[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 166 (Monday, August 27, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 51731-51733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21011]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[CPSC Docket No. CPSC-2012-0048]

16 CFR Chapter II


All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Summit

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notification.

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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, Commission, or 
we) is announcing its intent to hold a Summit on all-terrain vehicle 
(ATV) safety. The Summit will be held at the CPSC's headquarters in 
Bethesda, MD, on October 11 and 12, 2012. We invite interested parties 
to participate in or attend the Summit and to submit comments.

[[Page 51732]]


DATES: The Summit will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 11 and 
12, 2012. Individuals interested in serving on panels or presenting 
information at the Summit should register by September 14, 2012; all 
other individuals who wish to attend the Summit should register by 
October 5, 2012. Written comments must be received by November 14, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: The Summit will be held at the CPSC's headquarters, 4330 
East West Highway, 4th Floor Hearing Room, Bethesda, MD 20814. Persons 
interested in serving on a panel, presenting information, or attending 
the Summit should register online at http://www.cpsc.gov/meetingsignup.html, and click on the link titled, ``ATV Safety 
Summit.''
    You may submit written comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-
2012-0048, by any of the following methods:
    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. To ensure timely processing of 
comments, the Commission is no longer accepting comments submitted by 
electronic mail (email), except through www.regulations.gov.
    Submit written submissions in the following way:
    Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM 
submissions), preferably in five copies, to: Office of the Secretary, 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 820, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7923.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this notice. All comments received may be posted 
without change, including any personal identifiers, contact 
information, or other personal information provided, to http://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit confidential business information, 
trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information 
electronically. Such information should be submitted in writing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hope Nesteruk, Division of Human 
Factors, Directorate for Engineering Sciences, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814, telephone 301-504-7694, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are motorized vehicles, designed for 
off-road use, with three or four broad, low-pressure tires (less than 
10 pounds per square inch), a seat designed to be straddled by the 
operator, and handlebars for steering. Since the 1980s, the CPSC has 
been involved with ATV safety through various means, including 
rulemaking, recalls, and litigation. Currently, ATVs are required to 
meet the Commission's ATV safety standard at 16 CFR part 1420, and 
comply with manufacturer and distributor action plans that require 
numerous additional safety measures. However, a number of ATV issues 
remain. For example, there are several issues from our 2006 NPR that 
differ from the requirements of 16 CFR part 1420 and the action plans. 
In addition, aspects of safety that are related to the behavior of ATV 
operators, such as use restrictions governing issues such as helmet 
use, riding on pavement, licensing of drivers, and age restrictions are 
generally a matter left to the states. Finally, some avenues toward 
improved ATV safety require additional research that is beyond the 
Commission's current budget and resources.
    CPSC staff is looking toward the future and envisions a two-pronged 
approach to improving ATV safety: Regulation and stakeholder 
engagement. Work regarding the 2006 NPR is nearing completion. However, 
because 6 years have passed since the issuance of the NPR, staff would 
like to provide stakeholders an opportunity to present their views on 
the outstanding issues. In addition, once rulemaking is complete, we 
envision that the next phase of the effort will focus on the different 
roles each of the various stakeholders can play to achieve the goal we 
believe every one of these stakeholders support: Keeping families safe 
on ATVs. With these interests in mind, we are inviting stakeholders to 
come together for an ATV Safety Summit. This Summit will serve as a 
forum for stakeholders who have a mutual commitment to ATV safety to 
share new information, as well as collaborate as a team and seek 
solutions to common problems.
    The Summit will take place over 2 days and will feature a mix of 
rulemaking and nonrulemaking topic areas. There will be a series of 
panel discussions each day focused on a different topic of ATV safety. 
The details of the various topics are found in section III. The panel 
sessions will begin with presentations from each panelist and will be 
followed by a question, answer, and discussion forum. Every forum will 
be an open discussion led by CPSC staff moderators where attendees can 
speak freely. The discussions centering on our rulemaking will allow 
attendees to discuss the open rulemaking, and these discussions may be 
used to inform our future rulemaking. The discussion focusing on new 
innovations in ATV safety will allow stakeholders to work together to 
achieve common goals, develop possible solutions, and address actions 
that each stakeholder can perform to advance the goal of keeping 
families safe on ATVs.

II. What do we hope the summit will accomplish?

    Our primary goal in this ATV Safety Summit is to bring together the 
stakeholders, including manufacturers, consumer advocates, academic 
researchers, and others with an interest in ATV safety, in an 
environment that fosters mutual respect and that encourages the sharing 
of information. We hope that by sharing lessons learned regarding 
public awareness, information/education, training, and technology, the 
groups each can take away information and ideas that will help everyone 
promote ATV safety. In addition, for issues that are not related to our 
current rulemaking effort, we want to encourage stakeholders to work 
together to develop solutions to ATV issues apart from any effort or 
assistance by the CPSC.
    Because there are some differences between the regulations we 
proposed in 2006 and the regulations we promulgated after passage of 
the CPSIA, a secondary goal of the Summit is to give stakeholders the 
opportunity to inform CPSC staff of any new developments in these 
areas. More specifically, we are interested in learning about new 
developments in the areas of ATV lighting, consumer point-of-purchase 
information, and youth ATVs (speeds, size, weight, and transmission).

