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.

Further, the notice requests suggestions for topics to be presented by

the agency.

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 December 11, 1996,

beginning at 1:30 p.m. and ending at approximately 5:00 p.m. The

deadline for interested parties to suggest agenda topics is 4:15 p.m.

on November 22, 1996. Questions may be submitted in advance regarding

the agency's research and development projects. They must be submitted

in writing by November 29, 1996, to the address given below. If

sufficient time is available, questions received after the November 29

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 November 29 will be available at the meeting and

will be mailed to requesters after the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Royce Hotel, Detroit Metro

Airport, 31500 Wick Road, Romulus, Michigan 48174. Suggestions for

specific R&D topics as described below and questions for the December

11, 1996, meeting relating to the agency's research and development

programs should be submitted to the Office of the 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 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 fifteenth meeting in

the series will be held on December 11, 1996.

NHTSA requests suggestions from interested parties on the specific

agenda topics to be presented. 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 November 22, 1996. Before the meeting, it will publish a

notice with an agenda listing the research and development topics to be

discussed. The agenda can also be obtained by calling or faxing the

information numbers listed elsewhere in this notice. NHTSA asks that

the suggestions be limited to six, in priority order, so that the

presentations at the December 11 R&D meeting can be most useful to the

audience. Specific R&D topics are listed below. Many of these topics

have been discussed at previous meetings. Suggestions for agenda topics

are not restricted to this listing, and interested parties are invited

to suggest other R&D topics of specific interest to their

organizations.

Specific R&D Topic is

On-line tracking system for NHTSA's research projects.

Specific Crashworthiness R&D Topics Are

Air bag assessment research,

Improved frontal crash protection (program status, problem

identification, offset testing),

Advanced glazing research,

Vehicle aggressivity and fleet compatibility,

Upgrade side crash protection,

Upgrade seat and occupant restraint systems,

Child safety research (ISOFIX),

Child restraint/air bag interaction (CRABI) dummy testing,

Truck crashworthiness/occupant protection,

Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN),

National Transportation Biomechanics Research Center (NTBRC),

Head and neck injury research,

Lower extremity injury research,

Thorax injury research,

Human injury simulation and analysis,

Refinements to the Hybrid III dummy, and

Advanced frontal test dummy.

Specific Crash Avoidance R&D Topics Are

Strategic plan for NHTSA's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

crash avoidance research,

Anti-lock brake systems (ABS) research plan,

Truck tire traction,

Portable data acquisition system for crash avoidance research (DASCAR),

Systems to enhance EMS response (automatic collision notification),

Crash causal analysis,

Human factors guidelines for crash avoidance warning devices,

Longer combination vehicle safety,

Drowsy driver monitoring,

Driver workload assessment,

Pedestrian detection devices for school bus safety,

Preliminary rearend collision avoidance system guidelines,

Preliminary road departure collision avoidance system guidelines,

Preliminary intersection collision avoidance system guidelines, and

iminary lane change/merge collision avoidance system guidelines.

National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) Topics Are

Status of National Accident Sampling System (NASS), including

implementation of electronic data collection and changes in sampling,

New Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) grants, and Special

crash investigation studies of air bag cases.

Separately, questions regarding research projects that have been

submitted in writing not later than close of business on November 29,

1996, will be answered. 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's Technical Reference Division,

[[Page 58739]]

Room 5108, 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590. Copies of the

transcript will then be available at 10 cents a page, upon request to

NHTSA's Technical Reference Division. The Technical Reference Division

is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

NHTSA will provide technical aids to participants as necessary,

during the Research and Development Programs Meeting. Thus, any person

desiring the 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 Rita Gibbons on 202-366-4862 by

close of business December 2, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rita Gibbons, Staff Assistant, Office

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

20590. Telephone: 202-366-4862. Fax number: 202-366-5930.

Issued: November 12, 1996.

William A. Boehly,

Associate Administrator for Research and Development.

[FR Doc. 96-29409 Filed 11-15-96; 8:45 am]

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