Discretionary Cooperative Agreements To Support Innovative Programs To Increase Booster Seat and Seat Belt Use Among Children

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Discretionary Cooperative Agreements To Support Innovative

Programs To Increase Booster Seat and Seat Belt Use Among Children

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability--discretionary cooperative agreements.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

announces a discretionary cooperative agreement program to demonstrate

and evaluate innovative programs designed to increase booster seat use

among children, ages 4 to 8, who have outgrown their child safety seats

but do not fit into adult seat belts, and to increase seat belt use

among older children, ages 8 through 15.

DATES: Applications must be received at the office designated below

before 2:00 p.m. (EST), on August 30, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the DOT/National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Contracts and Procurement

(NAD-30), ATTN: Debra J. Crites, 400 7th Street S.W., Room 5301,

Washington, D.C., 20590. All applications submitted must include a

reference to NHTSA Cooperative Agreement Program Number DTNH22-99-H-

05138.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General administrative questions may

be directed to Debra J. Crites, Office of Contracts and Procurement at

(202) 366-9547, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Programmatic

questions relating to this cooperative agreement program should be

directed to Lori A. Miller, Contracting Officer's Technical

Representative (COTR), Occupant Protection Division (NTS-12), NHTSA,

400 7th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20590, by e-mail at

[email protected], or by phone at (202) 366-9835. Interested

applicants are advised that no separate application package exists

beyond the content of this announcement.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death to American children

of every age from 5 through15 years old. Restraint use and proper

restraint use decreases as children get older. While restraint use for

infants is 85 percent, restraint use for children ages 5 through 15

decreases to 64 percent. NHTSA's 1997 Fatal Analysis Reporting System

shows that 52.6 percent of fatally injured 4 through 7 year-old

passenger vehicle occupants were totally unrestrained and 65.7 percent

of fatally injured 8 through 15 year-olds were unrestrained.

Studies also reveal that of the 4 to 8 year-olds who are

restrained, most are in safety belts, not booster seats. In addition, a

NHTSA observational study showed that, of the children who had outgrown

their child seat, at about age 4 and 40 pounds, only 6 percent were in

booster seats. Because of their size, children do not fit properly into

adult seat belts until they are approximately eight years old and

between 60 and 80 pounds. Booster seats help prevent injuries by

helping to position lap and shoulder belts properly across the pelvis

and shoulder. Booster seats also may help make safety belts more

comfortable for children, decreasing the likelihood that children will

place the shoulder belt under their arm, put it behind their back, or

remove the safety belt altogether.

Despite targeted program and marketing efforts, many parents and

caregivers of 4 through 15 year-olds continue to let children ride

unrestrained or in inappropriate restraints or seating positions.

Research studies, focus group testing, and low usage rates suggest that

many parents, even those who have secured younger children in child

safety seats, do not know what a booster seat is. Therefore, parents

move their children, when they have outgrown their child safety seat,

into safety belts or leave them totally unrestrained. Many 8 to 12

year-olds continue to ride unrestrained and in the front seat, even in

airbag-equipped vehicles.

Low usage rates and lack of booster seat use may in part be

attributed to gaps in child passenger safety laws and seat belt laws

which often leave children ages 4 through 15 unprotected. Under most

states' provisions, a 10 year-old can ride legally in the back seat

unrestrained because laws only apply to front seat occupants. Many

states fail to address the issue of children as passengers in the cargo

area of pickup trucks. Other gaps, such as exemptions for out-of-state

vehicles and overcrowded vehicles (car pooling from school) and

exemptions if the driver is not the child's legal guardian, make it

even more difficult to reduce injuries.

