Evaluation of FMVSS No. 301, ``Fuel System Integrity,'' as Upgraded in 2005 to 2009

Evaluation of FMVSS No. 301, ``Fuel System Integrity,'' as Upgraded in 2005 to 2009

Topics: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

Evaluation of FMVSS No. 301, ``Fuel System Integrity,'' as Upgraded in 2005 to 2009

Terry Shelton
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
July 8, 2014

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38666-38668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15783]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2014-0079]

Evaluation of FMVSS No. 301, ``Fuel System Integrity,'' as
Upgraded in 2005 to 2009

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

ACTION: Request for comments on technical report.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces NHTSA's publication of a technical
report evaluating the upgraded FMVSS No. 301. The report's title is:
Evaluation of FMVSS No. 301, ``Fuel System Integrity,'' as Upgraded in
2005 to 2009.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than November 5, 2014.

ADDRESSES:
Report: The technical report is available on the Internet for
viewing in PDF format at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812038.pdf.
You may obtain a copy of the report free of charge by sending a self-
addressed mailing label to Jia-Ern Pai (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-2014-0079] by any of the following methods:
Internet: To submit comments electronically, go to the
U.S. Government regulations Web site at http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: Written comments may be faxed to 202-366-3189.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Management Facility, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: If you plan to submit written comments by
hand or courier, please do so at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC

[[Page 38667]]

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except
federal holidays.
You may call Docket Management at 1-800-647-5527.
Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and
additional information see the Comments heading of the Supplementary
Information section of this document. Note that all comments received
will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jia-Ern Pai, Mathematical
Statistician, Evaluation Division, NVS-431, National Center for
Statistics and Analysis, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, Room W53-440, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,
DC 20590. Telephone: 202-366-2570. Email: Jia-Ern.Pai@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA issued a final rule to upgrade FMVSS
No. 301, Fuel System Integrity, on December 1, 2003, to amend the prior
standards in rear and side impacts. By increasing the impact speeds and
using a moving deformable barrier, the amended test conditions are more
comparable with real-world crashes than the prior standards. The rear
impact upgrade phased in during model years 2007 to 2009, whereas the
new side impact test went into effect in model year 2005.
The analysis of the rear impact upgrade shows a statistically
significant reduction in post-crash fires ranging from 50 to 60
percent. In addition, the rear impact upgrade would reduce 35 percent
of the fatalities caused by rear impact fires. NHTSA believes that the
rear impact upgrade will save an estimated 23 lives per year, if all
vehicles meet the rear impact upgrade. However, the data do not
currently show that the side impact upgrade resulted in a statistically
significant reduction in side impact fires.
The statistical analysis does not show any significant affiliated
effect of the rear impact upgrade on frontal impact fires and first-
event-rollover fires. The statistical inference of the rear impact
upgrade should not apply to other crash modes.

Comments

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-2014-0079) 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.
Please submit one copy of your comments, including the attachments,
to Docket Management at the address given above under ADDRESSES.
Please note that pursuant to the Data Quality Act, in order for
substantive data to be relied upon and used by the agency, it must meet
the information quality standards set forth in the OMB and DOT Data
Quality Act guidelines. Accordingly, we encourage you to consult the
guidelines in preparing your comments. OMB's guidelines may be accessed
at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_reproducible. DOT's guidelines
may be accessed at http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/subject_areas/statistical_policy_and_research/data_quality_guidelines/index.html.
Privacy Act: 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 19477-78) or you may visit http://www.regulations.gov.

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. You may also periodically
access http://www.regulations.gov and enter the number for this docket
(NHTSA-2014-0079) to see if your comments are on line.

How do I submit confidential business information?

If you wish to submit any information under a claim of
confidentiality, you should submit three copies of your complete
submission, including the information you claim to be confidential
business information, to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. In
addition, you should submit a copy, from which you have deleted the
claimed confidential business information, to Docket Management at the
address given above under ADDRESSES. When you send a comment containing
information claimed to be confidential business information, you should
include a cover letter setting forth the information specified in our
confidential business information regulation. (49 CFR Part 512.)

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.

How can I read the comments submitted by other people?

You may read the comments received by Docket Management at the
address given above under ADDRESSES. The hours of the Docket are
indicated above in the same location.
You may also see the comments on the Internet. To read the comments
on the Internet, take the following steps:
(1) Go to the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at http://www.regulations.gov.
(2) FDMS provides two basic methods of searching to retrieve
dockets and docket materials that are available in the system: (a)
``Quick Search'' to search using a full-text search engine, or (b)
``Advanced Search,'' which displays various indexed fields such as the
docket name, docket identification number, phase of the action,
initiating office, date of issuance, document title, document
identification number, type of document, Federal Register reference,
CFR citation, etc. Each data field in the advanced search may be
searched independently or in combination with other fields, as desired.
Each search yields a simultaneous display of all available information
found in FDMS that is relevant to the requested subject or topic.
(3) You may download the comments. However, since the comments are
imaged documents, instead of word processing documents, the ``pdf''

[[Page 38668]]

versions of the documents are word searchable.
Please note that even after the comment closing date, we will
continue to file relevant information in the Docket as it becomes
available. Further, some people may submit late comments. Accordingly,
we recommend that you periodically check the Docket for new material.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30111, 30181-83 delegation of authority at
49 CFR 1.95 and 501.8.

Terry Shelton,
Associate Administrator for the National Center for Statistics and
Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2014-15783 Filed 7-7-14; 8:45 am]
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