Research and Development Programs Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Research and Development Programs Meeting

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting at which NHTSA will

describe and discuss specific research and development projects and

requests suggestions for agenda topics.

DATES AND TIMES: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

will hold a public meeting devoted primarily to presentations of

specific research and development projects on March 23, 1994, beginning

at 1:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 5 p.m. The deadline for

interested parties to suggest agenda topics is 4:15 p.m. on March 1,

1994. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding the Agency's

research and development projects. They must be submitted in writing by

March 16, 1994 to the address given below. If sufficient time is

available, questions received after the March 16 date will be answered

at the meeting in the discussion period. The individual, group or

company asking a question does not have to be present for the question

to be answered. A consolidated list of the questions submitted by March

16 will be available at the meeting and will be mailed to requesters

after the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Ramada Inn, near Detroit

Metro, 8270 Wickham Rd., Romulus, MI 48174. Suggestions for specific

R&D topics as described below and questions for the March 23, 1994,

meeting relating to the Agency's research and development programs

should be submitted to George L. Parker, Associate Administrator for

Research and Development, NRD-01, National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration, room 6206, 400 Seventh St. SW., Washington, DC 20590.

The fax number is 202-366-5930.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA intends to provide detailed

presentations about its research and development programs in a series

of quarterly public meetings. The series started in April, 1993. The

purpose is to make available more complete and timely information

regarding the Agency's research and development programs. This fifth

meeting will be held on March 23, 1994.

NHTSA requests suggestions from interested parties on the specific

agenda topics. NHTSA will base its decisions about the agenda, in part,

on the suggestions it receives by close of business at 4:15 p.m. on

March 1, 1994. Before the meeting, it will publish a notice with an

agenda listing the research and development topics to be discussed.

NHTSA asks that the suggestions be taken from the list below and that

they be limited to five, in priority order, so that the presentations

at the March 23 R&D meeting can be most useful to the audience. Please

note that almost all of these topics have been discussed at the

previous four meetings to some extent and that presentations at the

fifth meeting will be reports on current status, results, and plans.

Specific Crashworthiness R&D topics are:

Improved frontal crash protection

Highway traffic injury studies

Head and neck injury research

Thorax injury research

Human injury simulation and analysis

Crash test dummy component development

Vehicle agressivity and fleet compatibility

Upgrade side crash protection

Upgrade seat and occupant restraint systems

Child safety research

Electric and alternate fuel vehicle safety

Specific Crash Avoidance R&D topics are:

Truck crashworthiness/occupant protection

Truck tire traction

Portable data acquisition system for crash avoidance research

Systems to enhance EMS response (automatic collision notification)

Vehicle motion environment

Crash causal analysis

Longer combination vehicle safety

Drowsy driver monitoring

Driver workload assessment

Performance guidelines for IVHS systems (approach)

Specific topics from the National Center for Statistics and

Analysis are:

New data elements for FARS and NASS

Special crash investigations program regarding air bag performance

Pedestrian special NASS data collection project

Critical Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES)--Linkage of

databases on police accident reporting and medical outcomes.

This meeting is following on the next day by the regular quarterly

NHTSA Technical Industry Meeting, which is being announced in a

separate notice.

Questions regarding research projects that have been submitted in

writing not later than close of business on March 16, 1994, will be

answered as time permits. A transcript of the meeting, copies of

materials handed out at the meeting, and copies of the suggestions

offered by commenters will be available for public inspection in the

NHTSA Technical Reference Section, room 5108, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590. Copies of the transcript will then be available

at 10 cents a page, upon request to NHTSA Technical Reference Section.

The Technical Reference Section is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to

4 p.m.

NHTSA will provide technical aids to participants as necessary,

during the NHTSA Industry Research and Development Meeting. Thus any

person desiring assistance of ``auxiliary aids'' (e.g. sign-language

interpreter, telecommunication devices for deaf persons (TTDs),

readers, taped texts, braille materials, or large print materials and/

or a magnifying device), please contact Barbara Coleman on 202/366-1537

by COB March 16, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Richard L. Strombotne, Special

Assistant for Technology Transfer Policy and Programs, Office of

Research and Development, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590. Telephone: 202-366-4730. Fax number: 202-366-5930.

Issued: February 10, 1994.

George L. Parker,

Associate Administrator for Research and Development.

[FR Doc. 94-3710 Filed 2-17-94; 8:45 am]

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