[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 15 (Wednesday, January 24, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3103-3106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1021]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 571

[Docket No. NHTSA-07-26833]


Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Child Restraint Systems 
Child Restraint Anchorage Systems

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA is having a public meeting to bring together a 
roundtable of child restraint and vehicle manufacturers, retailers, 
technicians, researchers and consumer groups to discuss ways to improve 
child safety through improving the design and increasing the use of 
child restraint systems. Through a combination of presentations by 
invited speakers and group discussions among roundtable attendees, the 
group will focus on the following topics at this meeting: improving 
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system designs, 
improving child side impact safety, and educating the public about 
LATCH. This notice announces the date, time and location of the 
meeting.

DATES: Public Meeting: The public meeting will be held on February 8, 
2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 
L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC.
    Comments: Written comments may be submitted to the agency and must 
be received no later than April 9, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Debbie Ascone, Office of Vehicle 
Safety, NHTSA, telephone 202-366-4383, e-mail [email protected], or 
Ms. Deirdre Fujita, Chief Counsel's Office, NHTSA, telephone 202-366-
2992, e-mail [email protected]. Both officials may also be reached at 
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590.

ADDRESSES: Public meeting: The public meeting will be held at the 
L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20024, 
telephone 202-484-1000.
    Written comments: Written comments must refer to the docket number 
of this notice and be submitted by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. DOT, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-001.
     Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    You may call Docket Management at 202-366-9324 and visit the Docket 
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
    Note that all comments received will be posted without change to 
http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information provided. Please 
see the Privacy Act discussion under the heading ``How do I prepare and 
submit comments?'' at the end of this notice. Please see also the 
discussion there of confidential business information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In March 1999, NHTSA issued a final rule that established Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 225, ``Child restraint anchorage 
systems,'' which requires motor vehicle manufacturers to provide 
motorists with a new means of installing child restraints (64 FR 10786; 
March 5, 1999) in nearly all new passenger vehicles. The new means, 
named the ``LATCH'' \1\ system by industry, is a standardized child 
restraint anchorage system designed to be used exclusively for securing 
child restraints. Each vehicle LATCH system consists of an upper anchor 
point (top tether anchor) and two lower anchor points. Each lower 
anchor point includes a six millimeter (mm) diameter straight rod, or 
``bar,'' that is located near the intersection of the seat cushion and 
seat back (``seat bight'') in a recessed position where they will not 
be felt by seated adult occupants.
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    \1\ Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system.
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    Each vehicle with at least two seating positions behind the front 
seat must have full LATCH systems (consisting of the two rigid lower 
bars and the top tether anchor) in at least two rear seating positions. 
If the vehicle has a third rear seating position, the vehicle must also 
have a top tether anchor at a third rear seating position.
    The rule also required child restraint systems manufactured on or 
after September 1, 2002 to have components capable of attaching to the 
LATCH system. In addition, the rule required child restraints 
manufactured after that date to continue to be capable of being 
attached to a vehicle by way of the vehicle's belt system.
    The LATCH system was phased into new vehicles from 1999 to 2002, 
beginning with the tether anchor in passenger cars in 1999 and ending 
with full implementation of the LATCH system for passenger cars, 
multipurpose passenger vehicles (including sport utility vehicles 
(SUVs) and vans), and light trucks and buses in September 2002.\2\ Id.
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    \2\ NHTSA estimated the benefits of the rule to be 36 to 50 
lives saved per year, and 1,231 to 2,929 injuries prevented. Based 
on an estimated average total annual cost of $152 million, the cost 
per equivalent life saved was estimated to be from $2.1 to $3.7 
million.
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Implementing LATCH

    The agency recognized early on that educating consumers about the 
new LATCH system would be crucial to the success of the system. After 
issuing the LATCH final rule, NHTSA met regularly with vehicle and 
child restraint manufacturers, retailers, and consumer groups on 
developing public information and marketing strategies to educate 
consumers about the new LATCH products becoming available on the 
market, including the correct use of the products. The groups last met 
in

[[Page 3104]]

June and July 2002, in the months leading up to September 1 date on 
which the LATCH regulation became fully effective.

