[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 125 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33574-33577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-16484]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Discretionary Cooperative Agreement to Support National Occupant 
Protection Program

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

ACTION: Announcement of discretionary cooperative agreement to support 
the National Occupant Protection Program.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
announces the availability of a discretionary cooperative agreement to 
support the Secretary of Transportation's goals of increasing safety 
belt use to 75 percent by the year 1997. This notice solicits 
applications from national, non-profit professional organizations which 
have in-depth knowledge of transportation issues facing rural 
Americans. The organization must be interested in developing and 
implementing campaign strategies designed to increase safety belt use 
by rural populations, must have state and local affiliates, and must be 
able to reach a large number of rural communities across the United 
States. The purpose and result of this agreement will be to increase 
occupant safety restraint usage rates in selected rural areas. This 
agreement is scheduled for a period of eighteen (18) months.

DATES: Applications must be received at the office designated below on 
or before August 14, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Contracts and Procurement 
(NAD-30), Attn: Doris E. Medley, 400 7th Street, SW., Room 5301, 
Washington, DC 20590. All applications submitted must include a 
reference to NHTSA Cooperative Agreement No. DTNH22-96-H-05191.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions related to this cooperative agreement should be directed to 
Ms. JoAnn Murianka, National Organizations Division, NHTSA, Room 5118 
(NTS-11), 400 7th St., SW., Washington, DC 20590. (202) 366-5198. 
General administrative questions may be directed to Ms. Doris E. 
Medley,

[[Page 33575]]

Office of Contracts and Procurement, at (202) 366-9560. Interested 
applicants are advised that no separate solicitation exists beyond the 
contents of this announcement.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Motor vehicle travel is the primary means of transportation in the 
United States, especially in rural America; providing an unprecedented 
degree of mobility. Yet for all its advantages, deaths and injuries 
resulting from motor vehicle crashes is the leading cause of death for 
persons every age from 6 to 28 years old. In 1994, 40,676 people lost 
their lives in motor vehicle crashes and another 3.2 million people 
were injured. 1994 FARS data also indicates that 58 percent, of the 
nation's 40,676 traffic related fatalities occurred in rural areas. 
Many of the deaths and injuries that occur on our roads are not 
unavoidable. Instead, the consequences of these crashes are the result 
of failing to take proper precautions such as wearing safety belts and 
bicycle helmets, and exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors such as 
speeding and impaired driving.
    When they are worn, safety belts can reduce the chance of death or 
serious injury by nearly 50 percent. The National Center for Statistics 
and Analysis estimates that in 1994, an estimated 9,175 lives were 
saved and 211,000 moderate-to-critical injuries were prevented by the 
use of seat belts. If all front-seat occupants wore safety belts, an 
additional 9,529 lives could have been saved. The Crash Outcome Data 
Evaluation System (CODES) study results reveal that safety belts are 
highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality. They also 
indicate that safety belts cause a downward shift in the severity of 
injuries. The study results showed that the average inpatient charge 
for unbelted passenger vehicle drivers admitted to an inpatient 
facility as a result of a crash injury was more than 55 percent greater 
than the average charge for those that were belted, $13,937 and $9,004, 
respectively. If, in the CODES states, (Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, New 
York, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin) all unbelted passenger vehicle 
drivers had been wearing safety belts, it is estimated that inpatient 
charges would have been reduced by approximately $68 million and actual 
inpatient costs reduced by $47 million.
    The enactment of seat belt use policies and laws coupled with 
education and enforcement programs can achieve high use rate levels and 
significantly reduce fatalities, injuries and associated costs. Project 
emphasis will be placed on actively supporting the traffic safety 
efforts of the law enforcement community, promoting injury promotion 
and enhancing capacity-building among the rural community to work with 
media to publicize Campaign Safe & Sober activities.
    It is imperative that programs like Special Traffic Enforcement 
Programs (STEPS) be initiated which can increase public awareness of a 
specific traffic safety problem, such as non-use of safety restraints 
and/or impaired driving. STEP programs create a general perception 
within the community that there is an increased risk of being stopped 
for the targeted traffic violation. This general perception can help 
deter unsafe driving behaviors throughout the community.
    Components of a STEP effort include: periods of intensified 
enforcement consisting of checkpoints, saturation patrols and other 
enforcement tactics to increase both the perceived and actual risk of 
arrest; a statewide or local media campaign to inform the public about 
the risks and costs of traffic crashes and the need for traffic laws 
and enforcement; local media events conducted immediately before and 
after increased enforcement efforts; community information for tracking 
progress and providing feedback, i.e., safety belt use rates, activity 
data, number of checkpoints, number of citations issued, number of 
lives saved and injuries prevented, etc. This information serves to 
keep the community informed of the added benefits of the STEP.
    NHTSA is encouraging all states to utilize STEP programs to 
increase statewide safety belt use. Many states have already 
implemented STEPS, including North Carolina with their ``Click It or 
Ticket Program'' and 21 other states that have participated in NHTSA 
state law enforcement demonstration programs: Arizona, Florida, 
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, 
Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, 
Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
    Community support is essential for effective implementation of STEP 
programs. Before conducting a high visibility enforcement campaign, 
enforcement personnel need to be assured that community members and 
leaders endorse this type of activity. Experience has shown that law 
enforcement personnel are more likely to adopt and fully implement 
intensified enforcement programs if they have received encouragement 
from community spokes people and other local opinion leaders, such as 
political officials, health or medical representatives and the news 
media.
    The primary objective of this cooperative agreement is to provide 
law enforcement agencies that serve rural areas with support and 
encouragement from local community groups in the form of personal 
contacts, letters, phone calls, public recognition, and other 
appropriate activities. This type of activity is needed in rural areas 
across the country. However, priority will be given to efforts directed 
at areas which already have STEP programs in place, such as the above 
21 states, plus North Carolina with experience in the NHTSA law 
enforcement demonstration program.

