National Highway Traffic Safety Administration April 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant Crash Protection
Document Number: E6-6423
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2006-04-28
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document denies a petition for rulemaking submitted by Mr. James E. Hofferberth asking the agency to take a variety of steps related to incorporating dummies representing three-year-old, six-year- old and ten-year-old children and 95th percentile adult males into the agency's frontal crash test programs.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems
Document Number: C6-3505
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-28
Agency: Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Decision That Nonconforming 2003 Audi RS6 and RS6 Avant Passenger Cars Are Eligible for Importation
Document Number: E6-6135
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-25
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document announces a decision by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that certain 2003 Audi RS6 and RS6 Avant passenger cars that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) are eligible for importation into the United States because they are substantially similar to vehicles originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards (the U.S. certified version of the 2003 Audi RS6 and RS6 Avant passenger cars), and they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant Protection in Interior Impact
Document Number: E6-6024
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2006-04-24
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
Our safety standard on occupant protection in interior impact requires, in part, that light vehicles provide head protection when an occupant's head strikes upper interior components, such as pillars, side rails, headers, and the roof during a crash. For altered vehicles and vehicles built in two or more stages, these requirements become effective September 1, 2006. The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association and the National Truck Equipment Association petitioned the agency to permanently exclude certain types of altered vehicles and vehicles manufactured in two or more stages from these requirements. This document responds to these petitions for rulemaking and proposes certain amendments to the standard. Based on a careful consideration of both the safety benefits of the upper interior protection requirements, and practicability concerns relating to vehicles built in two or more stages and certain altered vehicles, we are proposing to limit these requirements to only the front seating positions of those vehicles. Further, we tentatively conclude that it is appropriate to exclude a narrow group of multi- stage vehicles delivered to the final stage manufacturer without an occupant compartment, because of impracticability concerns. We are also proposing to delay the effective date of the head impact protection requirements as they apply to final stage manufacturers and alterers until September 1, 2008.
Amendment To Grant Criteria for Alcohol-Impaired Driving Prevention Programs
Document Number: 06-3781
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-21
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This final rule amends the regulation that implements 23 U.S.C. 410, under which States can receive incentive grants for alcohol-impaired driving prevention programs. The final rule implements changes that were made to the Section 410 program by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU). SAFETEA-LU provides States with two alternative means to qualify for a Section 410 grant. Under the first alternative, States may qualify as a ``low fatality rate State'' if they have an alcohol- related fatality rate of 0.5 or less per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Under the second alternative, States may qualify as a ``programmatic State'' if they demonstrate that they meet three of eight grant criteria for fiscal year 2006, four of eight grant criteria for fiscal year 2007, and five of eight grant criteria for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Qualifying under both alternatives does not entitle the State to receive additional grant funds. SAFETEA-LU also provides for a separate grant to the ten States that are determined to have the highest rates of alcohol-related driving fatalities. This final rule establishes the criteria States must meet and the procedures they must follow to qualify for Section 410 grants, beginning in FY 2006.
Decision That Nonconforming 2002 and 2003 Ferrari 575 Passenger Cars Are Eligible for Importation
Document Number: E6-5790
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-19
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document announces a decision by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that certain 2002 and 2003 Ferrari 575 passenger cars that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) are eligible for importation into the United States because they are substantially similar to vehicles originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards (the U.S. certified version of the 2002 and 2003 Ferrari 575 passenger cars), and they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.
Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming 1999 BMW Z3 European Market Passenger Cars Are Eligible for Importation
Document Number: E6-5789
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-19
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that 1999 BMW Z3 European market passenger cars that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards are eligible for importation into the United States because (1) they are substantially similar to vehicles that were originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards, and (2) they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.
Schedule of Fees Authorized by 49 U.S.C. 30141
Document Number: E6-5740
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2006-04-19
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document proposes fees for Fiscal Year 2007 and until further notice, as authorized by 49 U.S.C. 30141, relating to the registration of importers and the importation of motor vehicles not certified as conforming to the Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS). These fees are needed to maintain the registered importer (RI) program.
Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard; Final Listing of 2007 Light Duty Truck Lines Subject to the Requirements of This Standard and Exempted Vehicle Lines for Model Year 2007
Document Number: 06-3692
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-19
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This final rule announces NHTSA's determination that no new model year (MY) 2007 light duty truck lines are subject to the parts- marking requirements of the Federal motor vehicle theft prevention standard because they have been determined by the agency to be high- theft or that they have a majority of interchangeable parts with those of a passenger motor vehicle line. This final rule also identifies those vehicle lines that are exempted from the parts-marking requirements because the vehicles are equipped with antitheft devices determined to meet certain statutory criteria pursuant to the statute relating to motor vehicle theft prevention.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Low-Speed Vehicles
Document Number: 06-3590
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-19
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This final rule amends the definition of ``low-speed vehicle'' (LSV) by increasing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) limit for the class of LSVs to those vehicles with a GVWR of less than 1,361 kilograms (3,000 pounds).
