7494 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 33 / Wednesday, February 19, 1997 / Notices

flight crewmembers in a single annual

training and proficiency evaluation

program.

Grant, January 31, 1997, Exemption No.

6012A

[FR Doc. 97–4064 Filed 2–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

Maritime Administration

[Docket No. M–028]

Application of Foreign Underwriters to

Write Marine Hull Insurance

The Maritime Administration

(MARAD) has received an application

under 46 CFR part 249 from HIH

Casualty and General Insurance

Limited, an Australia based

underwriter, to write marine hull

insurance on subsidized and Title XI

program vessels.

In accordance with 46 CFR 249.7(b),

interested persons are hereby afforded

an opportunity to bring to MARAD’s

attention any discriminatory laws or

practices relating to the placement of

marine hull insurance which may exist

in the applicant’s country of domicile.

Responses to this notice must be sent

to the Secretary, Maritime

Administration, Room 7300,

Department of Transportation, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20509, and must be received by close of

business on Wednesday, March 5, 1997.

Dated: February 13, 1997.

Joel C. Richard,

Secretary, Maritime Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–4062 Filed 2–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

[Docket No. 96–133, Notice 01]

Development of Improved Driver

Interview Procedures for Police Use at

Checkpoints

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice and Request for

Comments on Data Collection.

SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) plays a

key role in the national effort to reduce

alcohol related traffic injuries and

deaths. One way the enforcement

community has tried to combat this

problem is by conducting sobriety

checkpoints; however, there is evidence

that many of the impaired drivers

passing through these checkpoints are

not detected by police. One component

of this study is the observation by

researchers of customary police

interviewing practices at sobriety

checkpoints. Behaviors and cues of

interviewed drivers will be linked to

their breath alcohol levels to develop

more effective screening procedures.

Breath samples will be obtained only

from drivers who volunteer to

participate in this study. Current data

on the best ways to improve driver

interviews by police at checkpoints do

not exist. NHTSA invites the general

public and other Federal agencies to

comment the proposed data collection

as required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (44

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATE: Written comments must be

submitted on or before April 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to NHTSA, Docket Section, Room 5111,

Docket #96–133, Notice 01, 400 7th

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marvin M. Levy, Ph.D., Contracting

Officer’s Technical Representative,

Office of Research and Traffic Records

(NTS–31), Washington, DC 20590,

Phone Number (202) 366–5597.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Alcohol related traffic fatalities rose to

17,274 in 1995, 41 percent of all traffic

fatalities for the year. NHTSA is

committed to the development of

effective programs to reduce the number

of deaths and injuries related to alcoholimpaired driving. Among the law

enforcement activities aimed at

reducing drunk driving, sobriety

checkpoints can act both as a specific

deterrent, by apprehending impaired

drivers passing through the checkpoint,

and a general deterrent, by encouraging

motorists not to drive after drinking.

The success of sobriety checkpoints as

a deterrent depends to a large extent on

the perception of drivers that they will

be caught if they have been drinking.

However, past research suggests that

many impaired drivers are not being

detected by police at checkpoints. If

drivers conclude that they may not be

detected, then the effectiveness of this

enforcement approach may decline.

There is some evidence that police

interview procedures can be improved,

for impaired drivers who are stopped

and still seated in their vehicle, when

police use a procedure employing eye

gaze nystagmus. Other cues or

combination of cues may also result in

improved detection rates.

The objective of this study is to

develop and test an improved set of

checkpoint interview procedures that

police may use to detect more

effectively drivers who are at illegal

blood alcohol concentrations [BACs].

II. Method of Data Collection

Data will be collected voluntarily at

two separate sites in cooperating police

jurisdictions during regularly scheduled

checkpoint operations. To examine the

effectiveness of cues and procedures

that officers can use to detect drivers at

illegal BACs, researchers will

accompany officers while they are

conducting routine driver interviews.

Researchers will observe what the

police do, by listening to the kinds of

questions they ask and what motorists

say in response to police inquiries, and

how the drivers behave. Also, drivers

will be observed for visual and other

cues or signs indicative of alcohol

consumption. For those drivers who

have been permitted to proceed, a

researcher, located downstream of the

inteviewing officer, will ask the driver

to consent to blow into a device that

measures the driver’s breath alcohol.

Each motorist will be assured of

confidentiality. No identifiers, such as

names, addresses, or license plate

numbers, will be obtained regardless of

whether or not the motorist agrees to

cooperate. Also, no information about

the results from breath alcohol testing

will be provided to the police. No

survey questions will be asked of

drivers. The researchers will be using

portable non-evidentiary quality

‘‘screening devices’’ to measure BAC. In

the event that a driver who may be at

an illegal BAC is identified, he or she

will be informed of the BAC findings

and provided with suggested remedies

such as having a sober passenger drive,

or taking a cab provided by the

researchers.

III. Use of the Findings

The findings from researcher

observations of checkpoint operations

will help determine whether further

development of an improved battery of

police interview procedures is

warranted. If the results are positive, a

field test will be conducted as part of

this study to determine whether the new

procedures are an improvement over

those customarily used by police to

detect drivers at illegal BACs. Should

the findings from the field test be

successful, a police training package,

containing the improved procedures,

will be developed and disseminated to

police agencies.

Improved interview procedures will

help police officers at checkpoints make

more accurate decisions regarding

which drivers should or should not be

detained for further sobriety testing.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 33 / Wednesday, February 19, 1997 / Notices 7495

This should increase the efficiency of

checkpoint operations. Such

improvements should also heighten the

public’s perception of being

apprehended for drunk driving at

sobriety checkpoints.

