Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems; Extension of Comment Period

Heidi R. King
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
28 February 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 28, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8647-8648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04063]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 571

[Docket No. NHTSA-2018-0009]


Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles With Automated Driving 
Systems; Extension of Comment Period

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

ACTION: Request for comment; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: In response to a request, NHTSA is extending the comment 
period on the Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles with Automated 
Driving Systems Request for Comment (RFC) to March 20, 2018. The RFC 
was published in the Federal Register on January 18, 2018. The comment 
period for the RFC was originally scheduled to end on March 5, 2018.

DATES: The comment period for the request for comment published January 
18, 2018, at 83 FR 2607, is extended. Written comments must be received 
on or before March 20, 2018 in order to be considered timely.

ADDRESSES: Comments must refer to the docket number above and be 
submitted by one of the following methods:
    [ssquf] Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    [ssquf] Mail: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
    [ssquf] Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern 
time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    [ssquf] Fax: 202-493-2251.

[[Page 8648]]

    Regardless of how you submit your comments, you must include the 
docket number identified in the heading of this notice.
    Note that all comments received, including any personal information 
provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please see the ``Privacy Act'' heading below.
    You may call the Docket Management Facility at 202-366-9324.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the street 
address listed above. We will continue to file relevant information in 
the Docket as it becomes available.
    Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits 
comments from the public to better inform its decision-making process. 
DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal 
information the commenter provides, to http://www.regulations.gov, as 
described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can 
be reviewed at https://www.transportation.gov/privacy. Anyone can 
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.).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For research issues, Ellen Lee, Human 
Injury Research Division, Office of Vehicle Safety Research, telephone: 
202-366-1435, email: Ellen.Lee@dot.gov;
    For rulemaking issues, David Hines, Director, Office of Crash 
Avoidance Standards, telephone 202-366-1810, email David.Hines@dot.gov;
    For legal issues, Stephen Wood, Assistant Chief Counsel, Vehicle 
Rulemaking and Harmonization, Office of Chief Counsel, 202-366-2992, 
email Steve.Wood@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 18, 2018, NHTSA published a 
request for comment (RFC) (83 FR 2607) to identify regulatory barriers 
in the existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to the 
testing, compliance certification, and compliance verification of motor 
vehicles with Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) and certain 
unconventional interior designs. The RFC solicited public comments and 
stated that the closing date for comment is on March 5, 2018.
    On February 8, 2018, NHTSA received a request for a 15-day 
extension of the comment period from the Association of Global 
Automakers, Inc. and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. That 
request can be found in the docket for the RFC listed above under 
ADDRESSES. NHTSA has considered this request and believes that a 15-day 
extension beyond the original due date is acceptable to provide 
additional time for the public to comment on the RFC. This is to notify 
the public that NHTSA is extending the comment period on the RFC, and 
allowing it to run until March 20, 2018.
    NHTSA also notes that, on February 13, 2018, it published a notice 
of a public meeting on regulatory barriers to be held at the Department 
of Transportation headquarters in Washington, DC on March 6, 2018, from 
10 a.m. through 3:30 p.m., EST (83 FR 6148). NHTSA is holding this 
public meeting to present to the public a summary of the RFC and 
activities underway at NHTSA and across the industry to identify and 
remove barriers that might impede safe deployment of ADSs. The 
combination of the comment period extension and the public meeting will 
provide the public with even greater opportunities to learn about 
efforts to address regulatory barriers and to provide meaningful input 
through oral remarks or written comment.
    NHTSA will consider all comments received before the close of 
business on the comment closing date, and will also consider comments 
received after that date to the extent practicable. Instructions for 
submitting comments are described in the Public Participation section 
of the RFC (83 FR 2607, January 18, 2018).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 21, 2018 pursuant to 
authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.81 and 1.95.
Heidi R. King,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018-04063 Filed 2-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P