LATCH Use Survey and Report

    To assess the progress made since 2002 and identify the possible 
needs for additional steps, NHTSA conducted a survey from April to 
October 2005 on the types of restraint systems that were being used to 
keep children safe while riding in passenger vehicles. The results of 
that survey were discussed in a report on the use and misuse of LATCH 
(``Child Restraint Use Survey--LATCH Use and Misuse,'' Docket 26735) 
published in December 2006. NHTSA was interested in whether drivers of 
LATCH-equipped vehicles were using LATCH to secure their child 
restraints to the vehicle, and if so, whether they were properly 
installing the restraints. In the survey, the make/model and the type 
of restraint installed in each seating position were recorded for each 
vehicle, and the demographic characteristics and the type of child 
restraint system were collected for each occupant. In addition, 
information was gathered about the drivers' knowledge of booster seats 
and LATCH, along with their opinions on how easy it was for them to use 
LATCH.
    A key finding of the survey was that of the child restraints 
located in a seating position equipped with an upper tether anchor, 55 
percent were attached to the vehicle using the upper tether. Other 
findings included:
    (a) In 13 percent of the LATCH equipped vehicles in which there was 
a child restraint, the restraint was placed in a seat position not 
equipped with lower anchors--instead, the vehicle seat belt was used to 
secure the restraint to the vehicle.
    (b) Among the 87 percent who placed the child safety seat at a 
position equipped with lower anchors, 60 percent used the lower 
attachments to secure the restraint to the vehicle.
    (c) Of those drivers with experience using both lower attachments 
and seat belts, (1) 81 percent of upper tether users and 74 percent of 
lower attachment users said upper tether and/or lower attachments were 
easy to use, and (2) 75 percent preferred the lower attachments over 
seat belts.
    (d) Sixty-one (61) percent of upper tether nonusers and 55 percent 
of lower attachment nonusers cited their lack of knowledge--not knowing 
what the anchorages were, that they were available in the vehicle, the 
importance of using them, or how to use them properly--as the reason 
for not using them.
    The LATCH report found that consumers who have experience with 
LATCH like it, and that LATCH is helping to reduce the insecure 
installation of child restraints. However, the report also indicated 
that proper use of LATCH is not inherently evident to parents. Many 
parents do not use LATCH because they do not know about it or 
understand its importance. Some use both the LATCH system and the seat 
belt system to install their child restraints. There is also some 
confusion about where LATCH anchors can be found. In addition, there 
were differing degrees of difficulty using the anchors depending on 
location and configuration of the child seat hardware.

Public Meeting

    In light of the LATCH report, NHTSA is having a public meeting to 
bring together a roundtable of child restraint and vehicle 
manufacturers, retailers, technicians, researchers and consumer groups 
to discuss ways to make LATCH easier to use and better known. Through a 
combination of presentations by invited speakers and group discussions 
among roundtable participants, the group will focus on the following 
topics at this meeting: LATCH design improvements, child side impact 
safety improvements, and initiatives to educate the public about LATCH 
and seat belt use.
    The meeting will be open to the public, but participation in the 
roundtable will be limited and by invitation only in order to ensure 
that all of the topics can be addressed in the time available. However, 
the floor will be open to the audience attending the meeting during the 
final part of the meeting. Anyone wishing to supplement their oral 
comments may do so by submitting written comments.
    Roundtable participants should focus on the issues and questions 
listed below.

