NHTSA- seeks comments on 2010-2015 strategic plan
[Federal Register: November 5, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 213)]
[Notices]
[Page 57385-57387]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05no09-107]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0171]
2010-2015 Strategic Planning
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comment.
SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is
currently seeking public comment on emerging or potential traffic
safety problems. Public feedback will assist the agency in preparing to
meet the challenges it faces in the next 5 years on improving motor
vehicle and traffic safety in the United States. This foundational work
will assist the agency in shaping its 2010-2015 strategic plan.
This notice invites comments, suggestions and recommendations from
all individuals and organizations that have an interest in motor
vehicle and highway safety, consumer programs (e.g., fuel economy,
vehicle theft, odometer fraud, tire performance) administered by the
agency, and/or other NHTSA activities. Respondents can choose to answer
any number of questions proposed in this notice. The agency values any
comments received and would also like input on the strategic planning
process in general. Please include any elements believed important for
NHTSA to consider in shaping its vision and building its 2010-2015
strategic plan.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than January 4, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Long Range Strategic
Planning DOT DMS Docket Number [XXX] by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Telephone:
1-800-647-5527.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number. It is suggested that comment submissions be limited to
ten (10) pages with unlimited attachments. 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
heading below.
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, pp. 19477-78) or you may visit
http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://regulations.gov and follow the online
instructions, or visit the Docket Management Facility at the street
address listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dee Williams, Acting Director, Office
of Strategic Planning, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
Room W40-311, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Telephone: 202-366-3503. E-mail: dee.williams@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA was established as the successor to
the National Highway Safety Bureau in 1970, to carry out safety
programs under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of
1966 (Chapter 301 of Title 49, United States Code) and the Highway
Safety Act of 1966 (Chapter 4 of Title 23, United States Code). The
agency also administers consumer programs established by the Motor
Vehicle Information and Cost Saving Act of 1972 (Part C of Subtitle VI
(Chapters 321, 323, 325, 327, 329 and 331) of Title 49, United States
Code).
NHTSA’s mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce
traffic-related health care and other economic costs due to road
traffic crashes through education, research, safety standards, and
enforcement activity. Motor vehicle crashes are responsible for 95
percent of all transportation-related fatalities and are the leading
cause of death for people in the United States of every age from age 3
through 34 (based on 2006 data).
The economic costs associated with these crashes also seriously
impact the Nation’s fiscal health. The cost to our economy of all motor
vehicle crashes was approximately $230 billion in 2000, or 2.3 percent
of the U.S. gross domestic product. Alcohol-involved crashes cost over
$50 billion, accounting for 22 percent of all crash costs. In 2003,
failure to wear safety belts cost $18 billion. Twenty-six percent of
overall crash costs are paid by those individuals directly involved in
these crashes. The remaining 74 percent of overall crash costs is paid
by the public through insurance premiums, taxes, and higher health care
costs.
In order to address these public health issues and economic costs
of highway crashes, the agency seeks to improve public health by
helping to make highway travel safer. The agency develops, promotes and
implements educational, regulatory, enforcement and emergency medical
service programs aimed at ending preventable tragedies and reducing the
economic costs associated with motor vehicle use and highway travel. A
multi-disciplinary approach that draws upon diverse fields such as
epidemiology, engineering, biomechanics, emergency medicine, the social
sciences, human factors, economics, education, law enforcement, and
communication science to address one of the most complex and
challenging public health problems facing our society.
NHTSA is a leader in collecting and analyzing motor vehicle crash
data, in conducting research, and in developing countermeasures
designed to prevent and mitigate vehicle crashes, thereby reducing
associated fatalities and traumatic injury. The agency improves traffic
safety through its regulation and enforcement of motor vehicle and
motor vehicle equipment; develops evidence-based education and
enforcement programs and promotes their use by States, localities, and
other safety partners; sponsors critical research; conducts innovative
projects to improve traffic and motor vehicle safety;
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provides leadership in understanding and assessing the safety impact of
advanced technologies; and, works to develop harmonized international
safety standards. All aspects of engineering, education, enforcement
and evaluation are incorporated into programs to address the challenges
of crash and injury prevention involving people, vehicles, and the
roadway environment.