Objectives

    Under this cooperative agreement, the concepts of injury control, 
will be advanced through the promotion of safe traffic safety 
behaviors. Specific objectives for this cooperative agreement program 
are:
    1. To educate rural residents concerning the need for strong 
occupant protection laws and aggressive law enforcement.
    2. To encourage local law enforcement officials to implement 
aggressive, highly visible enforcement programs (STEPs).
    3. To encourage local units of state police, or other patrol 
agencies to partner with other public service groups, EMS, local health 
department, etc., to participate in highly visible enforcement efforts.
    4. To evaluate the effects of grassroots and community advocacy on 
the implementation of safety belt law enforcement programs in rural 
areas.
    5. To increase safety belt use by rural populations and to decrease 
the number of fatal and serious injury crashes occurring in rural 
areas.

NHTSA Involvement

    The NHTSA Office of Occupant Protection (OOP) will be involved in 
all activities undertaken as part of this cooperative agreement program 
and will:
    1. Provide a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) 
to participate in the planning and management of the cooperative 
agreement and to coordinate activities between the organization and 
OOP;
    2. The COTR will work closely with the organization in review and 
approval of work plan, and review and approval of materials developed 
for PI&E;
    3. Make available information and technical assistance from 
government

[[Page 33576]]

sources, including copies of any previously conducted NHTSA studies. 
Additional assistance shall be within resources available; and
    4. Provide liaison with other government and private agencies as 
appropriate.

Period of Support

    The proposed effort described in this announcement will be 
supported through the award of a single cooperative agreement. This 
cooperative agreement will be awarded for a project period of eighteen 
months, including submission of the final report. The total anticipated 
funding level is $75,000. The application for Federal Assistance should 
address what is proposed and can be accomplished within the time and 
funding constraints.

Eligibility Requirements

    In order to be eligible to participate in this cooperative 
agreement, an organization must meet the following requirements:
    1. Be a private, national, non-profit, rural-affiliated 
organization;
    2. Have an established membership structure with state/local 
chapters or affiliates in a broad geographic region of the country;
    3. Have a membership which includes, or which works in 
collaboration with health care officials;
    4. Have in place a schedule of annual regional/state conferences or 
conventions and a variety of communication mechanisms that are 
appropriate for motivating members and other constituents to become 
involved in the promotion of occupant protection at state and local 
levels;
    5. Demonstrate an understanding of the current and potential role 
affiliates can play in occupant protection efforts at the state and 
local levels; and,
    6. Demonstrate top level support within the organization for the 
project, where appropriate, demonstrate similar support from the 
membership or local affiliates.

Application Procedures

    Applicants must submit one original and two copies of their 
application package to NHTSA, Office of Contracts and Procurement (NAD-
30), Attn: Doris E. Medley, 400 7th Street, S.W., Room 5301, 
Washington, DC 20590. Application must include a reference to NHTSA 
Cooperative Agreement No. DTNH22-96-H-05191. Only complete application 
packages received on or before August 14, 1996 shall be considered. 
Submission of three additional copies will expedite processing, but is 
not required.
    1. The application package must be submitted with a Standard Form 
424 (Rev. 4-88, including 424A and 424B), Application for Federal 
Assistance, with the required information filled in and certified 
assurances signed. While the Form 424A deals with budget information 
and section B identifies budget categories, the available space does 
not permit a level of detail which is sufficient to provide for a 
meaningful evaluation of the proposed total costs. A supplemental sheet 
shall be provided which presents a detailed breakdown of the proposed 
costs. The budget shall identify any cost-sharing contribution proposed 
by the applicant, as well as any additional financial commitments made 
by other sources. In preparing their cost proposals, applicants shall 
assume that the award will be made by September 30, 1996 and should 
prepare their applications accordingly.
    2. Applicants shall include a project narrative statement which 
addresses the following:
    (a) Identifies the objectives, goals, and anticipated outcomes of 
the proposed research effort and the approach or methods that will be 
used to achieve these ends, and discusses the specific issues 
previously mentioned in this Notice, i.e., to increase safety belt use 
by rural populations and to decrease the number of fatal and serious 
injury crashes occurring in rural areas.
    (b) identifies the proposed plan for conducting the activities of 
the effort, including a schedule of milestones and their target dates, 
and for assessing the project accomplishments. It shall also include a 
plan for the effective dissemination of the results;
    (c) Identifies the types and sources of data that will be used in 
this effort, including approaches to ensure comparability of data and 
the arrangements made or agreements entered into to ensure access to 
needed data. Prior to submitting any such data to NHTSA, the recipient 
will be required to purge any information from which the personal 
identity of individuals may be determined;
    (d) Identifies the proposed program director and other key 
personnel identified for participation in the proposed effort, 
including description of their qualifications and their respective 
organizational responsibilities; and
    (e) Describe the applicant's previous experience or on-going 
program that is related to his proposed effort.