Procedures for Participating in and Receiving Data From the National Driver Register Problem Driver Pointer System Pursuant to a Personnel Security Investigation and Determination
Document Number: 06-3663
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-18
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This final rule announces that the amendments to the agency's National Driver Register (NDR) regulations that were published in an interim final rule to reflect changes made to the National Driver Register Act of 1982 by Section 1061 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Pub. L. 108-375) will remain in effect with one minor change. The amendments authorize a Federal department or agency that investigates an individual for the purpose of determining the individual's eligibility to access national security information to request and receive information from the National Driver Register, upon request and consent of the individual. This final rule establishes the procedures for individuals to request and for the Federal department or agency to receive NDR information.
Average Fuel Economy Standards for Light Trucks Model Years 2008-2011
Document Number: 06-3533
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-14
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published in the Federal Register of April 6, 2006, a final rule establishing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for light trucks manufactured in model years 2008 through 2011. Inadvertently, the document had the wrong docket number; footprint and target fuel economy values provided in example calculations did not have the correct number of decimal places; the definition of ``footprint'' in the regulatory text was incorrect; and Figure 1 of the regulatory text incorrectly referenced ``model,'' as opposed to ``model type.'' Additionally, there was a typographical error in the regulatory text regarding the flat floor provision. This document makes the appropriate corrections.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems
Document Number: 06-3505
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-12
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document responds to two petitions for reconsideration of our September 2004 final rule amending the Federal motor vehicle safety standard for power-operated windows, partitions, and roof panel systems. The amendments required that switches for these windows and other items in new motor vehicles be resistant to accidental actuation that causes those items to begin to close. The purpose of the amendments was to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities to people, especially children, that occur when they unintentionally close the power-operated items on themselves by accidentally leaning against or kneeling or standing on the switch or when other occupants accidentally actuate the switch in that manner. The petitions for reconsideration requested that the agency adopt additional amendments. The petitions are granted in part and denied in part. In responding to the petitions' request to require ``pull-up-to- close'' power window switches, we are simultaneously implementing a congressional mandate to require such switches. In addition, through this document, we are amending the standard to make a number of technical amendments.
American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
Document Number: E6-5124
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-07
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
Yokohama Tire Corporation, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
Document Number: E6-5123
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-07
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
Volkswagen of America Inc., Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
Document Number: E6-5122
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-07
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming 2005 Mini Cooper Convertible Passenger Cars Manufactured for the European Market Are Eligible for Importation
Document Number: E6-5050
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-07
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that 2005 Mini Cooper convertible passenger cars manufactured for the European market that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards are eligible for importation into the United States because (1) they are substantially similar to vehicles that were originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards, and (2) they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.
Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review
Document Number: E6-5049
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-07
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on December 28, 2005 [70 FR 76909].
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Theft Protection
Document Number: 06-3358
Type: Unknown
Date: 2006-04-07
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
Our safety standard on theft protection specifies vehicle performance requirements intended to reduce the incidence of crashes resulting from theft and accidental rollaway of motor vehicles. As a result of technological advances in the area of theft protection, the terminology used in the regulatory text of the Standard has become outdated and confusing with respect to key-locking systems that employ electronic codes to lock and unlock the vehicle, and to enable engine activation. This final rule amends and reorganizes the regulatory text of the Standard so that it better correlates to modern theft protection technology and reflects the agency's interpretation of the existing requirements. The new language does not impose any new substantive requirements on vehicle manufacturers.
