[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 173 (Friday, September 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50772-50773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19577]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0060]


NHTSA Safety Research Portfolio Public Meeting: Fall 2021

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

ACTION: Announcement of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA is announcing its 2021 safety research portfolio public 
meeting where the agency's Vehicle Safety Research and Behavioral 
Safety Research offices will present information on activities related 
to the agency's safety research programs. Representatives from across 
the research offices will present the information in a virtual panel 
format. Questions from the audience will be accepted following 
presentations in a format to be determined.

DATES: NHTSA will host the public meeting on October 19-21, 2021, from 
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST) each day. The 
meeting will be held virtually. Registration to attend the meeting must 
be received no later than October 15, 2021. The public docket will 
remain open for comment for 90 days following the conclusion of the 
public meeting, until January 19, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held virtually via GoToWebinar. The 
virtual meeting's online access link and a detailed agenda will be 
provided upon registration. The meeting will also be recorded and made 
available after the event for offline viewing at https://www.nhtsa.gov/events/research-public-meeting-2021 listed under the title of the 
public meeting.
    Following the public meeting, you may send comments, identified by 
Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0060, by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001, between 
9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. 
To be sure someone is there to help you, please call 202-366-9826 
before coming.
     Fax: 202-366-1767.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted without 
change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion below.
    Docket: For access to the docket go to http://www.regulations.gov 
at any time or to 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Telephone: 202-366-
9826.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the public 
meeting, please contact Lisa Floyd at 202-366-4697, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year, NHTSA executes a broad array of 
research programs in support of Administration, DOT, and agency 
priorities. The agency's research portfolio covers program areas 
pertaining to vehicle safety including safety countermeasures 
implemented through the vehicle, its components, operations and use, 
accessibility considerations, alternative fuels, among others; and 
behavioral safety including safety countermeasures that pertain to the 
behavior and actions of drivers, occupants, and other road users, 
including vulnerable populations.
    NHTSA holds Safety Research Portfolio public meetings to provide 
public outreach regarding research activities at NHTSA for both vehicle 
and behavioral safety, including expected near-term deliverables, and 
solicit stakeholder questions and input. NHTSA's Safety Research 
Portfolio meetings are historically held in-person. The agency's most 
recent Safety Research Portfolio public meeting was held on November 
20-21, 2019. These meetings draw large numbers of attendees among 
automotive safety stakeholder groups, including international audience 
members. Due to the continued and varied global effects of the COVID-19 
public health emergency, in an abundance of caution,

[[Page 50773]]

this year's meeting will be conducted virtually.
    NHTSA technical research staff will discuss projects underway and 
allow time for meeting attendees to ask questions. Given the virtual 
nature of the event, all presented information will be available for 
download. Updates on this event will be available at https://www.nhtsa.gov/events/research-public-meeting-2021 listed under the 
title of the public meeting.
    Discussion of research projects will occur in the form of technical 
panel presentations, with the following topics planned:
     Day 1, October 19 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST), Crash avoidance 
research panels including advanced driver assistance systems, human 
factors, Automated Driving Systems (ADS), and vehicle cybersecurity.
     Day 2: October 20 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST), Behavioral 
safety panels presenting on speeding/speed management and risky driving 
behaviors followed by panels on vulnerable road user research and 
alternative fuels.
     Day 3: October 21 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST), Crashworthiness 
research panels presenting on female crash safety, ADS crash safety, 
advanced crash test dummies, and occupant protection.
    The agency invites comments on the information presented regarding 
research priorities, research goals, and additional research gaps/needs 
the public may believe NHTSA should be addressing. Select project work 
may be posted to the docket for which comments are also welcome. Slides 
presented at the public meeting will be posted to the docket 
subsequently for public viewing and a recording of the meeting will be 
made available after the event for offline viewing.

Public Participation

    Registration is required for all attendees. There is no cost to 
register. Attendees should register at https://www.nhtsa.gov/events/research-public-meeting-2021 by October 15, 2021. Please provide name, 
affiliation, email, and indicate whether you need an accommodation.
    NHTSA is committed to providing equal access to this meeting for 
all participants. Persons with disabilities in need of an accommodation 
should contact Lisa Floyd at 202-366-4697, or via email at 
[email protected], with your request as soon as possible. A sign 
language interpreter will be provided, and closed captioning services 
will be available for this meeting through the GoToWebinar's platform.
    Should it become necessary to cancel or reschedule the meeting due 
to an unforeseen circumstance, NHTSA will take all available measures 
to notify registered participants as soon as possible. NHTSA will 
conduct the public meeting informally, and technical rules of evidence 
will not apply. The meeting will be recorded, and a recording will be 
made available after the event.
    Comments: Comments may be submitted electronically or in hard copy 
during the 90-day comment period. Please submit all comments no later 
than January 22, 2022, following the close of the public meeting by any 
of the following methods:
    Privacy Act: 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://www.regulations.gov/privacy.html.
    Confidential Business Information: If you wish to submit any 
information under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit three 
copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim 
to be confidential business information to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. In addition, you 
should submit two copies, from which you have deleted the claimed 
confidential business information, to Docket Management at the address 
given above. When you send a comment containing information claimed to 
be confidential business information, you should submit a cover letter 
setting forth the information specified in our confidential business 
information regulation (49 CFR part 512). To facilitate social 
distancing during COVID-19, NHTSA is temporarily accepting confidential 
business information electronically. Please see https://www.nhtsa.gov/coronavirus/submission-confidential-business-information for details.
    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30181-30182; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 
1.95.

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Cem Hatipoglu,
Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2021-19577 Filed 9-9-21; 8:45 am]
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