National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document grants in full the Maserati North America, Inc.'s, (Maserati) petition for an exemption of the Levante sports utility vehicle (SUV) line in accordance with 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard. This petition is granted because the agency has determined that the antitheft device to be placed on the line as standard equipment is likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of the 49 CFR part 541, Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard (Theft Prevention Standard).

NHTSA seeks comments on the economic impact of its regulations on small entities. As required by Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, we are attempting to identify rules that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. We also request comments on ways to make these regulations easier to read and understand. The focus of this notice is rules that specifically relate to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, motorcycles, and motor vehicle equipment.

In accordance with 49 CFR part 555, NHTSA seeks comments on a petition for exemption from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 224, Rear impact protection by Columbia Body Manufacturing Co. (``Columbia Body'' or ``petitioner'') of Clackamas, Oregon. Columbia Body is seeking a three year exemption from the standard, asserting that compliance with the standard would cause substantial economic hardship to a manufacturer that has tried in good faith to comply with the standard. We are publishing this notice of receipt of the application in accordance with our exemption regulations. This action does not mean that we have made a judgment about the merits of the application.

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 is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments.

This NPRM proposes to upgrade the Federal motor vehicle safety standards that address rear underride protection in crashes into trailers and semitrailers. NHTSA is proposing to adopt requirements of Transport Canada's standard for underride guards, which require rear impact guards to provide sufficient strength and energy absorption to protect occupants of compact and subcompact passenger cars impacting the rear of trailers at 56 kilometers per hour (km/h) (35 miles per hour (mph)). NHTSA is issuing this NPRM in response to a petition for rulemaking from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and from Ms. Marianne Karth and the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC). This is the second of two documents issued in response to the Karth/TSC petition. Earlier, NHTSA published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking requesting comment on strategies pertaining to underride protection afforded by single unit trucks.

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (BATO), has determined that certain Bridgestone bus tires do not fully comply with paragraph S6.5(e) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and Motorcycles. BATO has filed an appropriate report dated July 7, 2015, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes one collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections.

This notice provides NHTSA's finding with respect to a request to waive the requirements of Buy America from the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program (GHSP). NHTSA finds that a non- availability waiver of the Buy America requirement is appropriate for the purchase of a Nikon prismless total station using Federal highway traffic safety grant funds because there are no suitable products produced in the United States.

Michelin North America, Inc. (MNA), has determined that certain Michelin heavy truck tires do not fully comply with paragraphs S6.5(a) and (j) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles With a GVWR of More than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and Motorcycles. MNA has filed an appropriate report dated September 18, 2015, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

The NHTSA announces meetings of NEMSAC and FICEMS to be held consecutively in the Metropolitan Washington, DC, area. This notice announces the date, time, and location of the meetings, which will be open to the public, as well as opportunities for public input to the NEMSAC and FICEMS. The purpose of NEMSAC, a nationally recognized council of emergency medical services representatives and consumers, is to advise and consult with DOT and the FICEMS on matters relating to emergency medical services (EMS). The purpose of FICEMS is to ensure coordination among Federal agencies supporting EMS and 9-1-1 systems.

This document grants in full the Mazda Motor Corporation's (Mazda) petition for an exemption of the (confidential) vehicle line in accordance with 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard. This petition is granted because the agency has determined that the antitheft device to be placed on the line as standard equipment is likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of 49 CFR part 541, Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard (Theft Prevention Standard). Mazda also requested confidential treatment for specific information in its petition. For purposes of this document the confidential information has been redacted until released by the manufacturer.

This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that nonconforming model year (MY) 2009 Ford F-150 trucks 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 that were originally manufactured for 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 MY 2009 Ford F-150 truck) and they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.