Over the last 43 years, the agency has had a solid record of
achievement in reducing traffic crash fatalities and resulting
injuries. Since 1966, the crash fatality rate has dropped from 5.5
deaths per 100 million vehicle miles of travel (VMT) to a historic low
of 1.27 in 2008. While the recent reductions in total fatalities may be
due in part to a decrease in vehicle miles traveled, additional factors
that may be attributed to the decline include more crashworthy vehicles
in the fleet, improvements in roadway infrastructure, increases in
safety belt use, and decreases in impaired driving. While the reduction
in the fatality rate shows progress, much work still needs to be done
to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries that take place
every year on our Nation’s highways. Moreover, as new technology
continues to develop and evolve, it will be essential to address
emerging risks in addition to seeking ways to harness the potential of
technology to an even greater extent to help reduce crashes.
In an attempt to anticipate and meet the challenges on the horizon,
NHTSA is embarking upon a long-range strategic planning initiative. The
initiative will have two phases. Phase I begins with this solicitation
of comments from individuals and public and private organizations
interested in the nation’s motor vehicle and highway safety programs,
consumer programs (e.g., fuel economy, vehicle theft and odometer
fraud, tire performance) administered by the agency, and other NHTSA
activities. The information gathered during Phase I will serve as the
foundation for Phase II: the development of NHTSA’s Strategic Plan
2010-2015. The information and data generated from Phase I will assist
the agency at shaping its future vision, program plans, and safety
goals.
NHTSA requests comments, suggestions and recommendations that will
assist the agency in assessing and understanding the potential effects
and implications that changes in demographic, economic, environmental,
institutional, and technological factors will have on motor vehicle and
highway traffic safety.
The following are some of the key issues that the agency would like
public comments to address. In addition to general comments, the agency
seeks documents, studies, or references relevant to the issues. The
agency is particularly interested in learning about emerging or
potential safety problems, gaps in current strategies and approaches,
and in receiving recommendations for addressing traffic safety problems
effectively. While the strategic plan under development will cover
2010-2015, the agency is interested in the public’s views on issues and
trends beyond 2015. The public may respond to all or some of the
questions below. NHTSA will consider all comments received but may not
necessarily include all comments into the strategic plan due to
inconsistency with NHTSA’s mission, budget constraints, and data driven
priority areas. Stakeholder meetings and listening sessions will be
held at a later date to obtain feedback on the questions below.
A. Factors and Issues
(A1) What are critical, highway safety issues facing the nation
today?
(A2) What will future key demographic and social influences be on
highway safety (e.g. novice and older drivers, gender, obesity,
cultural diversity, immigration, geographic distribution, alcohol and
drug consumption, shifts in economic development, etc.)?
(A3) In general, how might driving behaviors change in the United
States in the future? How might demographic and social influences
change driving behaviors and impact highway safety?
(A4) What changes in the auto fleet, including size and mix, will
impact highway safety?
(A5) What changes in commercial vehicle use will impact highway
safety?
(A6) What international trends and technologies will influence
future developments in American automotive industry?
(A7) What changes in energy and environmental issues will impact
public policy and highway safety? How will these changes impact vehicle
use?
(A8) What change in the highway or energy distribution
infrastructures will either affect or be needed for improved highway
safety?
(A9) What changes in auto and medical insurance might affect
highway safety?
(A10) What changes in the national, State, and local economies will
impact public policy and highway safety? Will these changes require
modification in Federal funding programs or delivery systems for
highway safety?
(A11) How might changes in vehicle theft and odometer fraud impact
NHTSA’s future program efforts in these areas?
(A12) What are new and emerging areas of automotive safety research
(e.g., injury prevention, passive safety, active safety, advanced crash
notification, etc.) that would enable NHTSA and the auto industry to
improve motor vehicle safety?
(A13) What are new and emerging areas of behavioral safety research
that would enable NHTSA to improve highway safety countermeasures?
(A14) What additional analytical data need to be collected with
respect to motor vehicle and highway safety? How might data and
information be combined for more effective and valuable results? How
might these data be collected, linked, analyzed and made available in a
more efficient and cost-effective manner?
(A15) What are critical data elements that NHTSA does not collect
that should be collected to identify areas to target to reduce traffic
fatalities and injuries?
(A16) How can crash avoidance data be gathered?