Programs Addressing Older Child Passengers

The Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program, developed

by NHTSA in 1997, a program aimed at increasing booster seat and seat

belt use among children, is currently being delivered nationwide. This

technical training program provides child passenger safety

professionals essential information and skills necessary to educate the

public and to participate in child safety seat clinics. The program

includes hands-on installations and educational information regarding

all child restraints, including booster seats and seat belts. To date,

over 2,500 technicians across the country have been certified. New

classes are available on a regular basis.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign, in partnership with NHTSA,

developed and implemented a grassroots program known as Give Kids a

Boost. This program offers educational information regarding booster

seats, and in some cases, issues booster seats to parents with age-

appropriate children. The delivery system was coordinated through

health clinics. When families visit the clinics to receive

immunizations and booster shots for their children, parents are

provided with the information or the booster seats necessary to protect

the children as passengers in a motor vehicle.

Programs addressing the older child passenger have been developed

by

[[Page 35246]]

national and local organizations across the country. For example, the

National Peer Helpers Association (NPHA) and the National Federation of

State High School Associations (NFHS), with assistance from NHTSA,

successfully piloted a cross-age mentoring program in four states.

Research has shown that peer education is a particularly effective tool

for communicating traffic safety messages to youth. In this

nontraditional program, high school student leaders send prevention

messages to junior high school and middle high school students, as well

as their own peers. The prevention messages include: avoiding alcohol,

tobacco and other drugs; not riding with a driver who has been drinking

alcohol, or using other drugs; and always wearing safety belts.

Many other new and innovative approaches exist to increase booster

seat use and seat belt use among children. To make an impact on the

occupant protection problem, it is necessary to identify both

innovative and effective strategies and make this information available

to those interested in increasing the use of and the proper use of

child restraints and/or seat belts.

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this cooperative agreement program is to support the

development, implementation, and evaluation of up to six (6) projects

designed to reduce injuries and fatalities among children ages 4 though

15, due to failure to use booster seats or seat belts. Projects may

include increasing booster seat use among children, ages 4 to 8, who

have outgrown their child safety seat but do not yet fit into an adult

seat belt, and/or innovative approaches to increase seat belt use among

older children, ages 8 through 15.

Specific objectives for this cooperative agreement program are as

follows:

1. Identify communities that demonstrate the potential for

successful implementation and evaluation of innovative approaches to

increase booster seat use among children, ages 4 to 8, who have

outgrown their child safety seat but do not yet fit into an adult seat

belt, and/or innovative approaches to increase seat belt use among

older children, ages 8 through 15.

2. Use community data to define the problem, as appropriate. These

data are to extend beyond police crash reports, to the extent possible.

3. Actively engage the community to define the problem and

potential solutions to the problem. The community may include, but

should not be limited to, parents, caregivers, children, law

enforcement officials, legislators, traffic safety officials, and

health care and injury prevention professionals. The grantee shall

develop strategies for ensuring community involvement in the process.

4. Implement a program to increase the use of booster seats among

children ages 4 to 8 and/or seat belts among children ages 8 through

15. The intervention should be creative, based on data and citizen

input, and comprehensive in nature. The intervention should be designed

to allow for easy implementation and replication.

5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The evaluation

plan should include process and outcome measures. The evaluation may

include, but should not be limited to, the following: what works, what

does not work, how to engage partners, methods of overcoming barriers

or challenges, and ways to turn challenges into opportunities.

NHTSA Involvement

NHTSA will be involved in all activities undertaken as part of the

cooperative agreement program and will:

1. Provide a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR)

to participate in the planning and management of the cooperative

agreement and to coordinate activities between the Grantee and NHTSA.

2. Provide information and technical assistance from government

sources within available resources and as determined appropriate by the

COTR.

3. Serve as a liaison between NHTSA Headquarters, Regional Offices,

and others (Federal, state and local) interested in increasing

restraint use and the activities of the grantee.

4. Review and provide comments on program content, materials, and

evaluation activities.

5. Stimulate the transfer of information among grant recipients and

others engaged in child and youth occupant protection activities.

Period of Support

Up to six (6) cooperative agreements will be awarded for an initial

project period of twelve (12) months. Contingent on the availability of

funds and satisfactory performance, each cooperative agreement may be

extended for an additional twelve (12) months. A total of approximately

$500,000 is available for all awarded cooperative agreements for up to

a two (2) year period. It is anticipated that individual award amounts,

based on demonstrated need, may range between $50,000 and $100,000.

