[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 141 (Monday, July 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42616-42617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14591]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2001-10916]


Child Restraint Systems

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

ACTION: Notice; availability of research report.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of a research report on 
child restraint labels. The research was conducted in July of 2003. 
This notice also announces that NHTSA does not plan to conduct further 
rulemaking on child restraint labels at this time.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Versailles of the NHTSA Office of 
International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer Programs, National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St., SW., 
Washington, DC 20590. Phone: 202-366-2057.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Transportation Recall Enhancement, 
Accountability, and Documentation Act (TREAD; November 1, 2000, Pub.L. 
106-414, 114 Stat. 1800) mandated that NHTSA consider whether to 
prescribe clearer and simpler labels and instructions for child 
restraint systems. On November 2, 2001 (66 FR 55623), NHTSA published a 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) proposing changes to the format, 
location, and content of some of the existing labeling requirements of 
the Federal motor vehicle safety standard for child restraint systems 
(49 CFR 571.213). Specifically, NHTSA proposed (1) A requirement that 
some information be molded into or heat embossed to the shell of the 
child restraint to improve durability, (2) changes to existing location 
requirements for some labels, (3) a uniform font specified for all 
labels on all child restraints, (4) a requirement that most labels be 
white with black text, and (5) color-coding of installation information 
to distinguish forward-facing from rear-facing information. In 
addition, with regard to content, NHTSA proposed (6) a reworded warning 
statement, (7) a requirement that all mandated statements related to 
use be arranged below that statement in a bulleted form, (8) rewording 
of some of these statements to simplify their language, and (9) a new 
diagram showing the child restraint with a new child restraint 
anchorage system (see 49 CFR 571.225). With regard to written 
instructions, NHTSA proposed (10) conforming changes with those 
proposed for labels and (11) a new requirement for information to 
assist owners in determining the meaning of the term ``snugly'' used on 
child restraint labels. Last, NHTSA proposed (12) a new labeling 
requirement for harness slots.
    On October 1, 2002 (67 FR 61523), NHTSA published a final rule \1\ 
amending the requirements for child restraint labels and the written 
instructions that accompany child restraints. Specifically, NHTSA (1) 
changed the then existing location requirements for some labels, (2) 
required most labels to be white with black text, (3) reworded some 
label statements to simplify their language, (4) required mandated 
statements on the labels to be in a bulleted list headed by the 
statement ``WARNING! DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur,'' (5) required 
a new diagram showing the child restraint secured using the new child 
restraint anchorage system, and (6) required some additional 
information defining the term ``snugly'' to be in the written 
instructions. The final rule was effective October 1, 2003.
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    \1\ See also 69 FR 11337 (March 10, 2004), response to petitions 
for reconsideration.
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    Subsequent to the November 2, 2001 notice of proposed rulemaking 
for that final rule, Transport Canada had conducted research on child 
restraint labels. After a review of the Transport Canada study, NHTSA 
had concerns about the proposals concerning font, color-coding and 
harness slot labeling. Therefore, the preamble to the October 2002 
final rule indicated that NHTSA would conduct further research before

[[Page 42617]]

proposing further changes to the requirements for child restraint 
labels.
    In July of 2003, NHTSA conducted further research on child 
restraint labels. NHTSA followed similar procedures as that used by 
Transport Canada in their research. The research report is available in 
docket NHTSA-2001-10916. After reviewing this research, NHTSA has 
decided that it will not conduct further rulemaking at this time.
    The major issue that the research examined was color-coding. In the 
November 2001 NPRM, NHTSA proposed to require forward-facing 
instructions to be outlined in red and rearward-facing instructions to 
be outlined in blue. These colors were chosen to harmonize with a 
European requirement. The Transport Canada study found a large number 
of child restraints incorrectly installed forward-facing, rather than 
rearward-facing, for the infant dummy for all label configurations. 
Transport Canada theorized that one source of the confusion was the red 
color-coding attracting attention towards the forward-facing 
instructions and away from the rearward-facing instructions. Therefore, 
Transport Canada recommended color-coding with red for rearward-facing 
and blue for forward-facing. This color combination was used in our 
2003 research and did not show a significant improvement in correct 
installations.
    In the October 2002 final rule, NHTSA also indicated it would 
conduct further passive analysis research at the next stage of the 
rulemaking. On further consideration, NHTSA has decided that it will 
not conduct this or any other follow-on research at this time. NHTSA 
has not received any comments or petitions expressing concern with the 
labels since the effective date in October 2003. Therefore, given the 
limited resources of the agency, NHTSA does not feel further research 
is warranted at this time. NHTSA will concentrate its efforts in areas 
with greater potential payoffs.

    Issued on: July 19, 2005.
Stephen R. Kratzke,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 05-14591 Filed 7-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P