Document ID: NHTSA-2012-0078-0004
Agency: nhtsa
Document Type: Rule
Title: Make Inoperative Exemptions: Retrofit On-Off Switches for Air Bags
Posted Date: 2012-08-30T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 169 (Thursday, August 30, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52619-52623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21468]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 595

[Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0078]
RIN 2127-AL19

Make Inoperative Exemptions; Retrofit On-Off Switches for Air 
Bags

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

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA has a regulation that permits motor vehicle dealers and 
repair businesses to install retrofit on-off switches for air bags in 
vehicles owned by or used by persons whose request for a switch has 
been approved by the agency. This regulation is only available for 
motor vehicles manufactured before September 1, 2012. This document 
extends the availability of this regulation for three additional years, 
so that it applies to motor vehicles manufactured before September 1, 
2015.

DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective August 30, 2012. 
Petitions: Petitions for reconsideration must be received by October 
15, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Any petitions for reconsideration should refer to the docket 
number of this document and be submitted to: Administrator, National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Washington, 
DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For non-legal issues: Ms. Carla Rush, Office of Crashworthiness 
Standards, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 (telephone 202-366-1740, fax 
202-493-2739).
For legal issues: Mr. William Shakely, Office of the Chief Counsel, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590 (telephone 202-366-2992, fax 202-366-3820).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

I. Background
II. NPRM Summary
III. Discussion of Comments and Agency Decision
IV. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

I. Background \1\
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    \1\ For a more detailed discussion, see the June 8, 2012 Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking (77 FR 33998).
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    To prevent or mitigate the risk of injuries or fatalities in 
frontal crashes, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, 
``Occupant crash protection'' (49 CFR 571.208), requires that vehicles 
be equipped with seat belts and frontal air bags.
    In the 1990s, while air bags proved to be highly effective in 
reducing fatalities from frontal crashes, they were found to cause a 
small number of fatalities, especially to unrestrained, out-of-position 
children, in relatively low speed crashes.\2\ To address this problem, 
NHTSA developed a plan that included an array of immediate, interim and 
long-term measures. As one of the interim measures, on November 21, 
1997, NHTSA published in the Federal Register (62 FR 62406) a final 
rule permitting motor vehicle dealers and repair businesses to install 
retrofit on-off switches for frontal air bags in vehicles owned by or 
used by persons whose request for a switch had been approved by the 
agency (subpart B of 49 CFR Part 595). This rule provided a limited 
exemption from a statutory provision that generally prohibits motor 
vehicle dealers and repair businesses from making inoperative any part 
of a device or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle or 
motor vehicle equipment in compliance with an applicable FMVSS.\3\
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    \2\ See preamble to agency final rule on advanced air bags, 65 
FR 30680, 30682-83, May 12, 2000.
    \3\ The ``make inoperative'' provision is at 49 U.S.C. 30122.
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    Under the procedures set forth in the 1997 rule, vehicle owners can 
request a retrofit air bag on-off switch by completing an agency 
request form (Appendix B of Part 595) and submitting the form to the 
agency. Owners must certify that they have read the information 
brochure, in Appendix A of Part 595, discussing air bag safety and 
risks. The brochure describes the steps that the vast majority of 
people can take to minimize the risk of serious injuries from air bags 
while preserving the benefits of air bags, without going to the expense 
of buying an on-off switch. The agency developed the brochure to enable 
owners to determine whether they are, or a user of their vehicle is, in 
one of the groups of people at risk of a serious air bag injury and to 
make a careful, informed decision about requesting an on-off switch.\4\ 
Owners also must certify that they or another user of their vehicle is 
a member of one of the risk groups. Since the risk groups for drivers 
are different from those for passengers, a separate certification must 
be made on the request form for each frontal air bag to be equipped 
with a retrofit air bag on-off switch.
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    \4\ At NHTSA's request, an expert panel of physicians convened 
to formulate recommendations on specific medical indications for air 
bag deactivation. The panel concluded that air bags are effective 
lifesavers and that a medical condition does not warrant turning off 
an air bag unless the condition makes it impossible for a person to 
maintain an adequate distance from the air bag. Specifically, the 
panel recommended disconnecting an air bag if a safe sitting 
distance or position cannot be maintained by a: driver or front 
passenger because of scoliosis, osteoporosis/arthritis; driver 
because of achondroplasia; or passenger because of Down syndrome and 
atlantoaxial instability. The panel also warranted the disconnection 
of air bags if the need for wheelchair related modifications made it 
necessary or if there is a medical condition that requires an infant 
or child to be placed in the front passenger seat for monitoring 
purposes. (The Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine 
Department of Emergency Medicine and The National Crash Analysis 
Center, ``National Conference on Medical Indications for Air Bag 
Disconnection,'' July 16-18, 1997.)
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    If NHTSA approves a request, the agency will send the owner a 
letter authorizing the installation of one or more on-off switches in 
the owner's vehicle. The owner may give the authorization letter to a 
dealer or repair business, which may then install an on-off switch for 
the driver or passenger air bag or both, as approved by the agency. The 
retrofit air bag on-off switch must meet certain criteria, such as 
being equipped with a telltale light to alert vehicle occupants when an 
air bag has been turned off. The dealer or repair