This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that nonconforming 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL passenger cars (manufactured before September 1, 2006) 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 that were originally manufactured for 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 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL that was manufactured before September 1, 2006) and they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear), has determined that certain Goodyear G316 LHT commercial truck trailer tires do not fully comply with paragraph S6.5(f) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New Pneumatic Radial Tires for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 pounds) and Motorcycles. Goodyear has filed an appropriate report dated April 27, 2015, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (Cooper), has determined that certain Cooper tires do not fully comply with paragraph S5.5.1(b) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 139, New Pneumatic Tires Radial Tires for Light Vehicles. Cooper has filed an appropriate report dated August 13, 2015, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

Ford Motor Company, (Ford) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2014 Ford Focus passenger cars do not fully comply with paragraph S3.1.4.1(a) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect. Ford has filed an appropriate report dated November 25, 2013 pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

This document grants the petition for rulemaking submitted by the Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and Road Safe America on February 19, 2015, to establish a safety standard to require automatic forward collision avoidance and mitigation systems on certain heavy vehicles. For several years, NHTSA has researched forward collision avoidance and mitigation technology on heavy vehicles, including forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems. The agency will continue to conduct research and to evaluate real-world performance of these systems through track testing and field operational testing. NHTSA will determine whether to issue a rule in the course of the rulemaking proceeding, in accordance with statutory criteria.

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 is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments.

This final rule announces NHTSA's determination that there are no new model year (MY) 2016 light duty truck lines 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 because they have major parts that are interchangeable with a majority of the covered major parts of passenger car or MPV lines. This final rule also identifies those vehicle lines that have been granted an exemption from the parts-marking requirements because the vehicles are equipped with antitheft devices determined to meet certain statutory criteria.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is announcing a meeting that will be held in Washington, DC on November 4- 5, 2015 to kick off a new national drowsy driving initiative. The NHTSA Drowsy Driving Forum will include presentations and discussions on a number of topics, including problem identification and measurement of drowsy driving, public awareness and education, public and corporate policy, vehicle technology, and balancing the needs for research and action. Attendance at the meeting is limited to invited participants because of space limitations of the DOT Conference Center. However, the meeting will be available for live public viewing on the NHTSA Web site (www.nhtsa.gov). Remote viewers will be able to submit questions online to the forum moderators.

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (BATO), has determined that certain Bridgestone bus tires do not fully comply with paragraph S6.5(e) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, New Pneumatic Tires for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and Motorcycles. BATO has filed an appropriate report dated July 7, 2015, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

PACCAR, Inc. (PACCAR), has determined that certain Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks do not fully comply with paragraph S9.3.2 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, Lamps, Reflective devices, and Associated Equipment. PACCAR filed an appropriate report dated June 12, 2015 pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports on June 11, 2015 and revised that report on June 12, 2015.

NHTSA's ability to identify and define safety-related motor vehicle defects relies in large part on manufacturers' self-reporting. However, although federal regulations may require them to report certain information to NHTSA, manufacturers do not always do so, or do not do so in a timely manner. Additionally, the information a manufacturer is required to report varies greatly depending on the product and company size and purpose. Given these constraints, safety- related information developed or discovered in private litigation is an important resource for NHTSA. This proposed Enforcement Guidance Bulletin sets forth NHTSA's current thinking on this topic, and guiding principles and best practices to be utilized in the context of private litigation. To the extent protective orders, settlement agreements, or other confidentiality provisions prohibit information obtained in private litigation from being transmitted to NHTSA, such limitations are contrary to Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, its state corollaries, and sound principles of public policy. Although such restrictions are generally prohibited by applicable rules and law, the Agency recommends that litigants include a specific provision in any protective order or settlement agreement that provides for disclosure of relevant motor vehicle safety information to NHTSA, regardless of any other restrictions on the disclosure or dissemination of such information. This notice solicits comments from the public, from counsel, and from other interested parties concerning this proposed enforcement guidance, and best practices to be followed by litigants in private litigation regarding protective orders and settlement agreements that contain confidentiality provisions limiting disclosure of safety- related information.

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 is being submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments.