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###### Department of Transportation

###### National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

          - [Docket No. NHTSA-2010-0145]

# AGENCY:

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

# ACTION:

Request for comments on technical report.

# SUMMARY:

                        This notice announces NHTSA's publication of a Technical Report on its existing Safety Standard 213,                         *Child Restraint Systems.*                         The report's title is:                         *Booster Seat                                   ( print page 68665)                                Effectiveness Estimates Based on CDS and State Data.*

# DATES:

Comments must be received no later than March 8, 2011.

# ADDRESSES:

*Report:*                         The technical report is available on the Internet for viewing in PDF format at                         *http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/​Pubs/​811338.pdf*. You may obtain a copy of the report free of charge by sending a self-addressed mailing label to Robert Sivinski (NVS-431), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room W53-440, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.                    

*Comments:*                         You may submit comments [identified by Docket Number NHTSA-2010-0145] by any of the following methods:                    
      -  Federal eRulemaking Portal:                          Go to                          http://www.regulations.gov . Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.                    
      -  Fax:                          1-202-493-2251.                    
      -  Mail:                          Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.                    
      -  Hand Delivery:                          West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.                    

You may call Docket Management at 202-366-9826.

*Instructions:*                         For detailed instructions on submitting comments, see the Procedural Matters section of this document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to                         *http://www.regulations.gov*, including any personal information provided.                    

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        Bob Sivinski, Statistician, Evaluation Division, NVS-431, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room W53-312, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-2570. E-mail:                         *robert.sivinski@dot.gov*.                    

*For information about NHTSA's evaluations of the effectiveness of existing regulations and programs:*                         You may see a list of published evaluation reports at                         *http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/​cats/​listpublications.aspx?​Id=​226&​ShowBy=​Category*                         and if you click on any report you will be able to view it in PDF format.                    

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Safety Standard 213 (49 CFR 571.213) establishes standards for child restraint systems, including booster seats, manufactured for use in motor vehicles as well as aircraft. This report uses CDS data from 1998-2008 and 17 combined years of State data from Kansas, Washington and Nebraska to estimate the effects of early graduation from child restraint seats to booster seats and of early graduation from booster seats to lap and shoulder belts. Estimates are computed by double-pair comparison, a method uniquely suited to address the confounding variables which may bias results and are difficult or impossible to account for with other statistical methods.

The principal findings are that among 3-4-year-olds there is evidence of increased risk of injury when restrained in booster seats rather than the recommended child restraint seats. This effect may be more pronounced in the 3-year-olds. Among 4-8-year-olds there is strong evidence of increased risk of injury when restrained by lap and shoulder belts rather than the recommended booster seats. The magnitude of this effect is estimated at a 14% increase in risk of any type of injury, but may vary depending on data source and injury severity.

*Procedural Matters:*

## How can I influence NHTSA's thinking on this subject?

NHTSA welcomes public review of the technical report. NHTSA will submit to the Docket a response to the comments and, if appropriate, will supplement or revise the report.

## How do I prepare and submit comments?

Your comments must be written and in English. To ensure that your comments are correctly filed in the Docket, please include the Docket number of this document (NHTSA-2010-0145) in your comments.

Your primary comments must not be more than 15 pages long (49 CFR 553.21). However, you may attach additional documents to your primary comments. There is no limit on the length of the attachments.

                    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union,                     *etc.*). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the                     **Federal Register**                     published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477) or you may visit                     *http://www.regulations.gov*.                

                    Please send two paper copies of your comments to Docket Management, fax them, or use the Federal eRulemaking Portal. The mailing address is U. S. Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, M-30, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. The fax number is 1-202-493-2251. To use the Federal eRulemaking Portal, go to                     *http://www.regulations.gov*                     and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.                

                    We also request, but do not require you to send a copy to Bob Sivinski, Statistician, Evaluation Division, NVS-431, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room W53-440, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590 (or e-mail them to                     *robert.sivinski@dot.gov*). He can check if your comments have been received at the Docket and he can expedite their review by NHTSA.                

## How can I be sure that my comments were received?

If you wish Docket Management to notify you upon its receipt of your comments, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope containing your comments. Upon receiving your comments, Docket Management will return the postcard by mail.

## How do I submit confidential business information?

If you wish to submit any information under a claim of confidentiality, send three copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim to be confidential business information, to the Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover letter supplying the information specified in our confidential business information regulation (49 CFR part 512).

In addition, send two copies from which you have deleted the claimed confidential business information to U. S. Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, M-30, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, or submit them via the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

## Will the agency consider late comments?

                    In our response, we will consider all comments that Docket Management receives before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above under                     **DATES**                    . To the extent possible, we will also consider comments that Docket Management receives after that date.                

                    Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will continue to file relevant information in the                           ( print page 68666)                        Docket as it becomes available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly, we recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new material.                

## How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

                    You may read the materials placed in the docket for this document (                    *e.g.,*                     the comments submitted in response to this document by other interested persons) at any time by going to                     *http://www.regulations.gov.*                     Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets. You may also read the materials at the Docket Management Facility by going to the street address given above under                     **ADDRESSES.**                     The Docket Management Facility is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.                

Authority:49 U.S.C. 30111, 30168; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

James F. Simons,

Director, Office of Regulatory Analysis and Evaluation.

[FR Doc. 2010-28112 Filed 11-5-10; 8:45 am]

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