[[Page 52620]]

business must then fill in information about itself and its 
installation in a form in the letter and return the form to the agency.
    On May 12, 2000, NHTSA published in the Federal Register (65 FR 
30680) its final rule to require advanced frontal air bags. The rule 
required that future air bags be designed to reduce the risk of serious 
air bag-induced injuries compared to then-current air bags, 
particularly for small-statured women and young children; and provide 
improved frontal crash protection for all occupants, by means that 
include advanced air bag technology.
    In the preamble to the May 2000 advanced air bag final rule, the 
agency decided to continue the exemption procedures for retrofit air 
bag on-off switches for vehicles manufactured through August 31, 2012. 
This provided time to allow manufacturers to perfect the suppression 
and low-risk deployment systems for air bags in all of their vehicles. 
It also provided a number of years to verify the reliability of 
advanced air bags based on real-world experience.
    NHTSA also indicated in the advanced air bag final rule that there 
would be a need for deactivation of some sort (via on-off switch or 
permanently) for at-risk individuals who cannot be accommodated through 
sensors or other suppression technology (such as individuals with 
disabilities or certain medical conditions). The agency stated at that 
time that it believed such needs could be best accommodated through the 
authorization system for deactivation of air bags in current use by 
NHTSA (65 FR at 30722).
    In addition to the exemption provided by subpart B of Part 595, on 
February 27, 2001, NHTSA published a final rule in the Federal Register 
(66 FR 12638) providing a limited exemption from the make inoperative 
prohibition covering various provisions in a number of safety 
standards, to facilitate the mobility of persons with disabilities. 
This disability exemption, which is in subpart C of Part 595, permits 
the installation of air bag on-off switches or the permanent 
disconnection of air bags in certain, significantly more limited 
circumstances than provided for in subpart B of that part. However, 
unlike subpart B, prior agency approval is not required for an 
exemption under subpart C.

II. NPRM Summary

    On June 8, 2012, the agency published a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) to extend the availability of the existing regulation 
(Subpart B of 49 CFR part 595) that permits motor vehicle dealers and 
repair businesses to install retrofit on-off switches for air bags in 
vehicles owned by or used by persons whose request for a switch has 
been approved by the agency. The proposed extension was for three 
additional years, so that it would apply to motor vehicles manufactured 
before September 1, 2015 (77 FR 33998; Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0078).
    The NPRM stated that the agency plans to use the three-year 
extension to evaluate several aspects of the regulation. Specifically, 
the agency would evaluate the criteria for granting the retrofit on-off 
switches (at-risk groups) in light of the existence of advanced air bag 
technology and the retrofit switch brochures and forms that were 
included in Part 595. The agency would also consider other topics that 
have arisen over the years such as our continued use of prosecutorial 
discretion for circumstances not covered by Part 595 (e.g., the 
application of retrofit switches for emergency and law enforcement 
vehicles).
    The NPRM also explained that given the imminence of the September 
1, 2012 date, it would not be possible for the agency to complete the 
necessary evaluation and possible rulemaking before that time, and the 
extension would avoid any gap in the availability of the retrofit on-
off air bag switches while the agency considers further rulemaking that 
could permanently allow such switches in specified circumstances. The 
agency expects to be able to fully analyze the issues surrounding such 
a rulemaking within these three additional years.

