By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Park Service (NPS) has issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for managing off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina. The DEIS Plan considers four alternatives for OHV management, along with a fifth alternative that would prohibit OHV activity altogether. The OHV management plans would range from continuing the current activities to designating specific routes and establishing permitting requirements. The NPS supports an alternative to designate specific OHV routes and areas, establish a permit program that would maintain OHV use at historical levels, phase-out high-performance sport model and two stroke ATVs and UTVs with seasonal use restrictions and establish seasonal night-driving restrictions.

Cape Lookout National Seashore is 56 miles long and forms the southern section of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The NPS OHV management plan for Cape Hatteras, to the north, has already been the subject of legal challenges as being overly restrictive. SEMA has supported efforts in Congress to enact legislation reversing a 2012 management plan banning access to about 39% of the Cape Hatteras seashore and restricting access to another 19% of the area. SEMA contends the legislation provides balanced safeguards for wildlife and responsible OHV activities. The legislation (HR 819; S. 486) is pending floor action by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Park Service (NPS) has issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for managing off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina. The DEIS Plan considers four alternatives for OHV management, along with a fifth alternative that would prohibit OHV activity altogether. The OHV management plans would range from continuing the current activities to designating specific routes and establishing permitting requirements. The NPS supports an alternative to designate specific OHV routes and areas, establish a permit program that would maintain OHV use at historical levels, phase-out high-performance sport model and two stroke ATVs and UTVs with seasonal use restrictions and establish seasonal night-driving restrictions.

Cape Lookout National Seashore is 56 miles long and forms the southern section of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The NPS OHV management plan for Cape Hatteras, to the north, has already been the subject of legal challenges as being overly restrictive. SEMA has supported efforts in Congress to enact legislation reversing a 2012 management plan banning access to about 39% of the Cape Hatteras seashore and restricting access to another 19% of the area. SEMA contends the legislation provides balanced safeguards for wildlife and responsible OHV activities. The legislation (HR 819; S. 486) is pending floor action by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As of August 2014, manufacturers must file recall reports and associated documents electronically to a website maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between July 28 and August 8, 2014, the NHTSA will offer 20 online training sessions to instruct manufacturer staff on the new system.
 
In 2002, the NHTSA established an “early-warning” system for reporting information to the agency that could provide clues to potential future safety problems. Most of the direct reporting requirements are limited to vehicle and tire manufacturers. Large-volume vehicle manufacturers (more than 5,000 vehicles annually), large-volume tire manufacturers (more than 15,000 tires of same size and design annually) and child-restraint system manufacturers must supply the NHTSA with early-warning information about injuries, property damage, consumer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and production data every calendar quarter. Equipment manufacturers are not required to supply early-warning materials, but reporting is triggered under two circumstances: 1) an incident or allegation involving a death; 2) the company issues recall notices, advisories or customer-satisfaction campaigns referencing a defect, failure or malfunction, whether or not such defect is safety-related. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As of August 2014, manufacturers must file recall reports and associated documents electronically to a website maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between July 28 and August 8, 2014, the NHTSA will offer 20 online training sessions to instruct manufacturer staff on the new system.
 
In 2002, the NHTSA established an “early-warning” system for reporting information to the agency that could provide clues to potential future safety problems. Most of the direct reporting requirements are limited to vehicle and tire manufacturers. Large-volume vehicle manufacturers (more than 5,000 vehicles annually), large-volume tire manufacturers (more than 15,000 tires of same size and design annually) and child-restraint system manufacturers must supply the NHTSA with early-warning information about injuries, property damage, consumer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and production data every calendar quarter. Equipment manufacturers are not required to supply early-warning materials, but reporting is triggered under two circumstances: 1) an incident or allegation involving a death; 2) the company issues recall notices, advisories or customer-satisfaction campaigns referencing a defect, failure or malfunction, whether or not such defect is safety-related. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As of August 2014, manufacturers must file recall reports and associated documents electronically to a website maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between July 28 and August 8, 2014, the NHTSA will offer 20 online training sessions to instruct manufacturer staff on the new system.
 
In 2002, the NHTSA established an “early-warning” system for reporting information to the agency that could provide clues to potential future safety problems. Most of the direct reporting requirements are limited to vehicle and tire manufacturers. Large-volume vehicle manufacturers (more than 5,000 vehicles annually), large-volume tire manufacturers (more than 15,000 tires of same size and design annually) and child-restraint system manufacturers must supply the NHTSA with early-warning information about injuries, property damage, consumer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and production data every calendar quarter. Equipment manufacturers are not required to supply early-warning materials, but reporting is triggered under two circumstances: 1) an incident or allegation involving a death; 2) the company issues recall notices, advisories or customer-satisfaction campaigns referencing a defect, failure or malfunction, whether or not such defect is safety-related. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

	Travel Planners offers valuable benefits—such as low-rate guarantees on rooms and lowered or waived resort fees—helping companies spend less time shopping for hotels and more time to prepare to meet customers, plan product displays and secure new business.

By SEMA Editors

Showgoers seeking to book hotel rooms for the 2014 SEMA Show will benefit from the services provided by the Travel Planners, the official SEMA Show housing partner. Travel Planners offers valuable benefits—such as low-rate guarantees on rooms and lowered or waived resort fees—helping companies spend less time shopping for hotels and more time to prepare to meet customers, plan product displays and secure new business.

Whether searching for hotels based on location from the event, low price, amenities or other personnel needs, the Travel Planners offer options services that help members book with confidence.