IV. Data

OMB Number: None.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Regular Submission.

Affected Public: Drivers who are

stopped at two sobriety checkpoint

operations in one community and who

are asked to voluntarily provide an

alcohol breath sample.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

1,500 drivers.

Estimated Time per Respondent: One

minute per respondent.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 25

hours.

Estimated Cost per Respondent:

$33.75.

V. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) The

need for the proposed collection and the

uses of the data to meet the objectives

of the study; (b) the information that

should be obtained from observations of

the drivers and officers; (c) ways to

enhance the quality, utility and clarity

of the information collected;

(d) the accuracy of the burden

estimate, and (e) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of the

information an the respondents.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of this information collection.

Copies of all comments will be placed

in Docket 96–133, Notice 1, in the

NHTSA Docket Section in Room 5109,

400 Seventh Street SW Washington D.C.

20590 and will become a matter of

public record.

James H. Hedlund,

Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety

Programs.

[FR Doc. 97–4059 Filed 2–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

Discretionary Cooperative Agreements

to Support the Air Bag Safety

Campaign

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of discretionary

cooperative agreements to support the

Air Bag Safety Campaign.

SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA)

announces the availability of FY 1997

discretionary cooperative agreements to

support the Air Bag Safety Campaign.

The goal of this campaign is to inform

the public about how to maximize the

lifesaving capabilities of air bags while

minimizing the risks and to increase the

proper use of safety belts and child

safety seats. NHTSA solicits

applications from national nonprofit

organizations, having regional, state or

local chapters, for projects under this

program.

DATES: Applications must be received

on or before March 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be

submitted to the National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, Office of

Contracts and Procurement (NAD–30),

ATTN: Georgeanne Moses, 400 7th

Street, S.W., Room 5301, Washington,

D.C. 20590. All applications submitted

must include a reference to NHTSA

Cooperative Agreement Program No.

DTNH–97–H–05090, and identify the

priority program area which the

application is submitted. Interested

applicants are advised that no separate

application package exists beyond the

contents of this announcement.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

General administrative questions may

be directed to Mark Kromer, Office of

Contracts and Procurement, at (202)

366–9571. Programmatic questions

relating to this cooperative agreement

program should be directed to Ms.

Cheryl Neverman, National Outreach

Division, NHTSA, Room 5130 (NTS–

22), 400 7th Street, S.W., Washington,

D.C., 20590 (202) 366–2696.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Air bags, when combined with the use

of a lap and shoulder belt, offer the most

effective combination of protection to

adults. More than 1700 lives have been

saved by air bags since the mid-1980’s.

As of July 1996, about 56 million

passenger cars and light trucks were

equipped with air bags. In five years,

more than 50 percent of the U.S. light

vehicle fleet, 125 million vehicles, will

have air bags. Beginning with model

year 1998 for passenger cars and model

year 1999 for light trucks, new vehicles

will be required to have driver and

passenger side air bags and safety belts.

As vehicle fleets are being manufactured

and sold with both driver and passenger

side air bags, concerns have arisen about

the dangers of air bags, particularly to

children age 12 and under. Some

infants, children and small stature

adults have been injured or killed in

traffic crashes by deploying air bags. In

almost all cases to date, the occupants

who died were unrestrained, incorrectly

restrained, or positioned too close to the

air bag. Since many people do not

understand how air bags work, they fail

to fully appreciate the threat air bags

may pose to some passengers.

Out of concern for the public’s safety

and the need to educate the public

about the lifesaving benefits of air bags,

a public and private partnership of

automotive manufacturers, insurance

companies, occupant restraint

manufacturers, government agencies,

health professionals, and child health

and safety organizations was created to

lead a national campaign—the Air Bag

Safety Campaign. The privately funded

Air Bag Safety Campaign, started in June

1996, is a two-year intensive education

campaign whose goal is to inform the

public about how to maximize the

lifesaving capabilities of air bags, while

minimizing the risks and to increase the

proper use of safety belts and child

safety seats. The campaign takes a threepronged approach in conveying its

messages to the American public:

1. Public Education: Development of

an intense media campaign to get the

‘‘safety belt/air bag/kids-in-back’’

message out to the public. The group

urges people to convey to their friends

and neighbors the importance that

children ride in proper places and with

proper restraints in vehicles.

2. Legislation: The campaign supports

states in upgrading safety belt and child

safety seat laws in order to increase

safety restraint use nationwide.

Currently, 11 states have ‘‘primary’’

enforcement laws, that allow police to

stop and ticket motorists who fail to

wear safety belts. Belt use in these states

is much higher than in ‘‘secondary’’ law

states where police must ticket a

motorist for another violation before

issuing a safety belt citation.

3. Enforcement: The campaign

supports high visibility enforcement of

safety belt and child safety seat laws.

This type of enforcement has proven

very effective in increasing safety

restraint use and reducing crash-related

injuries and fatalities.

The campaign is basing its activities,

in part, on experience over the past

decade. This experience has shown that

a combination of intensive public

education, well-written legislation, and

high visibility, statewide enforcement of

laws will result in an immediate and

substantial increase in public awareness

and occupant protection use. Increased

safety belt and correct child safety seat

use will significantly reduce the number

of children and adults who are injured

during air bag deployments.

Current issues and concerns for the

Air Bag Safety Campaign can be

summarized as follows: