each 
such State under 23 U.S.C. 402 for the fiscal year bears to the total 
amount of funds apportioned to all such States under Section 402 for 
such fiscal year. Applicants will be required to submit to NHTSA within 
30 days of notification that an award is made, a program cost summary 
(HS Form 217) obligating the Section 2003(b) funds to child passenger 
protection education programs. The Federal funding share may not exceed 
80 percent of the program cost, and States should clearly identify 
their share in the program cost summary (HS Form 217).
    Each State must submit one original and two copies of the 
application package to the appropriate NHTSA Regional Administrator. 
Only complete application packages submitted by a Governor's Highway 
Safety Representative and received on or before July 9, 2003, will be 
considered for funding in fiscal year 2003.

Report Requirements

    A State that receives a grant must submit a report describing the 
activities carried out with the grant funds and the accomplishments to 
date. The report must be submitted to the NHTSA Regional Administrator 
no later than 15 months after the grant is awarded.
    At a minimum, the report must contain the following:
    1. A description of how the State's child passenger protection 
program is supporting efforts to prevent deaths and injuries to 
children through strategic placement of resources.
    2. For the education component:
    [sbull] A summary of the public education methods developed and how 
programs were delivered to the targeted population.
    [sbull] The number of public education messages distributed (e.g. 
public service announcements or printed materials) and the type of 
audience targeted by those messages (e.g. minority or low-income 
communities);
    [sbull] The number of child safety seat clinics or check-ups 
performed, and the number of inspection stations established. A State 
must also include the locations of child safety seat clinics, check-ups 
and inspection stations, specifying the target population served.
    3. For the training component:
    [sbull] The number of and type of training classes conducted and 
the individuals or groups trained (e.g. representing minority, rural or 
low-income communities);
    [sbull] A description of or reference to the curricula that were 
used to train and retrain child passenger safety experts.
    [sbull] The number of child passenger safety technicians and 
instructors certified during the grant period.

                      FY 2003 Application Checklist
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1.                         1.
A.----                     A. Statement describing how the program
                            supports efforts to prevent deaths and
                            injuries to children.
B.----                     B. Statement indicating its plans to conduct
                            a program assessment.
2.                         2. Educates the public on all aspects of
                            child passenger safety (CPS). At a minimum
                            this must include the following:
A.                         A. Summary of what the public education
                            information will cover, to include:
(1)----                       (1) All aspects of proper installation of
                               child restraints using standard seat belt
                               hardware, supplemental hardware, and
                               modification devices (if needed),
                               including special installation
                               techniques.
2.----                        (2) Appropriate child restraint design,
                               selection, and placement [NHTSA
                               interprets this to include instruction
                               about proper seating positions for
                               children in air bag equipped vehicles.]
(3)----                       (3) Harness threading and harness
                               adjustment on child restraints.
B.                         B. Methods to deliver public education
                            messages must include:
(1)----                       (1) Description of the public education
                               method.
(2)----                       (2) How these messages will be delivered
                               to the targeted populations.
(3)----                       (3) Expected accomplishments in reaching
                               audiences, including those in underserved
                               areas.
3.                         3. CPS Training and retraining. At a minimum,
                            this must include the following:
A.----                        A. Description of or reference to the CPS
                               curricula that the State will use to
                               train and retrain CPS experts to ensure
                               appropriate and adequate coverage and
                               support for the program.
B.----                        B. Expected accomplishments.
C.----                        C. Description of how the State plans to
                               reprogram its unexpended Section 2003(b)
                               funds to support this year's program.
4.----                     4. Certification Statement

[[Page 33225]]

 
                           The State must submit certifications that (i)
                            It will use the funds awarded under this
                            grant program exclusively to implement a
                            child passenger protection program in
                            accordance with the requirements of 23
                            U.S.C. 2003(b); (ii) It will administer the
                            funds in accordance with 49 CFR Part 18 and
                            OMB Circular A-87; and (iii) It will provide
                            to the NHTSA Regional Administrator no later
                            than 15 months after the grant award a
                            report of activities carried out with grant
                            funds and accomplishments to date.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

NHTSA Publications Available To Support Public Education

    A number of NHTSA publications are available through the Traffic 
Safety Materials Catalog that address child passenger safety program 
topics, including targeted education messages such as ``Four Steps for 
Kids;'' and ``Salvele la Vida a Su Bebe.'' These materials may be 
ordered from the NHTSA web site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov or 
contacting the Office of Communications and Consumer Information by fax 
at (202) 493-2062.

    Issued on: May 29, 2003.
Jeffrey W. Runge,
Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-13902 Filed 6-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P