III. What topics will be addressed at the summit?

    In general, the Summit will focus on the overall theme: ``Keeping 
Families Safe on ATVs.'' We recommend that all potential panelists 
consider this general theme when preparing. In particular, there are 
six topics areas that we have identified. Below is a list of the 
subject of each session and suggested specific topics for each. These 
suggested topics are meant to be a guideline, but potential panelists 
should not feel limited only to what is suggested below.

Rulemaking Topic Areas

1. Vehicle Characteristics
 Suggested topics: Vehicle lighting (brake lights and head 
lights); Age categories; Speeds and transmission

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for youth ATVs--user acceptance and user abilities; Physical sizing of 
ATVs
2. Consumer Awareness
 Suggested topics: Point-of-purchase information; on-product 
warning labels and hang tags

ATV Innovations Topic Areas

1. State Legislation: Effecting Change
 Suggested topics: How to effect change; what works, what 
doesn't? Successes and failures with other outdoor products
2. ATV Training: Reaching the Next Generation
 Suggested topics: Increasing availability; using new 
technology; what works, what doesn't?
3. Public Awareness, Information, and Education: Speaking With One 
Voice
 Suggested topics: What works, what doesn't? Cultural and 
social media challenges to promoting safe riding
4. Vehicle Technology Innovations
 Suggested topics: Any new innovation--from the proof-of-
concept stage or current in-use on ATVs--to advances in the area of 
lateral stability and rollover protection.

    It is difficult to anticipate the number of panelists who will be 
available for each topic area. Therefore, we have not yet determined 
the order of the panel sessions. We may combine, expand, or eliminate 
panel sessions depending on the level of interest. The final schedule 
will be announced on our Web site by September 28, 2012.

IV. Details Regarding the Summit

A. When and where will the summit be held?

    The Summit will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on October 11-
12, 2012, at the CPSC Headquarters building at 4330 East West Highway, 
4th Floor Hearing Room, Bethesda, MD 20814.

B. How do you register for the summit?

    If you would like to be a panelist for a specific session of the 
Summit, you should register by September 14, 2012. (See the ADDRESSES 
portion of this document for the Web site link and instructions on 
where to register.) We also ask that you submit a brief (less than 200 
word) abstract of your topic, area of expertise, and desired breakout 
panel. In the event that more panelists request a particular session 
than time will allow, staff will select panelists based on 
considerations such as: Whether the information to be presented has 
been received in previous open comment periods; what is the 
individual's familiarity or expertise with the topic to be discussed; 
is there practical utility in the information to be presented; what is 
the topic's relevance to the identified theme and topic area; what is 
the individual's viewpoint or ability to represent certain interests 
(e.g., such as large manufacturers, small manufacturers, academic 
researchers, consumer organizations). While an effort will be made to 
accommodate all persons who wish to be panelists, we expect to limit 
each panel session to no more than five panelists. Therefore, the final 
number of panelists may be limited. We recommend that individuals and 
organizations with common interests consolidate or coordinate their 
panel requests. To assist in making final panelist selections, staff 
may request potential panelists to submit planned presentations in 
addition to the initial abstract. We will notify selected panelists by 
September 21, 2012.
    If you wish to attend and participate in the Summit, but you do not 
wish to be a panelist, you should also register by October 5, 2012, and 
identify your affiliation. Every effort will be made to accommodate 
each person's request; however, we may need to limit registration to 
meet the occupant capacity of our meeting rooms. If you are unable to 
attend the Summit, it will be available through a webcast, but you will 
not be able to interact with the panels and presenters, nor will every 
panel session be available. You do not need to register for the 
webcast. The panels that are not webcast will be taped and made 
available for viewing on the CPSC Web site.
    If you wish to submit written comments for any reason, you may do 
so before or after the Summit by any of the methods stated in the 
ADDRESSES portion of this notice. These comments should be received by 
November 14, 2012. Comments should focus on new information that was 
not submitted previously that is related to the topic areas listed 
above.

C. What will be the format of the summit?

    The Summit will open with a plenary session that includes a brief 
overview of the Commission's past activities on ATVs. Following that, 
there will be a series of panels covering the topics listed above. Each 
panel session will consist of stakeholders and members of the public 
and will be moderated by CPSC staff. We expect potential panelists to 
speak for approximately 10 minutes each about their topic area. At the 
conclusion of the panel's presentations, there will be a question, 
answer, and discussion session among the panelists and the audience, 
centering on the topics discussed by the panelists. Each panel session 
will be approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
    For the topics not related to rulemaking activities, a CPSC 
moderator will work with the group to help identify common goals, 
possible solutions, and actions each stakeholder can take, independent 
of any action, effort, or funding from the CPSC. We are not soliciting 
or accepting any advice from the group as a whole; instead, we are 
seeking to encourage the stakeholders to find common ground to move 
forward.
    For the topic areas related to our rulemaking effort, a CPSC staff 
member will moderate the panel session to focus the discussion on our 
open rulemaking topics. We are seeking new information that may be used 
to inform our rulemaking.
    All attendees will be given the opportunity to ask questions and 
make comments during the panel session. At the close of the afternoon 
session, all groups will join for a plenary session, during which the 
groups will report on the results of their discussions.

D. What happens if few people register for the summit?

    If fewer than 15 panelists or less than 30 participants register 
for the Summit, we may cancel the Summit. If we decide to cancel the 
Summit for this or any other reason, we will post a cancellation notice 
on the registration Web page for the Summit and send an email to all 
registered participants who provide their email address when they 
register.

    Dated: August 22, 2012.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2012-21011 Filed 8-24-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P