By visiting the SEMA Show Travel & Lodging page, travelers to Vegas during SEMA Show week can see rates, locations, and brief overview of more than 35 hotel properties. Once Showgoers find a suitable property for the week, booking can be done from the website. With its commitment to actively find rates that are the lowest, Travel Planners works with hotels for to secure the lowest rates and pass the savings on to Showgoers. 

For more information on the 2014 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com. 

	Travel Planners offers valuable benefits—such as low-rate guarantees on rooms and lowered or waived resort fees—helping companies spend less time shopping for hotels and more time to prepare to meet customers, plan product displays and secure new business.

By SEMA Editors

Showgoers seeking to book hotel rooms for the 2014 SEMA Show will benefit from the services provided by the Travel Planners, the official SEMA Show housing partner. Travel Planners offers valuable benefits—such as low-rate guarantees on rooms and lowered or waived resort fees—helping companies spend less time shopping for hotels and more time to prepare to meet customers, plan product displays and secure new business.

Whether searching for hotels based on location from the event, low price, amenities or other personnel needs, the Travel Planners offer options services that help members book with confidence.

By visiting the SEMA Show Travel & Lodging page, travelers to Vegas during SEMA Show week can see rates, locations, and brief overview of more than 35 hotel properties. Once Showgoers find a suitable property for the week, booking can be done from the website. With its commitment to actively find rates that are the lowest, Travel Planners works with hotels for to secure the lowest rates and pass the savings on to Showgoers. 

For more information on the 2014 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com. 

	Travel Planners offers valuable benefits—such as low-rate guarantees on rooms and lowered or waived resort fees—helping companies spend less time shopping for hotels and more time to prepare to meet customers, plan product displays and secure new business.

By SEMA Editors

Showgoers seeking to book hotel rooms for the 2014 SEMA Show will benefit from the services provided by the Travel Planners, the official SEMA Show housing partner. Travel Planners offers valuable benefits—such as low-rate guarantees on rooms and lowered or waived resort fees—helping companies spend less time shopping for hotels and more time to prepare to meet customers, plan product displays and secure new business.

Whether searching for hotels based on location from the event, low price, amenities or other personnel needs, the Travel Planners offer options services that help members book with confidence.

By visiting the SEMA Show Travel & Lodging page, travelers to Vegas during SEMA Show week can see rates, locations, and brief overview of more than 35 hotel properties. Once Showgoers find a suitable property for the week, booking can be done from the website. With its commitment to actively find rates that are the lowest, Travel Planners works with hotels for to secure the lowest rates and pass the savings on to Showgoers. 

For more information on the 2014 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com. 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The Vehicle Dynamics Program (VDP) assists SEMA-member companies in understanding how aftermarket vehicle modifications may interact with ESC systems and offers a testing program to evaluate specific products.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a technical report that evaluates the effectiveness of electronic stability control (ESC) systems in reducing crash-related fatalities involving light-duty vehicles weighing less than 10,000 lbs. The report updates statistics previously analyzed in 2004, 2007 and 2011.

According to the NHTSA, ESC systems have helped reduce fatal rollovers by 60% in cars and 74% in light trucks, and fatal single-vehicle crashes by 31% in cars and 45% in light trucks. For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

ESC systems assist the driver by triggering computer-controlled braking of individual wheels when it is senses that there is a loss of vehicle control. In 2007, the NHTSA issued Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to mandate installation of ESC systems on all new light-duty vehicles by 2011. SEMA secured a one-year aftermarket exemption, until 2012, whereby it was illegal to take a vehicle out-of-compliance with FMVSS No. 126 when the vehicle was modified. SEMA and its Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) and Wheel and Tire Council (WTC) have joined with technology partners Mechanical Simulation, dSPACE, ACEC, Link Engineering and Clemson University to create the Vehicle Dynamics Program (VDP).

The VDP assists SEMA-member companies in understanding how aftermarket vehicle modifications (suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, steering, etc.) may interact with ESC systems and offers a testing program to evaluate specific products. Efforts range from physical testing to Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation and virtual vehicle dynamics analysis and simulation. The program provides a combination of approaches customized to meet individual company goals.

Learn more and take advantage of this program. For details, contact John Waraniak at johnw@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The Vehicle Dynamics Program (VDP) assists SEMA-member companies in understanding how aftermarket vehicle modifications may interact with ESC systems and offers a testing program to evaluate specific products.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published a technical report that evaluates the effectiveness of electronic stability control (ESC) systems in reducing crash-related fatalities involving light-duty vehicles weighing less than 10,000 lbs. The report updates statistics previously analyzed in 2004, 2007 and 2011.

According to the NHTSA, ESC systems have helped reduce fatal rollovers by 60% in cars and 74% in light trucks, and fatal single-vehicle crashes by 31% in cars and 45% in light trucks. For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

ESC systems assist the driver by triggering computer-controlled braking of individual wheels when it is senses that there is a loss of vehicle control. In 2007, the NHTSA issued Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to mandate installation of ESC systems on all new light-duty vehicles by 2011. SEMA secured a one-year aftermarket exemption, until 2012, whereby it was illegal to take a vehicle out-of-compliance with FMVSS No. 126 when the vehicle was modified. SEMA and its Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) and Wheel and Tire Council (WTC) have joined with technology partners Mechanical Simulation, dSPACE, ACEC, Link Engineering and Clemson University to create the Vehicle Dynamics Program (VDP).

The VDP assists SEMA-member companies in understanding how aftermarket vehicle modifications (suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, steering, etc.) may interact with ESC systems and offers a testing program to evaluate specific products. Efforts range from physical testing to Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation and virtual vehicle dynamics analysis and simulation. The program provides a combination of approaches customized to meet individual company goals.

Learn more and take advantage of this program. For details, contact John Waraniak at johnw@sema.org.