98-11796. Discretionary Grant To Support the Demonstration and Evaluation of Programs To Reduce the Incidence of Illegal Passing of School Buses

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25544-25561]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11796]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Discretionary Grant To Support the Demonstration and Evaluation 
of Programs To Reduce the Incidence of Illegal Passing of School Buses

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Announcement of discretionary grant agreement program to 
support the demonstration and evaluation of programs to reduce the 
incidence of illegal passing of school buses.

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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
announces a discretionary grant agreement program to support the 
demonstration and evaluation of programs to reduce the incidence of 
illegal passing of school buses.
    The goal of NHTSA's school bus safety program is to reduce school-
bus-related fatalities and injuries. While the number of fatalities and 
injuries related to school bus crashes has been consistently low for 
over a decade, the number of motorists illegally passing school buses 
is increasing, jeopardizing the safety record of school transportation. 
This cooperative agreement program will support development and 
implementation of community-based demonstration projects that have the 
potential to substantially reduce the incidence of illegal passing.
    NHTSA anticipates funding up to four demonstration projects for a 
minimum demonstration period encompassing one complete school year and 
a total period of performance of no more than 15 months.
    This notice solicits applications from public and private, non-
profit and for-profit organizations, state and local governments and 
their agencies. Interested applicants must submit an application 
package as further described in the Application Procedures section of 
this notice. The applications will be evaluated to determine the 
proposals that will receive funding under this announcement.

DATES: Applications must be received at the office designated below on 
or before 3 pm June 10, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Contracts and Procurement 
(NAD-30), ATTN: Rose Watson, 400 7th Street, SW., Room 5301, 
Washington, DC 20590. All applications submitted must include a 
reference to NHTSA Grant Agreement Program No. NTS-01-8-05130.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General administrative questions may 
be directed to Rose Watson, Office of Contracts and Procurement at 
[phone]. Programmatic questions relating to this grant agreement 
program should be directed to Diane Wigle, Safety Countermeasures 
Division, NHTSA, 400 7th Street, SW., (NTS-15), Washington, DC 20590, 
by e-mail at [e-mail], or by phone at [phone]. 
Interested applicants are advised that no separate application package 
exists beyond the contents of this announcement.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    An estimated 23 million students ride school buses twice daily 
every school day to go to and from school. Their safe travel is a top 
concern of Federal, State and local governments, school districts, 
school administrators, parents, and citizens. To ensure their safety, 
NHTSA established and currently enforces Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 
Standards governing the manufacture of buses to be used to transport 
school children. In addition, NHTSA's Guideline #17 establishes minimum 
recommendations for a pupil transportation safety program, including 
the identification, operation, and maintenance of buses used for 
carrying students; training of passengers, pedestrians, and bicycle 
riders; and administration.
    Even with school-bus-specific Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 
Standards and Guideline #17, some school bus safety problems persist. 
One such problem is the problem of motor vehicles illegally passing 
school buses stopped to load/unload students (also referred to as stop-
arm violations). Though it is illegal in every state to pass a school 
bus stopped to load or unload students, every state faces the problem 
of citizens disobeying the law.
    In October 1997 the National School Transportation Association 
conducted a survey of state school transportation directors. As part of 
that survey the directors were asked to identify the three biggest 
issues in their state for school transportation. The problem of illegal 
passing of school buses was reported as one of their top safety 
concerns.
    The School Transportation Management Section (STMS) of the Florida 
Department of Education recently documented the size of that state's 
illegal passing problem. It was determined through a study conducted by 
the University of South Florida for STMS that on one day in May, 1995, 
10,590 vehicles illegally passed stopped school buses in 58 of 
Florida's 67 school districts (approximtaly 11,150 school buses). 
During this same school year, two of Florida's public school children 
were killed by motorists illegally passing stopped school buses. 
However, the statewide citation totals for the illegal passing of 
stopped school buses accounted for only 13,178 of the over 17 million 
citations issued for all traffic violations in the state from 1988 to 
1992.
    A one-day study conducted September 24, 1996 revealed that 3,394 
Virginia motorists illegally passed a stopped school bus on that day. 
Of that total, 187 involved passing the bus on the side that students 
enter and exit. A total of 119 out of 131 school divisions in the state 
participated in the study. Though Virginia and Florida transport a 
similar number of students on a comparable number of school buses, 
Virginia school buses only travel half the miles Florida school buses 
travel in a year.
    The Evaluation Unit within the Division of Traffic Safety of the 
Illinois Department of Transportation conducted a probability-based 
sample survey of 250 school buses to arrive at an estimate of the total 
number of stop-arm violations of school buses in Illinois. Drivers of 
the 250 buses were asked to record stop-arm violations

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during a 41 school day time period. A total of 135 of the drivers 
completed and returned the survey. A total of 3,450 violations were 
reported by the school buses involved in the study. Based on the 
findings, the estimated number of stop-arm violations each school year 
in Illinois is over 1,900,000, a major traffic safety problem in 
Illinois.
    Due to the high number of incidents of illegal passing of school 
buses, the tremendous potential safety consequences of the violations 
and the results of the recent studies conducted on the subject, NHTSA 
proposes to support the development and implementation of four 
community-based programs to address the problem of illegal passing of 
stopped school buses. The results of these four community programs and 
those of a variety of other community programs aimed at reducing the 
number of incidents of illegal passing sites will be included in a 
manual NHTSA plans to produce in FY 2000.