III. Discussion of Comments and Agency Decision

    The comment period for the NPRM closed on July 9, 2012. The agency 
received two comments. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety 
(Advocates) supported the proposed extension.\5\ Advocates stated that 
although advances in air bag design and other vehicle safety systems 
have minimized the need for air bag on-off switches, the organization 
recognized a continuing need for on-off switches to accommodate certain 
at-risk individuals who could not be accommodated by current 
technologies, including individuals with disabilities or certain 
medical conditions, as well as younger passengers in child restraint 
systems in vehicles without rear seats. Advocates asserted that a 
three-year extension of the exemption procedures to allow timely review 
of the regulation by the agency will pose minimal risk and permit the 
regulation to be updated to reflect state-of-the-art safety technology.
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    \5\ Advocates Comment, Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0078-0002.
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    The National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA), an organization 
representing automobile and truck dealers, urged NHTSA to conduct a 
more expeditious evaluation of the air bag on-off exemption regulation 
than the three-year period proposed in the NPRM.\6\ NADA asserted that 
it should not take NHTSA long to conduct an analysis of the number and 
nature of switch installation and air bag deactivation requests 
received since the regulation was promulgated. NADA cited anecdotal 
evidence that information requests submitted to NADA by dealerships 
regarding the air bag on-off exemption have dropped to near zero. NADA 
asserted that this evidence indicated a drop in demand for retrofit on-
off switches and air bag deactivations consistent with the rate at 
which advanced air bags and switch-equipped two-passenger vehicles have 
penetrated the market.
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    \6\ NADA Comment, Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0078-0003.
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    The agency has considered NADA's comments urging a more expeditious 
evaluation period than the three year period proposed in the NPRM. 
However, the agency declines to adopt NADA's suggestion. NADA's 
reasoning is that a review of the number and nature of requests for 
exemptions should not take long, asserting that the organization's 
anecdotal evidence indicates a drop in demand for such exemptions.
    First, the agency would like to emphasize that the demand for 
retrofit switches is certainly a factor that the agency will consider 
as we evaluate subpart B of part 595, but it is not the only factor the 
agency will be examining. We will also reexamine the at-risk groups in 
light of advanced air bag technology, the brochures and forms included 
in Part 595, and the need for the continued use of prosecutorial 
discretion for circumstances not covered by Part 595, among other 
things. Accordingly, the time needed to examine the demand for retrofit 
on-off switches does not reflect the total time needed to evaluate the 
issue.
    Additionally, as explained in the NPRM, the three-year extension 
period is intended not only to provide the agency time to evaluate this 
issue, but to potentially conduct rulemaking to update subpart B. 
Finally, NADA did not describe any benefits that would result from a 
shorter extension period or any consequences associated with the three-
year period proposed in the

[[Page 52621]]

NPRM. Therefore, for the reasons expressed in the NPRM, this final rule 
adopts the three-year extension period proposed in the NPRM and amends 
Subpart B of 49 CFR Part 595 to extend the availability of retrofit on-
off switches for air bags so that it will apply to motor vehicles 
manufactured before September 1, 2015.

IV. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices

A. Executive Order (E.O.) 12866, E.O. 13563, and DOT Regulatory 
Policies and Procedures

    NHTSA has considered the impact of this rulemaking action under 
Executive Orders 12866 and 13563, and the Department of 
Transportation's regulatory policies and procedures (44 FR 11034 (Feb. 
26, 1979)). This action was not reviewed by the Office of Management 
and Budget under these executive orders. It is not considered to be 
significant under the Department's regulatory policies and procedures.
    This document delays the sunset date of an existing exemption for 
retrofit on-off switches for frontal air bags. They are currently 
available, under specified circumstances, for vehicles manufactured 
before September 1, 2012. We are extending that date so that they will 
be available for vehicles manufactured before September 1, 2015.
    This final rule does not require a motor vehicle manufacturer, 
dealer or repair business to take any action or bear any costs except 
in instances in which a dealer or repair business agrees to install an 
on-off switch for an air bag. For consumers, the purchasing and 
installation of on-off switches is permissive, not prescriptive.
    When an eligible consumer obtains the agency's authorization for 
the installation of a retrofit on-off switch and a dealer or repair 
business agrees to install the switch, there will be costs associated 
with that action. The agency estimates that the installation of an on-
off switch would typically require less than one hour of shop time, at 
the average national labor rate of approximately $80 per hour. NHTSA 
estimates that the cost of an air bag on-off switch for one seating 
position is $51 to $84 and the cost of an on-off switch for two seating 
positions is $68 to $101. The agency estimates that approximately 500 
air bag on-off switch requests are received and authorized annually. 
However, we are uncertain about how many people actually pay to get 
them installed after we authorize it. Given the relatively low number 
of vehicle owners who will ultimately get the retrofit air bag on-off 
switches installed and the above estimated costs, the annual net 
economic impact of the actions taken under this final rule will not 
exceed $100 million per year.
    Moreover, given the above, the fact that this has been a 
longstanding exemption available for consumers and since the agency is 
merely extending the availability of this exemption for an additional 
three years of vehicle production, the impacts are so minimal that a 
full regulatory evaluation is not needed.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., 
as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act 
(SBREFA) of 1996), whenever an agency is required to publish a notice 
of proposed rulemaking or final rule, it must prepare and make 
available for public comment a regulatory flexibility analysis that 
describes the effect of the rule on small entities (i.e., small 
businesses, small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions). 
The Small Business Administration's regulations at 13 CFR part 121 
define a small business, in part, as a business entity ``which operates 
primarily within the United States.'' (13 CFR 121.105(a)). No 
regulatory flexibility analysis is required if the head of an agency 
certifies the proposal will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. SBREFA amended the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act to require Federal agencies to provide a statement of 
the factual basis for certifying that a proposal will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
    I hereby certify that this final rule will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This final 
rule would merely extend the sunset provision in Subpart B of Part 595. 
No other changes are being made in this document. Small organizations 
and small governmental units will not be significantly affected since 
the potential cost impacts associated with this action will be 
insignificant.

C. Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    NHTSA has examined today's rule pursuant to Executive Order 13132 
(64 FR 43255, August 10, 1999) and concluded that no additional 
consultation with States, local governments or their representatives is 
mandated beyond the rulemaking process. The agency has concluded that 
the rulemaking does not have sufficient federalism implications to 
warrant consultation with State and local officials or the preparation 
of a federalism summary impact statement. The final rule does not have 
``substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between 
the national government and the States, or on the distribution of power 
and responsibilities among the various levels of government.'' Today's 
final rule does not impose any additional requirements. Instead, it 
delays the sunset date of an existing exemption for retrofit on-off 
switches for frontal air bags, thereby lessening burdens on the 
exempted entities.
    NHTSA rules can preempt in two ways. First, the National Traffic 
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act contains an express preemption provision: 
when a motor vehicle safety standard is in effect under this chapter, a 
State or a political subdivision of a State may prescribe or continue 
in effect a standard applicable to the same aspect of performance of a 
motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment only if the standard is 
identical to the standard prescribed under this chapter. 49 U.S.C. 
30103(b)(1). It is this statutory command by Congress that preempts any 
non-identical State legislative and administrative law addressing the 
same aspect of performance. This provision is not relevant to this 
final rule as this final rule does not involve the establishing, 
amending or revoking of a Federal motor vehicle safety standard. 
However, general principles of preemption law could apply so as to 
displace any conflicting state law or regulations. We are unaware of 
any State law or action that would prohibit the actions that this 
exemption would permit.
    This second way that NHTSA rules can preempt is dependent upon 
there being an actual conflict between a NHTSA regulation and the 
higher standard that would effectively be imposed on regulated entities 
if someone obtained a State common law tort judgment against a 
regulated entity, notwithstanding the regulated entity's compliance 
with the NHTSA regulation. Because most NHTSA standards established by 
an FMVSS are minimum standards, a State common law tort cause of action 
that seeks to impose a higher standard on regulated entities will 
generally not be preempted. However, if and when such a conflict does 
exist--for example, when the standard at issue is both a minimum and a 
maximum standard--the State common law tort cause of action is 
impliedly preempted. See Geier v. American Honda Motor Co., 529 U.S. 
861 (2000).
    Although this final rule does not establish, amend, or revoke an 
FMVSS,

[[Page 52622]]

NHTSA has considered, pursuant to Executive Orders 13132 and 12988, 
whether this final rule could or should preempt State common law causes 
of action. The agency's ability to announce its conclusion regarding 
the preemptive effect of one of its rules reduces the likelihood that 
preemption will be an issue in any subsequent tort litigation.
    To this end, the agency has examined the nature (e.g., the language 
and structure of the regulatory text) and objectives of today's final 
rule and finds that this final rule would increase flexibility for 
certain exempted entities. As such, NHTSA does not intend that this 
final rule would preempt state tort law that would effectively impose a 
higher standard on regulated entities than that would be established by 
today's rule. Establishment of a higher standard by means of State tort 
law would not conflict with the exemption. Without any conflict, there 
could not be any implied preemption of a State common law tort cause of 
action.

D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) requires Federal 
agencies to prepare a written assessment of the costs, benefits and 
other effects of proposed or final rules that include a Federal mandate 
likely to result in the expenditure by State, local or tribal 
governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of more than 
$100 million annually (adjusted annually for inflation, with base year 
of 1995). UMRA also requires an agency issuing a final rule subject to 
the Act to select the ``least costly, most cost-effective or least 
burdensome alternative that achieves the objectives of the rule.'' This 
final rule will not result in a Federal mandate that will likely result 
in the expenditure by State, local or tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or by the private sector, of more than $100 million annually 
(adjusted annually for inflation, with base year of 1995).

E. National Environmental Policy Act

    NHTSA has analyzed this final rule for the purposes of the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The agency has determined that implementation 
of this action will not have any significant impact on the quality of 
the human environment.