Given the amount of funds available for this effort, applicants are

strongly encouraged to seek other funding opportunities to supplement

the Federal funds. Preference may be given to applicants with cost

sharing proposals. At the discretion of the government, funds may be

obligated fully at the time of award of the cooperative agreement or

incrementally over the period of the cooperative agreement.

Eligibility Requirements

Applications may be submitted by public and private, nonprofit and

not-for-profit organizations, and governments and their agencies or a

consortium of the above. Thus, universities, colleges, research

institutions, hospitals, other public and private (non- or not-for-

profit) organizations, and State and local governments are eligible to

apply. Interested applicants are advised that no fee or profit will be

allowed under this cooperative agreement program. Preference may be

given to applicants that have proposed cost-sharing strategies and/or

other proposed funding sources in addition to those in this

announcement.

Application Procedure

Each applicant must submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of

the application package to: NHTSA, Office of Contracts and Procurement

(NAD-30), ATTN: Debra J. Crites, 400 7th Street S.W., Room 5301,

Washington, D.C. 20590. Applications must include a completed

Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424--Revised 4/88).

An additional three (3) copies will facilitate the review process, but

are not required.

Only complete packages postmarked on or before 2:00 p.m. (EST) on

August 30, 1999, will be considered. No facsimile transmissions will be

accepted. Applications must be typed on one side of the page only and a

reference to NHTSA Cooperative Agreement Number DTNH22-99-H-05138 must

be included. Unnecessarily elaborate applications beyond what is

sufficient to present a complete and effective response to this

invitation are not desired. Please direct questions regarding the

application process to Debra J. Crites, at (202) 366-9547, or by e-mail

[email protected]. Programmatic questions should be directed to

Lori A. Miller, by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (202)

366-9835.

[[Page 35247]]

Application Contents

1. The application package must be submitted with OMB Standard Form

424, (REV. 4-88, including 424A and 424B), Application for Federal

Assistance, with the required information filled in and the assurances

signed (SF 424B). The OMB Standard Forms (SF) 424, SF 424 A, and SF 424

B may be downloaded directly from the OMB Internet web site

www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OMB/grants/. While the Form 424-A deals with

budget information, and Section B identifies Budget Categories, the

available space does not permit a level of detail which is sufficient

to provide for a meaningful evaluation of the proposed total costs. A

supplemental sheet shall be provided which presents a detailed

breakdown of the proposed costs (detail labor, including labor

categories, level of effort, and rate; direct materials, including

itemized equipment; travel and transportation, including projected

trips and number of people traveling; subcontractors/subgrants, with

similar detail, if known; and overhead), as well as any costs the

applicant proposes to contribute or obtain from other sources in

support of the projects in the innovative project plan. The estimated

budget should be separated and proposed on the basis of a twelve (12)

month effort with submission of a second twelve (12) month effort to

cover the possible continuation for an additional year.

2. Funding sources other than the funds being provided through this

cooperative agreement are encouraged. Since activities may be performed

with a variety of financial resources, applicants need to fully

identify all project costs and their funding sources in the proposed

budget. The proposed budget must identify all funding sources in

sufficient detail to demonstrate that the overall objectives of the

project will be met.

3. Program Narrative Statement: In no more than 20 pages, the

program narrative statement must fully describe the scope of the

project, detailing the activities and costs for which funding is being

requested. Also, applications for this program must include the

following information in the program narrative statement:

a. A table of contents including page number references.

b. A description of the community in which the grantee proposes to

implement a program to increase booster seat use among children ages 4

to 8 and/or to increase seat belt use for children in the age group 8

through 15. For the purpose of this program, a community includes a

city, town or county, small metropolitan area or a group of cities,

towns or counties in a particular region. It should be large enough so

that the program can have a demonstrable effect on booster seat and/or

seat belt usage among the applicable age group. The description of the

community should include, at a minimum, community demographics

including population of children and youth, the community's child and/

or youth restraint use problem, data sources available, existing

traffic safety programs, occupant protection programs and community

resources.