Regarding LATCH Design

    The requirements for the top tether anchor were harmonized with 
Canadian and Australian requirements, particularly with respect to the 
zones within which the anchor may be located. The lower LATCH anchor 
bars must be located not so far forward on the vehicle seat so as to 
injure an adult occupant sitting on the seat, but not so rearward as to 
be too difficult to access. The presence of lower bars that are not 
visible without compressing the seat cushion or seat back must be 
indicated by a permanent mark on the vehicle seat back at each bar's 
location to help parents locate and use the bars.
    NHTSA allows vehicle manufacturers to decide which rear seating 
positions are equipped with the two full LATCH systems. It does not 
require a full LATCH system to be in a center rear seating position. 
This flexibility was provided because, if two full LATCH systems are 
provided in the rear seat of a sedan-type vehicle, it may not be 
feasible to fit the lower anchor bars of the two LATCH systems side-by-
side in two adjacent seating positions, or practical to fit two child 
restraints adjacent to each other in the rear seat of small vehicles. 
NHTSA does require the top tether anchor at the third rear seating 
position to be at the center position, to provide parents an improved 
means of attaching child restraints in a center rear seat.
    Invited speakers are asked to speak to the following questions:
Tether Anchors
     What are the design considerations/constraints for 
locating tether anchors in various types of vehicles? Why do some SUVs, 
vans and trucks have tether anchors under the seat, etc., which 
consumers have found difficult to access when installing their child 
restraints?
     What can be done to make access to the upper and lower 
anchors easier or make the anchors more visible?
     What would be the feasibility and/or implications of 
further restricting where tether anchors may be placed by amending 
Standard 225?
Lower Anchors
     What feedback are you obtaining from consumers? Are you 
getting complaints?
     NHTSA has not had any complaints that the lower anchors 
are causing occupant discomfort. Would it be feasible and desirable to 
amend the seat bight depth requirement to require that anchors be 
located more forward in the seat bight? Would this make the 
installation and/or removal of child restraint systems easier?
     Are there any technical or other reasons why consumers who 
wish to place their child restraint in a rear center seat location 
using the inboard lower anchors from the outboard seating locations 
should not do so? If the child restraint can be snugly secured with 
this installation to ``create'' a middle LATCH seating position, is 
there any reason that doing this should be considered misuse?
     Will you be increasing over time the proportion of your 
fleet that is equipped with lower anchors in the center-rear position?

[[Page 3105]]

Child Seat Designs
     Are there child restraint hook designs that consumers find 
easier to install/remove?
     What would be the feasibility and/or implications of 
incorporating the most consumer friendly hooks in all child restraints?

Regarding LATCH Ease-of-Use

    NHTSA is interested in improving information in its ease-of-use 
ratings for child restraints and could include information about 
features of LATCH hardware. We are also considering exploring the 
addition of information to the annual NHTSA publication, ``Buying a 
Safer Car for Child Passengers,'' on the number of seating positions 
with LATCH and on other matters related to LATCH, such as the degree of 
accessibility of the anchors.
    Invited speakers are asked to speak to the following questions:
     What are the considerations in developing more consumer-
friendly child restraint hooks or other features (e.g., what are the 
trade-offs in child restraint cost, ease-of-use ratings, and retail 
sales)?
     NHTSA is considering providing consumer information on 
LATCH anchor locations and the numbers of lower anchor-equipped seating 
positions in each vehicle make/model. What are your comments on this 
initiative?
     Should NHTSA provide consumer information on including use 
of inboard lower anchors to ``create'' a middle LATCH seating position?
     In the past, the agency has determined that given the 
number of child restraints and vehicle make/models, it was not feasible 
for the agency to test and provide vehicle child restraint ease-of-use 
ratings. Are there other approaches the agency should consider? Are 
there voluntary initiatives underway or being jointly considered by the 
child restraint and vehicle manufacturers that would provide useful 
consumer information regarding child restraint and vehicle ease-of-use 
compatibility?

Regarding Child Side Impact Protection

    In 2002, NHTSA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking 
(ANPRM) on work in developing a child restraint side impact protection 
standard (67 FR 21836; May 1, 2002; Docket 12151). The rulemaking was 
withdrawn because considerably more work was needed to support a 
Federal motor vehicle standard on child side impact, including data 
analyses as to how children are being injured or killed in side 
impacts, potential countermeasures that would be available to reduce 
side impact intrusion, and the appropriate child test dummy and 
associated injury criteria for side impact testing (68 FR 37620, 
37624). NHTSA's research into side impact protection has continued as 
an ongoing agency program.
    NHTSA will present the status of its current research effort, and 
other panelists that have knowledge of the side impact issue will be 
invited to participate on the panel.