Purpose

    This grant will support the development and implementation of up to 
four community-based public information and law enforcement programs 
designed to decrease the incidents of vehicles illegally passing school 
buses stopped to load/unload passengers.

Project eligibility

    Applications may be submitted by public and private, non-profit and 
for-profit organizations, and state and local governments and their 
agencies or a consortium of these groups. Thus, schools, research 
institutions, law enforcement agencies, community traffic safety and 
injury prevention programs, hospitals, other public and private (non-or 
not-for profit) organizations, and state and local governments are 
eligible to apply. Interested applicants are advised that no fee or 
profit will be allowed under this grant agreement program. Preference 
will be given to the proposals that contain pledges of financial 
commitments to the project from other sources.

Application Procedure

    Each applicant must submit one original signature and two copies of 
the grant application package to: Office of Contracts and Procurement, 
NAD-30, DOT/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ATTN: Rose 
Watson, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. One additional copy 
will facilitate the review process, but is not required. Applications 
must include a completed Application for Federal Assistance (standard 
form 424--revised 4-88).
    Only complete packages received at this address on or before 3 pm, 
June 10, 1998, will be considered. No facsimile transmissions will be 
accepted. Due to the large number of actions being processed, be 
certain that the project number is indicated on the envelope and the 
application. Please direct program related questions to Diane E. Wigle, 
[phone] and those related to grant application and 
administration nature to Rose Watson, [phone].

Application Contents

    Applicants must prepare a proposal that details the demonstration 
project they propose to conduct and the specific activities and costs 
for which demonstration grant funds are being requested.
    Applicants need to consult and gain commitment to the proposed 
project from the school system(s) and law enforcement agencies of the 
community in which the project is to be implemented. At a minimum, 
letters of commitment and support from the involved school system(s) 
and law enforcement agencies must be included in the proposal package. 
The minimum demonstration period should encompass one complete school 
year and the total period of performance no more than 15 months.
    The application (one original) and two copies shall consist of the 
following: A signed copy of OMB standard Form 424 (revised 4/88, 
including 424A and 424B) ``Application for Federal Assistance'' with 
the required information provided and the Certification Regarding 
Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters--Primary Covered 
Transactions, Certification Regarding Debarment Suspension, 
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions 
and Certification regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements: 
identification of any portions of the application for which the 
applicant seeks confidentiality (in accordance with 49 CFR part 512); 
the Program Narrative Statement; and address the following:
    A. In accordance with SF 424A, Budget Information, Sections A, B 
and C, a detailed budget estimate of all activities to be conducted 
with grant funding must be provided. Funding sources, other than the 
funds being provided through this grant, are encouraged. Since 
activities may be performed with a variety of financial resources, 
applicants need to fully identify all project costs and their funding 
sources in the proposed budget. The proposed budget must identify all 
funding sources in sufficient detail to demonstrate that the overall 
objectives of the demonstration will be met.
    B. Program Narrative Statement: Proposal must fully describe the 
scope of the demonstration project, detailing the activities and costs 
for which funding is being requested.
    1. Specific activities to implement a program to reduce the 
incidence of illegal passing of school buses for one complete school 
year and the total period of performance of no more than 15 months. 
This should include goals, objectives, and strategies. The proposed 
countermeasures must be devised from an analysis of the community 
problem of illegal passing of school buses, and the problem must be 
fully described in the proposal, including a demographic description of 
the community, e.g. size of school district, students transported by 
school buses, etc.
    2. The application should also include plans for the following:

--Specific education programs for the target group;
--Broad-based mass media Public Information and Education program 
support;
--Enhanced enforcement program, including waves of enforcement 
throughout the school year;
--Time schedules and milestones for each activity;
--Interaction between the grantee, local school system(s), and law 
enforcement organizations;
--The responsible agency or organization to conduct each activity;
--Source, type, and level of support.

    3. A description of what will be done specifically with the 
demonstration grant funds, along with the time schedules, milestones, 
and any product deliverables.
    4. An identified reporting schedule for quarterly and final reports 
to be submitted as a performance requirement of the awarded cooperative 
agreement. (See TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AWARD)
    5. An evaluation plan which describes how the grantee will evaluate 
the demonstration project. As a minimum the Evaluation Plan must 
contain:

--A description of the evaluation to be employed to assess the program 
and project activities and their effectiveness. Specify variables 
necessary to assess performance and/or impact for each objective.

