Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Antilock Brake Systems for Light Vehicles |
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Topics: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
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Barry Felrice
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
March 8, 1994
[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-5189] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: March 8, 1994] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 49 CFR Part 571 [Docket No. 93-94; Notice 2] RIN 2127-AE47 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Antilock Brake Systems for Light Vehicles AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT. ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking; notice to extend comment period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In response to a petition submitted by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, this notice extends the comment period for an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that seeks comments about the need to require antilock brake systems on passenger cars and other light vehicles. NHTSA believes that commenters need more time to formulate their responses given the complexity of the issues and the agency's delay in docketing the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). Accordingly, the agency has decided to extend the comment period from March 7, 1994 to April 6, 1994. DATES: Comments on the advance notice of proposed rulemaking, Docket 93-94, Notice 1, must be received on or before April 6, 1994. ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to Docket No. 93-94, Notice 1 and be submitted to: Docket Section, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590. Docket hours are 9:30 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. George Soodoo, Office of Rulemaking, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 (202-366-5892). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 4, 1994, NHTSA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register (59 FR 281). The notice requested comments regarding the braking performance of passenger cars and other light vehicles and the need to require antilock brake systems (ABS) on these vehicles. The ANPRM posed questions about the desirability of a requirement that light vehicles be equipped with ABS, including questions about such a requirement's anticipated safety benefits, potential regulatory approaches and anticipated performance requirements and test procedures, the requirement's applicability, its schedule for implementation, and the anticipated costs. The notice specified that comments had to be submitted on or before March 7, 1994. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) petitioned the agency to extend the comment period an additional 30 days. Advocates stated that they needed additional time to respond to the rulemaking in a timely manner since the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) had yet to be submitted to the public docket when it contacted the agency in late January. After reviewing the petition, NHTSA agrees with the petitioner that extending the comment closing date is desirable, given that a variety of complex issues are raised in the notice addressing whether the agency should propose to require that light vehicles be equipped with antilock brake systems. In addition, the agency believes that the petitioner and other commenters need more time to review the PEA since many questions in the ANPRM address the costs and benefits of this rulemaking. An extension of the comment period will allow the petitioner and other commenters more time to better address the issues raised in the ANPRM. Based on the above considerations, the agency concludes that there is good cause to extend the comment period an additional 30 days and that this decision is consistent with the public interest. Accordingly, the agency has decided to extend the comment period until April 6, 1993. Issued on: March 2, 1994. Barry Felrice, Associate Administrator for Rulemaking. [FR Doc. 94-5189 Filed 3-7-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-59-M