Regarding LATCH Education

    NHTSA would like to develop educational messages to improve 
consumers' awareness of the benefits of the top tether and the 
convenience of the LATCH lower anchors. We also seek cooperation and 
coordination of efforts between NHTSA, child restraint and vehicle 
manufacturers, retailers, and educators, to develop and promote 
communications strategies that will reach parents and caregivers of 
young children.
    Invited speakers are asked to speak to the following questions:
     What questions have users asked your organization with 
regard to--
     Tether use;
     Lower anchor use;
     Center rear seat use?
     What public information and marketing strategies are being 
conducted to inform consumers of proper or optimal use of child 
restraints?
     What could organizations do to reach consumers more 
broadly and provide more useful information to consumers about child 
restraint installation?
     What information should we provide consumers regarding the 
effectiveness of seat belts versus LATCH in securing child restraints?

Other Procedural Matters

    The meeting will be open to the public with advanced registration 
for seating on a space-available basis. Individuals wishing to register 
to assure a seat in the public seating area should provide their name, 
affiliation, phone number and e-mail address to Ms. Ascone using the 
contact information at the beginning of this notice. Should it be 
necessary to cancel the meeting due to inclement weather or other 
emergency, NHTSA will take all available measures to notify registered 
participants by e-mail or telephone.
    The meeting will be held at a site accessible to individuals with 
disabilities. Individuals who require accommodations such as sign 
language interpreters should contact Ms. Ascone by January 31, 2007.
    A transcript of the meeting and other information received by NHTSA 
at the meeting will be placed in the docket for this notice at a later 
date.

Draft Agenda

8:30-9 Welcome and Opening Remarks.
9-9:10 Panel I. LATCH systems (overview)--NHTSA.
9:10-10:15 Invited speakers on LATCH systems.
10:15-10:30 Break.
10:30-10:40 Panel II. Ease-of-use issues/initiatives--NHTSA.
10:40-11:30 Invited speakers on LATCH ease-of-use (EOU).
11:30-12 Roundtable discussion and questions from floor.
12-1 Lunch on your own.
1-1:10 Panel III. Child side impact safety (overview)--NHTSA.
1:10-1:50 Invited speakers on side impact.
1:50-2:05 Break.
2:10-2:20 Panel IV. Educational needs (overview)--NHTSA.
2:20-3:20 Invited speakers on LATCH education.
3:20-3:50 Roundtable discussion and open floor.
3:50-4:15 Next steps; wrap-up.

How can I submit comments on this subject?

    It is not necessary to attend or to speak at the public meeting to 
be able to comment on the issues. NHTSA invites readers to submit 
written comments which the agency will consider in its deliberations on 
LATCH.

How do I prepare and submit comments?

    Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your 
comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the docket 
number of this document in your comments.
    Your primary comments must not be more than 15 pages long (49 CFR 
553.21). However, you may attach additional documents to your primary 
comments. There is no limit on the length of the attachments.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.

[[Page 3106]]

How can I be sure that my comments were received?

    If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of 
your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the 
envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket 
Management will return the postcard by mail.

How do I submit confidential business information?

    If you wish to submit any information under a claim of 
confidentiality, send three copies of your complete submission, 
including the information you claim to be confidential business 
information, to the Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, Room 5219, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20590. Include a cover letter supplying the information specified in 
our confidential business information regulation (49 CFR part 512).
    In addition, send two copies from which you have deleted the 
claimed confidential business information to Docket Management, Room 
PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, or submit them 
electronically, in the manner described at the beginning of this 
notice.

Will the agency consider late comments?

    We will consider all comments that Docket Management receives 
before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated 
above under DATES. To the extent possible, we will also consider 
comments that Docket Management receives after that date.
    Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will 
continue to file relevant information in the docket as it becomes 
available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, 
we recommend that you periodically check the docket for new material.

How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

    You may read the comments by visiting Docket Management in person 
at Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC from 10 a.m. to 
5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
    You may also see the comments on the Internet by taking the 
following steps:
    Go to the Docket Management System (DMS) Web page of the Department 
of Transportation (http://dms.dot.gov).
    On that page, click on ``Simple Search.''
    On the next page (http://dms.dot.gov/search/searchFormSimple.cfm/) 
type in the five-digit docket number shown at the beginning of this 
notice. Click on ``Search.''
    On the next page, which contains docket summary information for the 
docket you selected, click on the desired comments. You may also 
download the comments.

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

    Issued on January 19, 2007.
Nicole R. Nason,
Administrator.
 [FR Doc. E7-1021 Filed 1-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P