Evaluation Criteria and Review Process

    Initially all application packages will be reviewed to ensure that 
they contain

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all of the items specified in the Application Contents section of this 
announcement. Each complete application will then be evaluated by a 
Technical Evaluation Committee within NHTSA. The committee will 
evaluate the proposals based on the following criteria presented in 
order of importance:

1. Goals, Objectives, and Workplan (35 Percent)

    The applicant's goals are clearly articulated and the objectives 
are time-phased, specific, measurable, and achievable. The proposal 
will achieve the desired outcome of reducing the incidence of motorists 
illegally passing school buses stopped to load/unload passengers. The 
proposal addresses what the applicant plans to develop and implement, 
how this will accomplished, activities that are appropriate to reach 
the target audience, and includes the major tasks and milestones 
necessary to complete the project.

2. Analysis of Community Problem (25)

    The proposed program countermeasures are devised from an analysis 
of the community problem of motorists illegally passing school buses 
stopped to load/unload students. This problem identification data must 
be presented in the submitted proposal. The applicant provides 
sufficient evidence of community cooperation and commitment to be able 
to successfully carry out the proposed project. Letters of commitment 
from the local school system(s) and law enforcement agencies are 
included in the application. Community demographics are detailed in the 
application.

3. Evaluation Plan (20 Percent)

    The proposal clearly describes the proposed evaluation design and 
the methods for measuring the outcomes of the project. The applicant 
provides sufficient evident of community cooperation and commitment to 
allow the plan to be implemented.

4. Staffing and Budget (20 Percent)

    The proposed staff are clearly described, appropriately assigned, 
and have adequate skills and experience to conduct the project. The 
applicant has the capacity and facilities to design, implement, and 
evaluate the proposed project. The proposal describes the project 
activities in sufficient detail to support the estimated budget; the 
budget is sufficient detailed to allow NHTSA to determine that the 
estimated coats are reasonable and necessary to perform the proposed 
efforts. Financial or in-kind commitment of resources by the applicant 
or other supporting organizations has been clearly identified.

Availability of Funds and Period of Support

    Approximately $170,000 has been allocated for this demonstration 
program. Subject to the availability of funds, award amounts may be 
approximately $40,000, depending on the type of demonstration proposed 
and the estimated resources required to accomplish the demonstration 
objectives. At the discretion of the government, funds may be obligated 
fully at the time of award of this grant or incrementally over the 
period of the grant. Nothing in this solicitation should be constructed 
as committing NHTSA to make any award.

Special Award Selection Factors

    While not a requirement of this announcement, applicants are 
strongly urged to seek funds from other Federal, state, local, and 
private sources to augment those available under this announcement. For 
those applicants that are evaluated as meritorious for consideration 
for award, preference may be given to those that have proposed cost-
sharing strategies and/or have other proposed funding sources in 
addition to those in this announcement.

Terms and Conditions of Award

    1. Prior to award, each grantee must comply with the certification 
requirements of 49 CFR part 20, Department of Transportation New 
Restrictions on Lobbying, and 49 CFR part 29, Department of 
Transportation Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-
procurement) and Government-wide Requirements for Drug Free Workplace 
(Grants).
    2. Reporting requirements and deliverables:
    A. Quarterly Performance Reports--Three copies of a letter-type 
report shall be submitted to the NHTSA office designated in the grant 
award document within 30 days or the end of the quarter being reported. 
This report shall briefly present information on the progress made in 
implementing, operating, and evaluating and demonstration, and shall 
contain information specified in 49 CFR 18.40, Monitoring and Reporting 
of Program Performance.
    B. Final Report--Three copies of a final report shall be submitted 
to the NHTSA office designated in the grant award document within 60 
days of project completion. The report must be submitted in a printed 
version and in a WorldPerfect 6.1 file on a standard 1.44 floppy 
diskette. The final report shall include the following information at a 
minimum:
    (a) A two-to-three page executive summary of the activities 
undertaken and the results achieved:
    (b) A detailed description of all activities conducted (during the 
period being reported) which impacted the demonstration:
    (c) An analysis and interpretation of those activities and an 
assessment of the results achieved:
    (d) A copy of all materials (print, audio, video, electronic, 
camera-ready material, etc.) created under the grant agreement. In 
addition all print materials must be provided in finished form and on 
computer diskette with complete printing instructions including all 
fonts used in the product: and
    (e) Recommendations for follow-on efforts.
    3. During the effective performance period of cooperative 
agreements awarded as a result of this announcement, the agreement as 
applicable to the grantee, shall be subject to the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration's General Provisions for Assistance 
Agreements, dated July 1995.

    Issued on: April 29, 1998.
James Nichols,
Acting Associate Administrator for Traffic Safety programs.

Appendix A--Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form 424 
(rev 4-88)

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[FR Doc. 98-11796 Filed 5-7-98; 8:45 am]
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