Evaluation Criteria and Review Process

    Proposals will be evaluated based upon the following factors which 
are not necessarily listed in order of importance:
    1. What the organization proposes to accomplish and the potential 
of the proposed project to make a significant contribution to national 
efforts to increase the correct use of occupant restraints in rural 
areas.
    2. The extent to which the project addresses foreseeable barriers 
to gaining widespread adoption of occupant protection and law 
enforcement activities by the selected rural population.
    3. The overall experience, capability and commitment of the 
organization to facilitate involvement of its membership in the 
promotion of occupant protection and law enforcement in rural areas.
    4. The soundness and feasibility of the proposed approach or work 
plan, including the evaluation to assess program outcomes.
    5. How the organization will provide the administrative capability 
and staff expertise necessary to complete the proposed project.
    6. The proposed coordination with and use of other available 
resources, including collaboration with state highway safety offices 
and other existing or planned state and community occupant protection 
programs.
    7. How the organization plans to continue occupant protection and 
law enforcement educational activities.

Initially, all applications will be reviewed to confirm that the 
applicant is an eligible recipient and to assure that the application 
contains all of the information required by the Application Contents 
section of this notice. Each complete application from an eligible 
recipient will then be evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Committee 
using the criteria outlined above.

Terms and Conditions of the Award

    1. Federal funds should be viewed as seed money to assist 
organizations in the development of traffic safety initiatives. Monies 
allocated in this cooperative agreement are not intended to cover all 
of the costs that will be incurred in completing this project. 
Applicants should demonstrate a commitment of financial and in-kind 
resources to the support of this project. The organization 
participating in this cooperative agreement program may use awarded 
funds to support salaries of individuals assigned to the project, the 
development or purchase of direct program materials, direct program-
related activities, or for travel related to the cooperative agreement.
    2. Prior to award, the recipient must comply with the certification 
requirements of 49 CFR Part 29, Department of Transportation

[[Page 33577]]

Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement) and 
Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grantees or Other 
Individuals). During the effective period of the cooperative agreement 
award as a result of this notice, the agreement shall be subject to the 
general administrative requirements of 49 CFR Part 19, Department of 
Transportation Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other 
Non-Profit Organizations; the cost principals of OMB Circular A-21, or 
A-122, or FAR 31.2 as applicable to the recipient, and the NHTSA 
General Provisions for Assistance Agreements.
    3. Reports and Deliverables/Milestones. The recipient shall submit 
a work plan within one week after award; quarterly progress reports by 
the 15th day subsequent to quarter, draft final report and plan for 
self-sustenance within 16 months after award, and plan for self-
sustenance and the final report within 18 months after award. An 
original and two copies of each report shall be submitted to the 
Contracting Officer Technical Representative. One copy of each report 
to be submitted to the Contracting Officer. Milestones include the 
development of campaign strategies and materials within two months 
after award; dissemination of materials and the conduct of training 
within four months after award, and the development of a plan for self-
sustenance within 10 months after award.
    4. Specific Tasks. The recipient shall: (1) Meet with the COTR 
within one week after the award of the cooperative agreement to review 
details of the recipient's proposed work plan and schedule for this 
project; (2) Work with NHTSA and finalize the work plan to reach the 
largest area with greatest effect. The plan shall include an evaluation 
component and shall acknowledge the need to build sustainable community 
programs; (3) Develop materials needed to reach local constituents, 
educate them on traffic safety and occupant protection issues, and 
train them to conduct effective community outreach--using existing 
materials as much as possible; (4) Disseminate materials along with 
training, etc., as necessary to implement plan; and (5) Collect 
evaluation data.
    It is imperative that the recipient make provisions in the 
organization to continue the implementation of the program developed 
for at least 3 years after the completion of this cooperative 
agreement. Emphasis should be placed on making this an on-going program 
into existing activities.

    Issued on: June 21, 1996.
James H. Hedlund,
Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety Program.
[FR Doc. 96-16484 Filed 6-26-96; 8:45 am]
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