c. A description of the program's goals and how the grantee plans

to establish a booster seat and/or youth occupant protection program in

the proposed site. How will the grantee solicit the assistance of and

seek partnerships with local organizations, such as law enforcement

agencies and other safety and health groups? How will children, parents

and/or youth become part of the process of problem identification and

proposed solutions?

d. An implementation plan including a description of the

interventions or specific activities proposed to achieve the objectives

of the program. What actions will be undertaken to increase booster

seat use and/or seat belt use? How will parents, children, youth,

teachers, etc., be involved with these activities? What groups are

needed to ensure program success? To what degree has the buy-in of

these groups been secured? How will the interventions be delivered? How

will delivery be monitored? What are the expected results of the

intervention?

e. A description of the process and outcome evaluation plan

including the types of data that will be collected and all data

collection procedures. A description of the data analysis procedures

that will be conducted should be included.

f. A staffing plan that describes how the project will be managed,

both at the grantee-level and at the community level. The application

shall identify the proposed project manager and other personnel

considered critical to the successful accomplishment of this project,

including a brief description of their qualifications and respective

organizational responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities of the

grantee, the community and any others included in the application

package shall be specified. The proposed level of effort in performing

the various activities shall also be identified.

g. A detailed explanation of time schedules, milestones, and

product deliverables, including quarterly reports and draft and final

reports. (See Terms and Conditions of Award section of this

announcement.)

4. Commitment and Support: A complete set of letters (form letters

are not acceptable) from major partners, organizations, and groups

proposed for involvement with this project shall detail what each

partner is willing to do over the course of the project period. A

written endorsement/support for the project from the State Highway

Safety Agency shall also be included.

Evaluation Criteria and Review Process

1. Each application package will be reviewed initially to confirm

that the applicant is an eligible recipient, and has complied with the

Application Procedures section of this announcement. Each complete

application from an eligible recipient will then be evaluated by an

Evaluation Committee. The applications will be evaluated using the

following criteria:

a. Program Concept and Innovation (30 percent).

The extent to which the applicant is knowledgeable about child

passenger safety and/or youth occupant protection programs. The extent

to which the applicant clearly identifies and explains creative

approaches to address booster seat use and/or youth occupant

protection. If building on an existing approach or program, what are

the innovative, new, or creative features that make this project

different from what has been tried in the past?

Has the applicant identified potential barriers associated with

developing and implementing the new, creative approach? Has the

applicant offered solutions for addressing the barriers? Has the

applicant involved child and/or youth organizations, traditional

traffic safety partners, and new non-traditional highway safety

partners in the project? Has the applicant involved media outreach

efforts? Has the applicant demonstrated how the project is adaptable to

other jurisdictions at a reasonable cost? Has the applicant obtained

written endorsement/support from the State Highway Safety Agency to

insure coordination with the State's overall Highway Safety Plan?

b. Goals, Objectives, and Work Plan (30 percent).

The extent to which the applicant's goals are clearly articulated

and the objectives are time-phased, specific, action-oriented,

measurable, and achievable. The extent to which the work plan will

achieve an outcome-oriented result that will increase booster seat use

among 4 to 8 year-olds and/or seat belt use among the 8 through 15 year

old age group. The work plan must

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address what the applicant proposes to develop and implement; how this

will be accomplished; and must include the major tasks/milestones

necessary to complete the project. This involves identification of, and

solutions to, potential technical problems and critical issues related

to successful completion of the project. This also involves the extent

to which the applicant has demonstrated an understanding of the

proposed community, including the community's demographics, traffic

safety problem, and resources (including data). Data sources must

include local data sets and should (to the degree possible) extend

beyond police crash reports to include booster seat and seat belt use,

non-use, and injury data. The work plan will be evaluated with respect

to its feasibility, realism, and ability to achieve desired outcomes.

c. Project Management and Staffing (20 percent).

