[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21813-21814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10795]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2001-9477]


Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Request for public comment on proposed collection of 
information.

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SUMMARY: 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 document describes one collection of information for which 
NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments must refer to the docket notice numbers cited at 
the beginning of this notice and be submitted to Docket Management, 
Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Please 
identify the proposed collection of information for which a comment is 
provided, by referencing its OMB clearance Number. It is requested, but 
not required, that 2 copies of the comment be provided. The Docket 
Section is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact 
Edward Jettner, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 5320, NPS-
11,Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Jettner's telephone number is (202) 366-
4917. Please identify the relevant collection of information by 
referring to its OMB Control Number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB 
for approval, it must first publish a document in the Federal Register 
providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of 
the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of 
information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must 
be included in such a document. Under OMB's regulation (at 5CFR 
1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following:
    (i) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) How to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
    (iv) How to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public 
comments on the following proposed collections of information:
    Title: Consolidated Vehicle Owner's Manual Requirements for Motor 
Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Equipment.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0541.
    Affected Public: Individuals, households, business, other for-
profit, not-for-profit, farms, Federal Government and State, Local or 
Tribal Government.
    Abstract: 49 U.S.C. 30117 authorizes the Secretary to require that 
manufacturers provide technical information, as for example information 
directed for publication in a vehicle owner's manual, related to the 
performance and safety specified in the Federal motor vehicle safety 
standards for the purposes of educating the consumer and providing 
safeguards against improper use. Using this authority, the agency 
issued the following FMVSS and regulations, specifying that certain 
safety precautions regarding items of motor vehicle equipment appear in 
the vehicle owner's manual to aid the agency in achieving many of its 
safety goals.
    FMVSS No. 108--Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. 
This standard requires that certain lamps and reflective devices with 
certain performance levels be installed on motor vehicles to assure 
that the roadway is properly illuminated, that vehicles can be readily 
seen, and the signals can be transmitted to other drivers sharing the 
road, during day, night and inclement weather. Since the specific 
manner in which headlamp aim is to be performed is not regulated (only 
the performance of the device is), aiming devices manufactured or 
installed by different vehicle and headlamp manufacturers may work in 
significantly different ways. As a consequence, to assure that 
headlamps can be correctly aimed, instructions for proper use must be 
part of the vehicle as a label, or optionally, in the vehicle owner's 
manual.
    FMVSS No. 205--Glazing Materials. This standard specifies 
requirement for all glazing material used in windshields, windows, and 
interior partitions of motor vehicles. Its purpose is to reduce the 
likelihood of lacerations and to minimize the possibility of occupants 
penetrating the windshield in a crash. More detailed information 
regarding the care and maintenance of such glazing items, as the glass-
plastic windshield is required to be placed in the vehicle owner's 
manual.
    FMVSS No. 208--Occupant Crash Protection. This standard specifies 
requirements for both active and passive occupant crash protection 
systems for passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and 
small buses. Certain safety features, such as air bags, or the care and 
maintenance of air bag systems, are required to be explained to the 
owner by means of the owner's manual. For example, the owner's manual 
must describe the vehicle's air bag system and provide precautionary 
information about the proper positioning of the occupants, including 
children. The owner's manual must also warn that no objects, such as 
shotguns carried in police cars, should be placed over or near the air 
bag covers.
    FMVSS No. 210--Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages. This standard 
specifies requirements for seat belt assembly anchorages to ensure 
effective occupant restraint and to reduce the likelihood of failure in 
a crash. The standard requires that manufacturers place the following 
information in the vehicle owner's manual:
    a. an explanation that child restraints are designed to be secured 
by means of the vehicle's seat belts, and,
    b. a statement alerting vehicle owners that children are always 
safer in the rear seat.
    FMVSS No. 213--Child Restraint Systems. This standard specifies 
requirements for child restraint systems and requires that 
manufacturers provide consumers with detailed information relating to 
child safety in air bag-equipped vehicles. The vehicle owner's manual 
must include information about the operation and do's and don'ts of 
built-in child seats.
    Part 575 Section 103--Camper Loading. This standard requires that

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manufacturers of slide-in campers designed to fit into the cargo bed of 
pickup trucks affix a label to each camper that contains information 
relating to certification, identification and proper loading, and to 
provide more detailed loading information in the owner's manual of the 
truck.
    Part 575 Section 105--Utility Vehicles. This regulation requires 
manufacturers of utility vehicles to alert drivers that the particular 
handling and maneuvering characteristics of utility vehicles require 
special driving practices when these vehicles are operated on paved 
roads. For example, the vehicle owner's manual is required to contain a 
discussion of vehicle design features that cause this type of vehicle 
to be more likely to roll over, and to include a discussion of driving 
practices that can reduce the risk of roll over. A statement is 
provided in the regulation that manufacturers shall include, in its 
entirety or equivalent form, in the vehicle owner's manual.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1371 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 21.

    Issued on: April 26, 2001.
Stephen R. Kratzke,
Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 01-10795 Filed 4-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P