(A17) What role will public education and consumer information play
in the future of highway safety? What other cost effective tools should
NHTSA use to promote motor vehicle and highway safety programs?
(A18) What changes in the area of Federal, State, and local
legislation are appropriate and how might that legislation affect
traffic safety in the future? What changes are likely?
(A19) How might homeland security affect traffic safety in the
future?
(A20) What changes are imminent in State politics, and the
relationship between the States and agency? What changes would help the
agency achieve its safety goals?
(A21) How will “Smart Growth” or livable community concepts
impact traffic safety? What is NHTSA’s role within these growing inter-
disciplinary fields?
B. Technology
(B1) How will advanced vehicle technologies (i.e., crash avoidance)
impact the future of motor vehicles and highway safety?
(B2) What future technologies should be researched and encouraged
to enhance highway safety?
(B3) What technological changes are necessary in other modes of
passenger and freight transportation to positively impact motor vehicle
and highway safety?
(B4) What changes in medical technology and emergency medical
[[Page 57387]]
services will impact motor vehicle and highway safety and health
outcomes?
(B5) How can the development and implementation of crash
notification technologies (i.e., automatic advanced crash notification)
and crash victim triage protocols impact health outcomes related to
motor vehicle crashes?
(B6) What changes do you envision in automation, information
management, and workplace alternatives (e.g., telecommuting)? How will
these activities impact highway safety and commuting and travel
behaviors?
(B7) What changes in law enforcement practices and technologies
might impact highway safety?
(B8) How will technology affect driving behavior? What issues
related to vehicle/driver interaction could affect safety? What issues
should NHTSA research?
C. Institutional Relationships
(C1) How do you and/or your organization (include organization’s
name) interact with NHTSA? Please explain the dynamics of this
relationship.
(C2) How could NHTSA strengthen its relationship with your
organization and with other organizations and institutions engaged in
traffic safety programs?
D. NHTSA’s Role and Mission
(D1) In your view, should there be major changes in NHTSA’s role/
mission in the future?
(D2) What are NHTSA’s strengths and weaknesses?
(D3) How can NHTSA have a greater impact in the reduction of injury
and loss of life on the nation’s highways?
(D4) What is NHTSA doing well and not well? How can NHTSA improve
the way it does business or provides customer service? Please identify
possible improvements or ideas for doing better.
(D5) What should NHTSA’s role in international highway safety be?
How should NHTSA be involved in international global road safety
efforts? What opportunities exist for NHTSA to learn from highway
safety initiatives in other countries?
(D6) What mechanisms should NHTSA consider using for communication
with the public?
Request for Comments
How Do I Prepare and Submit Comments?
Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your
comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the Docket
number of this document (2010-2015 Strategic Planning, XXXX) in your
comments.
Please send two paper copies of your comments to Docket Management
or submit them electronically. The mailing address is Docket Management
Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590. If
you submit your comments electronically, log onto the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
How Can I Be Sure That My Comments Were Received?
If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of
your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the
envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket
Management will return the postcard by mail.
How Do I Submit Confidential Business Information?
If you wish to submit any information under a claim of
confidentiality, send three copies of your complete submission,
including the information you claim to be confidential business
information, to the Chief Counsel, NCC-01, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC
20590. Include a cover letter supplying the information specified in
our confidential business information regulation (49 CFR Part 512).
In addition, send two copies from which you have deleted the
claimed confidential business information to Docket Management
Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
Will the Agency Consider Late Comments?
NHTSA will consider all comments that Docket Management receives
before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated
above under DATES. To the extent possible, we will also consider
comments that Docket Management receives after that date.
Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will
continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes
available. Some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, we
recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new material.
How Can I Read the Comments Submitted by Other People?
You may read the comments by visiting Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC from 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. You may also see
the comments on the Internet by taking the following steps:
(1) Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
(2) On that page, in the field marked “search,” type in the
docket number provided at the top of this document.
(3) The next page will contain results for that docket number; it
may help you to sort by “Date Posted: Oldest to Recent.”
(4) On the results page, click on the desired comments. You may
download the comments. However, since the comments are imaged documents
instead of word processing documents, the downloaded comments may not
be word searchable.
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.dot.gov/privacy.html.
Gregory Walter,
Senior Associate Administrator for Policy and Operations.
[FR Doc. E9-26658 Filed 11-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P
