01-31116. Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Request for public comment on additional collection of information for an existing collection.

SUMMARY:

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections.

This document describes one collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before February 19, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

Comments must refer to the docket notice numbers cited at the beginning of this notice and be submitted to Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Please identify the proposed collection of information for which a comment is provided, by referencing its OMB clearance Number. It is requested, but not required, that 2 copies of the comment be provided. The Docket Section is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information, contact Roger Saul, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room 5320, NPS-11,Washington, DC 20590. Mr. Saul's telephone number is [phone]. Please identify the relevant collection of information by referring to its OMB Control Number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before an agency submits a proposed collection of information to OMB for approval, it must first publish a document in the Federal Register providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of information. The OMB has promulgated regulations describing what must be included in such a document. Under OMB's regulation (at 5CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must ask for public comment on the following:

(i) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(ii) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(iii) how to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

(iv) how to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses.

In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA asks for public comments on the following proposed collections of information:

Title: Consolidated Vehicle Owner's Manual Requirements for Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Equipment.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.

OMB Control Number: 2127-0541.

Affected Public: Individuals, Households, Business, other for-profit, Not-for-profit, Farms, Federal Government and State, Local or Tribal Government.

Abstract: 49 U.S.C. 30117 authorizes the Secretary to require that manufacturers provide technical information, as for example information directed for publication in a vehicle owner's manual, related to the performance and safety specified in the Federal motor vehicle safety standards for the purposes of educating the consumer and providing safeguards against improper use. Using this authority, the agency issued the following FMVSS and regulations, specifying that certain safety precautions regarding items of motor vehicle equipment appear in the vehicle owner's manual to aid the agency in achieving many of its safety goals.

FMVSS No. 108—Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment

This standard requires that certain lamps and reflective devices with certain performance levels be installed on motor vehicles to assure that the roadway is properly illuminated, that vehicles can be readily seen, and the signals can be transmitted to other drivers sharing the road, during day, night and inclement weather. Since the specific manner in which headlamp aim is to be performed is not regulated (only the performance of the device is), aiming devices manufactured or installed by different vehicle and headlamp manufacturers may work in significantly different ways. As a consequence, to assure that headlamps can be correctly aimed, instructions for proper use must be part of the vehicle as a label, or optionally, in the vehicle owner's manual.

FMVSS 110—Tire Selection and Rims

This standard specifies requirements for tire selection to prevent tire overloading. The vehicle's normal load and maximum load on the tire shall not be greater than applicable specified limits. The standard requires a permanently affixed vehicle placard specifying vehicle capacity weight, designated seating capacity, manufacturer recommended cold tire inflation pressure, and manufacturer's recommended tire size. The standard further specifies rim construction requirements, load limits of non-pneumatic spare tires, and labeling requirements for non-pneumatic spare tires, including a required placard. Owner's manual information is required for “Use of Spare Tire”. Revision of FMVSS 110 will require additional owner's manual information on the revised vehicle placard and tire information label, on revised tire labeling, and on tire safety and load limits and terminology.

FMVSS No. 205—Glazing Materials

This standard specifies requirement for all glazing material used in windshields, windows, and interior partitions of motor vehicles. Its purpose is to reduce the likelihood of lacerations and to minimize the possibility of occupants penetrating the windshield in a crash. More detailed information regarding the care and maintenance of such glazing items, as the glass-plastic windshield is required to be placed in the vehicle owner's manual.

FMVSS No. 208—Occupant Crash Protection

This standard specifies requirements for both active and passive occupant crash protection systems for passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and small buses. Certain safety features, such as air bags, or the care and maintenance of air bag systems, are required to be explained to the owner by means of the owner's manual. For example, the owner's manual must describe the vehicle's air bag system and provide precautionary information about the proper positioning of the occupants, including children. The owner's manual must also warn that no objects, such as shotguns carried in police cars, should be placed over or near the air bag covers.

FMVSS No. 210-Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages

This standard specifies requirements for seat belt assembly anchorages to ensure effective occupant restraint and to reduce the likelihood of failure in a crash. The standard requires that manufacturers place the following information in the vehicle owner's manual:

a. an explanation that child restraints are designed to be secured by means of the vehicle's seat belts, and,

b. a statement alerting vehicle owners that children are always safer in the rear seat.

FMVSS No. 213—Child Restraint Systems

This standard specifies requirements for child restraint systems and requires that manufacturers provide consumers with detailed information relating to child safety in air bag-equipped vehicles. The vehicle owner's manual must include information about the operation and do's and don'ts of built-in child seats.

Part 575 Section 103—Camper Loading

This standard requires that manufacturers of slide-in campers designed to fit into the cargo bed of pickup trucks affix a label to each camper that contains information relating to certification, identification and proper loading, and to provide more detailed loading information in the owner's manual of the truck.

Part 575 Section 105—Utility Vehicles

This regulation requires manufacturers of utility vehicles to alert drivers that the particular handling and maneuvering characteristics of utility vehicles require special driving practices when these vehicles are operated on paved roads. For example, the vehicle owner's manual is required to contain a discussion of vehicle design features that cause this type of vehicle to be more likely to roll over, and to include a discussion of driving practices that can reduce the risk of roll over. A statement is provided in the regulation that manufacturers shall include, in its entirety or equivalent form, in the vehicle owner's manual.

Estimated Annual Burden: 1,771 hours.

Number of Respondents: 25.

Issued on: December 12, 2001.

Stephen R. Kratzke,

Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.