The extent to which the proposed staff are clearly described,

appropriately assigned, and have adequate skills and experience. The

extent to which the applicant has the capacity and facilities to

design, implement, and evaluate the proposed project. The extent to

which the applicant has provided details regarding the level of effort

and allocation of time for each staff position. The applicant must

furnish an organizational chart and resume of each proposed staff

member. Is the applicant's staffing plan reasonable for accomplishing

the objectives of the project within the time frame set forth in the

announcement? Has the applicant's financial budget provided sufficient

detail to allow NHTSA to determine that the estimated costs are

reasonable and necessary to perform the proposed effort? Has financial

or in-kind commitment of resources by the applicant's organization or

other supporting organizations to support the project been clearly

identified?

d. Evaluation Plan (20 percent).

The extent to which the evaluation plan clearly articulates the

project's potential to make a significant impact on increasing booster

seat use among 4 to 8 year-olds and/or seat belt use among older

children, and on decreasing motor vehicle fatalities and injuries. The

extent to which the evaluation plan will measure the effectiveness of

the innovative, creative project. The extent to which the evaluation

plan will synthesize, summarize, and report results which are useable

and decision-oriented. Has the applicant described the proposed

evaluation design and the methods for measuring the outcomes of the

proposed interventions (countermeasures)? Are there sufficient data

sources and is access ensured from appropriate owners or collectors of

data to collect and appropriately analyze quantitative and qualitative

data to measure the effectiveness of the innovative project?

2. Depending upon the results of the evaluation process, NHTSA may

suggest revisions to applications as a condition of further

consideration to ensure the most efficient and effective performance

consistent with the objectives of increased booster seat use, and

increased seat belt use among older children.

Special Award Selection Factors

While not a requirement of this announcement, applicants are

strongly urged to seek funds from other Federal, state, local, and

private sources to augment those available under this announcement. For

those applications that are evaluated as meritorious for consideration

for award, preference may be given to those that have proposed cost-

sharing strategies and/or other proposed funding sources in addition to

those in this announcement.

Terms and Conditions of Award

1. Prior to award, each grantee must comply with the certification

requirements of 49 CFR part 20, Department of Transportation New

Restrictions on Lobbying, and 49 CFR part 29, Department of

Transportation government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-

procurement) and Government-wide Requirement for Drug Free Work Place

(Grants).

2. Reporting Requirements and Deliverables:

a. Quarterly Progress Reports must include a summary of the

previous quarter's activities and accomplishments, as well as the

proposed activities for the upcoming quarter. Any decisions and actions

required in the upcoming quarter shall be included in the report. Any

problems and issues that may arise and need the attention of the

Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) or Contracting

Officer (CO) shall be clearly identified in the quarterly report in a

specific, identified section. The grantee shall supply the progress

report to the COTR every ninety (90) days, following date of award.

b. Initial and Subsequent Meetings with COTR: The grantee shall

meet with the COTR and appropriate NHTSA staff in Washington, D.C. at

NHTSA's offices or as part of a COTR site visit to discuss and refine

the development, implementation, and evaluation of the project. The

grantee will prepare a 20 to 30 minute presentation describing the

project and must be prepared to answer questions from the COTR and

others present at the briefing. After this initial meeting with the

COTR, the grantee shall meet at least once a year with the COTR in

Washington, D.C. at NHTSA's offices to discuss the project's progress

and results. These meetings will be a minimum of 4 hours in length.

c. Revised Implementation and Evaluation Plan: The grantee will

submit a revised program implementation and evaluation plan

incorporating verbal and written comments from the COTR. This revised

plan is due no more than one (1) month from date of the initial meeting

with the COTR.

d. Draft Final Report: The grantee will prepare a Draft Final

Report that includes a description of the innovative project,

intervention strategies, program implementation, evaluation

methodology, and findings from the program evaluation. With regard to

technology transfer, it is important to know what worked and what did

not work, under what circumstances, and what can be done to enhance

replication in similar communities and what can be done to avoid

potential problems for future replication of the project. The grantee

will submit Draft Final Report to the COTR 60 days prior to the end of

the performance period. The COTR will review the draft report and

provide comments to the grantee within 30 days of receipt of the

document.