F. Executive Order 12778 (Civil Justice Reform)

    When promulgating a regulation, agencies are required under 
Executive Order 12988 to make every reasonable effort to ensure that 
the regulation, as appropriate: (1) Specifies in clear language the 
preemptive effect; (2) specifies in clear language the effect on 
existing Federal law or regulation, including all provisions repealed, 
circumscribed, displaced, impaired, or modified; (3) provides a clear 
legal standard for affected conduct rather than a general standard, 
while promoting simplification and burden reduction; (4) specifies in 
clear language the retroactive effect; (5) specifies whether 
administrative proceedings are to be required before parties may file 
suit in court; (6) explicitly or implicitly defines key terms; and (7) 
addresses other important issues affecting clarity and general 
draftsmanship of regulations.
    Pursuant to this Order, NHTSA notes as follows. The preemptive 
effect of this final rule is discussed above. NHTSA notes further that 
there is no requirement that individuals submit a petition for 
reconsideration or pursue other administrative proceeding before they 
may file suit in court.

G. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)

    Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information by a Federal agency unless 
the collection displays a valid OMB control number. Several of the 
conditions placed by this exemption from the make inoperative 
prohibition are considered to be information collection requirements as 
defined by the OMB in 5 CFR part 1320. Specifically, this exemption 
from the make inoperative prohibition for motor vehicle dealers and 
repair businesses is conditioned upon vehicle owners filling out and 
submitting a request form to the agency, obtaining an authorization 
letter from the agency and then presenting the letter to a dealer or 
repair business. The exemption is also conditioned upon the dealer or 
repair business filling in information about itself and the 
installation of the retrofit on-off switch in the form provided for 
that purpose in the authorization letter and then returning the form to 
NHTSA. These information collection requirements in Part 595 have been 
approved by OMB (OMB Control No. 2127-0588) through June 30, 2013, 
pursuant to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq). NHTSA will request an extension of this approval in a 
timely manner.

H. National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act

    Under the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 
(NTTAA) (Pub. L. 104-113), all Federal agencies and departments shall 
use technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary 
consensus standards bodies, using such technical standards as a means 
to carry out policy objectives or activities determined by the agencies 
and departments. Voluntary consensus standards are technical standards 
(e.g., materials specifications, test methods, sampling procedures, and 
business practices) that are developed or adopted by voluntary 
consensus standards bodies, such as the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). 
The NTTAA directs us to provide Congress, through OMB, explanations 
when we decide not to use available and applicable voluntary consensus 
standards. There are no voluntary consensus standards developed by 
voluntary consensus standards bodies pertaining to this rule.

I. Plain Language

    Executive Order 12866 requires each agency to write all rules in 
plain language. Application of the principles of plain language 
includes consideration of the following questions:
     Have we organized the material to suit the public's needs?
     Are the requirements in the rule clearly stated?
     Does the rule contain technical language or jargon that 
isn't clear?
     Would a different format (grouping and order of sections, 
use of headings, paragraphing) make the rule easier to understand?
     Would more (but shorter) sections be better?
     Could we improve clarity by adding tables, lists, or 
diagrams?
     What else could we do to make the rule easier to 
understand?
    NHTSA has considered these questions and attempted to use plain 
language in promulgating this final rule.

J. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN)

    The Department of Transportation assigns a regulation identifier 
number (RIN) to each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of 
Federal Regulations. The Regulatory Information Service Center 
publishes the Unified Agenda in April and October of each year. You may 
use the RIN contained in the heading at the beginning of this document 
to find this action in the Unified Agenda.

K. Privacy Act

    Petitions for reconsideration will be placed in the docket. Anyone 
is able to search the electronic form of all petitions received into 
any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the 
petition (or signing the

[[Page 52623]]

petition, 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 (Volume 65, Number 70; 
Pages 19477-78).

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 595

    Imports, Motor vehicle safety, Motor vehicles.

    In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA is amending 49 CFR part 
595 as follows:

PART 595--MAKE INOPERATIVE EXEMPTIONS

0
1. The authority citation for part 595 continues to read as follows:

     Authority:  49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115, 30117, 30122 and 
30166; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50.

0
2. Amend Sec.  595.5 by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:

Sec.  595.5  Requirements.

    (a) Beginning January 19, 1998, a dealer or motor vehicle repair 
business may modify a motor vehicle manufactured before September 1, 
2015, by installing an on-off switch that allows an occupant of the 
vehicle to turn off an air bag in that vehicle, subject to the 
conditions in paragraphs (b)(1) through (5) of this section.
* * * * *

    Issued on: August 24, 2012.
David L. Strickland,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-21468 Filed 8-29-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P