Average Fuel Economy Standards for Light Trucks Model Years 2008-2011
Document Number: 06-3151
Type: Rule
Date: 2006-04-06
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This final rule reforms the structure of the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) program for light trucks and establishes higher CAFE standards for model year (MY) 2008-2011 light trucks. Reforming the CAFE program will enable it to achieve larger fuel savings, while enhancing safety and preventing adverse economic consequences. During a transition period of MYs 2008-2010, manufacturers may comply with CAFE standards established under the reformed structure (Reformed CAFE) or with standards established in the traditional way (Unreformed CAFE). This will permit manufacturers and the agency to gain experience with implementing the Reformed CAFE standards. In MY 2011, all manufacturers will be required to comply with a Reformed CAFE standard. Under Reformed CAFE, fuel economy standards are restructured so that they are based on a measure of vehicle size called ``footprint,'' the product of multiplying a vehicle's wheelbase by its track width. A target level of fuel economy is established for each increment in footprint. Smaller footprint light trucks have higher targets and larger ones, lower targets. A particular manufacturer's compliance obligation for a model year will be calculated as the harmonic average of the fuel economy targets for the manufacturer's vehicles, weighted by the distribution of manufacturer's production volumes among the footprint increments. Thus, each manufacturer will be required to comply with a single overall average fuel economy level for each model year of production. The Unreformed CAFE standards are: 22.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for MY 2008, 23.1 mpg for MY 2009, and 23.5 mpg for MY 2010. To aid the transition to Reformed CAFE, the Reformed CAFE standards for those years are set at levels intended to ensure that the industry-wide costs of the Reformed standards are roughly equivalent to the industry-wide costs of the Unreformed CAFE standards in those model years. For MY 2011, the Reformed CAFE standard is set at the level that maximizes net benefits. Net benefits includes the increase in light truck prices due to technology improvements, the decrease in fuel consumption, and a number of other factors viewed from a societal perspective. All of the standards have been set at the maximum feasible level, while accounting for technological feasibility, economic practicability and other relevant factors. Since a manufacturer's compliance obligation for a model year under Reformed CAFE depends in part on its actual production in that model year, its obligation cannot be calculated with absolute precision until the final production figures for that model year become known. However, a manufacturer can calculate its obligation with a reasonably high degree of accuracy in advance of that model year, based on its product plans for the year. Prior to and during the model year, the manufacturer will be able to track all of the key variables in the formula used for calculating its obligation (e.g., distribution of production and the fuel economy of each of its models). This final rule announces estimates of the compliance obligations, by manufacturer, for MYs 2008-2011 under Reformed CAFE, using the fuel economy targets established by NHTSA and the product plans submitted to NHTSA by the manufacturers in response to an August 2005 request for updated product plans. This rulemaking is mandated by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), which was enacted in the aftermath of the energy crisis created by the oil embargo of 1973-74. The concerns about reliance on petroleum imports, energy security, and the effects of energy prices and supply on national economic well-being that led to the enactment of EPCA remain very much alive today. America is still overly dependent on petroleum. Sustained growth in the demand for oil worldwide, coupled with tight crude oil supplies, are the driving forces behind the sharp price increases seen over the past several years and are expected to remain significant factors in the years ahead. Increasingly, the oil consumed in the U.S. originates in countries with political and economic situations that raise concerns about future oil supply and prices. In the long run, technological innovation will play an increasingly larger role in reducing our dependence on petroleum. We recognize that financial difficulties currently exist in the motor vehicle industry and that a substantial number of job reductions have been announced recently by large full-line manufacturers. Accordingly, we have carefully balanced the costs of the rule with the benefits of conservation. Compared to Unreformed CAFE, Reformed CAFE enhances overall fuel savings while providing vehicle manufacturers with the flexibility they need to respond to changing market conditions. Reformed CAFE will also provide a more equitable regulatory framework by creating a level-playing field for manufacturers, regardless of whether they are full-line or limited-line manufacturers. We are particularly encouraged that Reformed CAFE will reduce the adverse safety risks generated by the Unreformed CAFE program. The transition from the Unreformed CAFE to the Reformed CAFE system will begin soon, but ample lead time is provided before Reformed CAFE takes full effect in MY 2011.
Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review
Document Number: E6-4915
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-05
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on January 11, 2006 [Volume 71, No. 7, Page 1782].
General Motors Corporation, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
Document Number: E6-4912
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-05
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition
Document Number: E6-4815
Type: Notice
Date: 2006-04-04
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This notice sets forth the reasons for the denial of a petition submitted by Mr. Brad Lamb, Executive Director, North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). The petition was received on December 2, 2005. The petitioner requests, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30162, that the agency commence a proceeding to determine the existence of a defect related to motor vehicle safety with respect to the performance of the head lamp assemblies on model year (MY) 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. After a review of the petition and other information, NHTSA has concluded that further expenditure of the agency's resources on the issue raised by the petition does not appear to be warranted. The agency has accordingly denied the petition. The petition is herein after identified as DP05-010.
Insurer Reporting Requirements; List of Insurers Required To File Reports
Document Number: 06-3015
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2006-04-03
Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation
This document proposes to amend Appendices A, B, and C of 49 CFR part 544, insurer reporting requirements. The appendices list those passenger motor vehicle insurers that are required to file reports on their motor vehicle theft loss experiences. An insurer included in any of these appendices would be required to file three copies of its report for the 2003 calendar year before October 25, 2006. If the passenger motor vehicle insurers remain listed, they must submit reports by each subsequent October 25. We are proposing to add and remove several insurers from relevant appendices.
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