Inside This Issue...

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has published an overview of the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI) program over the past six years titled "Saving Lives Through Advanced Vehicle Safety Technology: Intelligent Vehicle Initiative Report." IVI was authorized in 1998 as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Its mission is to prevent highway crashes and their resulting fatalities and injuries, with objectives to prevent driver distraction and facilitate deployment of crash avoidance systems. Research conducted under IVI has led to the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems, Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance Systems, and Vehicle Infrastructure Integration. To view the final report, visit DOT's Web site.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a pair of rules that will clarify and update its vehicle On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) program and its evaporative emissions regulations. The clarifications will allow manufacturers to choose one OBD systems to satisfy federal and California requirements. OBD systems detect excess emissions and vehicle repair needs and provide drivers with an early warning light for these situations. EPA has also finalized amendments to its evaporative emissions regulations. These regulations explain the testing process for motor vehicle manufacturers to obtain emissions cortication under the Clean Air Act. The amendments will streamline the emissions test procedures and will harmonize EPA and California's emissions test procedures. The amendments will also allow manufactures and EPA to use more advanced testing equipment for four-wheel and all-wheel driver vehicles. This action also revises Vehicle Emission Control Information label requirements so that label information is up to date and more useful. For more information on the OBD program or the emissions program, see EPA's Web site.

Boston University Medical Center researchers are seeking caregivers who live in central and eastern Massachusetts to participate in a new study that examines the issue of driving and dementia. Researchers will look at new educational information and education group sessions developed to help caregivers make decisions regarding their loved one's ability to drive. Caregivers will receive either a four-week educational series on the topic, or written materials and a one-time educational seminar. Study participants will also participate in two, two-hour interviews and two brief follow-up phone calls. The study will be held at local community centers and other locations. For more information, contact Boston University's Jennifer Hunter at (617) 414-1188 or Stacey Carruth at (617) 414-1187.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on the safety standard for lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment. Due to safety initiatives and technological advances in vehicle lighting, amendments to the regulatory text have left the standard unnecessarily complicated. The rulemaking proposes to amend the standard so that it is more straightforward and includes the agency's interpretation of the existing requirements. The proposal would not impose new substantive requirements on manufacturers. Comments are due no later than March 30, 2006. You may submit comments identified by the DOT Docket Number NHTSA-2005-22093 by any of the following methods: Web site: http://dms.dot.gov, Fax: (202) 493-2251, or Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 7th Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

The latest edition of Transport Canada's annual publication, Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics, shows that fatalities decreased in 2004, even though there were a record number of drivers and vehicles on the road. Injuries also decreased by 4.5 percent over 2003. Since 1980, road traffic deaths in Canada have declined by almost 50 percent. Transport Canada continues to make progress with Road Safety Vision 2010, which aims to raise awareness of road safety issues, toughen enforcement, and improve collaboration among safety agencies. Established in 1996 and renewed in 2001, the national plan calls for a 30 percent decrease by 2010 in the number of people killed or seriously injured compared to the 1996-2001 period. For more statistics, see Transport Canada's Web site.

Please take a few minutes to share information with your fellow jurisdictions. Virginia seeks information on Fees for DL Renewal and Maryland seeks information on Driver Examination – Translated Signage. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password. Thank you.

 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is seeking public input on the quality, timeliness and comprehensiveness of its annual data collections concerning motor vehicle registration and licensed driver information obtained from the states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. FHWA will use the comments to determine if it should change the information collected. Options for these data programs include investigating alternative sources of data, developing enhanced software to process the date more efficiently, and maintaining the status quo. Comments are due on or before March 7, 2006. Mail or hand deliver comments for the docket number FHWA-05-22706 to Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, or submit electronically at http://dms.dot.gov/submit, or fax comments to (202) 493-2251. Alternatively, comments may be submitted to the federal rulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov.

The Clean Vehicle Air Foundation (CVEF) has launched a public awareness campaign to remind natural gas vehicle (NGV) owners to have their compressed natural gas fuel storage cylinders periodically checked by qualified inspectors. The campaign targets fleet managers and automotive service technicians in the transit, refuse, school district, utility and government sectors where use of NGVs is most prevalent. U.S. Department of Transportation regulations require all vehicular CNG cylinders to have a notice stating that “this container should be visually inspected after a motor vehicle accident or fire and at least every 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first, for damage or deterioration.” However, despite this notice, only a small percentage of CNG cylinders in service today have undergone a qualified inspection. The public awareness campaign includes e-mail notices to known NGV fleet operators, automotive service organizations and state motor vehicle agencies as well as public service announcements in trade magazines and postings to fleet-oriented Web sites. For more information about the Natural Gas Vehicle Cylinder Safety, Training and Inspection Program, and/or to apply for an inspection training and certification testing scholarship, see CVEF's Web site.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report that discusses the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) education and outreach programs. In addition to exploring how these programs relate to FMCSA's goals, the report reviews FMCSA's evaluation of its own programs and discusses the effectiveness of the programs. For the full report, see GAO's Web site. 

The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) has released the results of the annual Fiscal Survey of the States. According to the report, state revenues have improved and only six states needed to make mid-year budget cuts during the last year. In addition, NASBO reports that states' budget balances returned to normal, but states remain financially cautious. For the full report, see NASBO's Web site.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has published a new status report on its Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP). The report describes the progress of the program, which is a cooperative research effort sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and administered by TRB. It was authorized in late 2001 and began in 2002. For the full report, see TRB's Web site.