e. Final Report: The grantee will revise the Draft Final Report to

reflect the COTR's comments. The revised final report will be delivered

to the COTR along with the following:

The print materials shall be provided to NHTSA in both camera ready

and appropriate media formats (disk, CD-rom) with graphics and printing

specifications to guide NHTSA's printing office and any outside

organization implementing the program. Printing Specifications follow:

Digital artwork for printing shall be provided to NHTSA on

diskette (100MG Zip disk or 1GB Jaz disk). Files should be in current

desktop design and publication programs, for example, Adobe

Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Pagemaker, Macromedia Freehand,

QuarkXPress. The grantee shall provide all supporting files and fonts

(both screen and printers) needed for successful output, black and

white laser separations of all pages, disk directory(s) with printing

specifications provided to the Government Printing Office (GPO) on GPO

Form 952 to guide NHTSA's printing office, GPO, and any outside

organizations assisting with

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program production. The grantee shall confer with the COTR to verify

all media format and language.

Additionally, the program materials shall be submitted in

the following format for placement on NHTSA's website on the world wide

web;

--Cooperative agreement number

--Original application format, for example, *pm5; *.doc; *.ppt; etc

--HTML level 3.2 or later

--A PDF file for viewing with Adobe Acrobat

All HTML deliverables must be delivered on either a standard 3.5''

floppy disk or on a Windows 95 compatible formatted Iomega zip disk and

labeled with the following information:

--Cooperative Agreement Number

--Grantee's name and phone number

--Names of relevant files

--Application program and version used to create the file(s).

If the files exceed the capacity of a high density floppy, a

Windows 95 compatible formatted Iomega zip disk is acceptable.

Graphics must be saved in Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) or Joint

Photographic Expert Group (JPEG). Graphics should be prepared in the

smallest size possible, without reducing the usefulness or the

readability of the figure on the screen. Use GIF for solid color or

black and white images, such as bar charts, maps, or diagrams. Use JPEG

(highest resolution and lowest compression) for photographic images

having a wider range of color or grey-scale tones. When in doubt, try

both formats and use the one that gives the best image quality for the

smallest file size. Graphic files can be embedded in the body of the

text or linked form the body text in their own files: the latter is

preferable when a figure needs to be viewed full screen (640 X 480

pixels) to be readable.

Tabular data must be displayed in HTML table format.

List data must be displayed in HTML list format.

Pre-formatted text is not acceptable.

Currently, frames are not acceptable.

JAVA, if used, must not affect the readability or usefulness of the

document, only enhance it.

Table background colors may be used, but must not be relied upon

(for example, a white document background with a table with colored

background may look nice with white text, but the colored background

doesn't show up on the user's browser the text shall be white against

white and unreadable.)

All HTML documents must be saved in PC format and tested on a PC

before delivery.

f. Final project briefing to NHTSA and a presentation to a national

meeting: The grantee will deliver a briefing in Washington, D.C. at

NHTSA's offices to the COTR and appropriate NHTSA staff to review the

project implementation, evaluation, and results. This presentation

shall last no less than 30 minutes and the grantee shall be prepared to

answer questions from the briefing's attendees.

In consultation with the COTR, the grantee will select a national

meeting to deliver a presentation of the project and it effectiveness.

g. An electronic Microsoft PowerPoint (97) presentation that NHTSA

staff shall be able to use to brief senior staff or traffic safety

partners at various meetings and conference.

3. During the effective performance period of the cooperative

agreements awarded as a result of this announcement, the agreement as

applicable to the grantee, shall be subject to the NHTSA's General

Provisions for Assistance Agreement, dated July 1995.

Issued on: June 22, 1999.

R.E. Engle,

Acting Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety Programs.

[FR Doc. 99-16356 Filed 6-29-99; 8:45 am]

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