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President's Executive Order

President Executive Order

[Federal Register: April 18, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 75)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Page 19215-19218]
From the Federal Register On-line via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ap97-146]

[[Page 19215]]

Part V

The President

Executive Order 13043--Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States
                        Presidential Documents

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 19217]]

                Executive Order 13043 of April 16, 1997

                Increasing Seat Belt Use in the United States

                By the authority vested in me as President by the
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of
                America, including the Highway Safety Act of 1966, 23
                U.S.C. 402 and 403, as amended, section 7902(c) of
                title 5, United States Code, and section 19 of the
                Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C.
                668, as amended, and in order to require that Federal
                employees use seat belts while on official business; to
                require that motor vehicle occupants use seat belts in
                national park areas and on Department of Defense
                (``Defense'') installations; to encourage Tribal
                Governments to adopt and enforce seat belt policies and
                programs for occupants of motor vehicles traveling on
                highways in Indian Country; and to encourage Federal
                contractors, subcontractors, and grantees to adopt and
                enforce on-the-job seat belt use policies and programs,
                it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policies. (a) Seat Belt Use by Federal
                Employees. Each Federal employee occupying any seating
                position of a motor vehicle on official business, whose
                seat is equipped with a seat belt, shall have the seat
                belt properly fastened at all times when the vehicle is
                in motion.

                    (b) Seat Belt Use in National Parks and on Defense
                Installations. Each operator and passenger occupying
                any seating position of a motor vehicle in a national
                park area or on a Defense installation, whose seat is
                equipped with a seat belt or child restraint system,
                shall have the seat belt or child restraint system
                properly fastened, as required by law, at all times
                when the vehicle is in motion.
                    (c) Seat Belt Use by Government Contractors,
                Subcontractors and Grantees. Each Federal agency, in
                contracts, subcontracts, and grants entered into after
                the date of this order, shall seek to encourage
                contractors, subcontractors, and grantees to adopt and
                enforce on-the-job seat belt policies and programs for
                their employees when operating company-owned, rented,
                or personally owned vehicles.
                    (d) Tribal Governments. Tribal Governments are
                encouraged to adopt and enforce seat belt policies and
                programs for occupants of motor vehicles traveling on
                highways in Indian Country that are subject to their
                jurisdiction.

                Sec. 2. Scope of Order. All agencies of the executive
                branch are directed to promulgate rules and take other
                appropriate measures within their existing programs to
                further the policies of this order. This includes, but
                is not limited to, conducting education, awareness, and
                other appropriate programs for Federal employees about
                the importance of wearing seat belts and the
                consequences of not wearing them. It also includes
                encouraging Federal contractors, subcontractors, and
                grantees to conduct such programs. In addition, the
                National Park Service and the Department of Defense are
                directed to initiate rulemaking to consider regulatory
                changes with respect to enhanced seat belt use
                requirements and standard (primary) enforcement of such
                requirements in national park areas and on Defense
                installations, consistent with the policies outlined in
                this order, and to widely publicize and actively
                enforce such regulations. The term ``agency'' as used
                in this order means an Executive department, as defined
                in 5 U.S.C. 101, or any employing unit or authority of
                the Federal Government, other than those of the
                legislative and judicial branches.

                Sec. 3. Coordination. The Secretary of Transportation
                shall provide leadership and guidance to the heads of
                executive branch agencies to assist them

[[Page 19218]]

                with the employee seat belt programs established
                pursuant to this order. The Secretary of Transportation
                shall also cooperate and consult with the legislative
                and judicial branches of the Government to encourage
                and help them to adopt seat belt use programs.

                Sec. 4. Reporting Requirements. The Secretary of
                Transportation, in cooperation with the heads of
                executive branch agencies, and after consultation with
                the judicial and legislative branches of Government,
                shall submit an annual report to the President. The
                report shall include seat belt use rates and statistics
                of crashes, injuries, and related costs involving
                Federal employees on official business and occupants of
                motor vehicles driven in national park areas, on
                Defense installations, and on highways in Indian
                Country. The report also shall identify specific agency
                programs that have made significant progress towards
                achieving the goals of this order or are notable and
                deserving of recognition. All agencies of the executive
                branch shall provide information to, and otherwise
                cooperate with, the Secretary of Transportation to
                assist with the preparation of the annual report.

                Sec. 5. Other Powers and Duties. Nothing in this order
                shall be construed to impair or alter the powers and
                duties of the heads of the various Federal agencies
                pursuant to the Highway Safety Act of 1966, 23 U.S.C.
                402 and 403, as amended, section 19 of the Occupational
                Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. 668, as
                amended, or sections 7901, 7902, and 7903 of title 5,
                United States Code, nor shall it be construed to affect
                any right, duty, or procedure under the National Labor
                Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.

                Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Executive Order 12566
                of September 26, 1986, is revoked. To the extent that
                this order is inconsistent with any provisions of any
                prior Executive order, this order shall control.

                    (b) If any provision of this order or application
                of any such provision is held to be invalid, the
                remainder of this order and other applications of such
                provision shall not be affected.
                    (c) Nothing in this order shall be construed to
                create a new cause of action against the United States,
                or to alter in any way the United States liability
                under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. 2671-2680.
                    (d) The Secretary of Defense shall implement the
                provisions of this order insofar as practicable for
                vehicles of the Department of Defense.
                    (e) The Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney
                General, consistent with their protective and law
                enforcement responsibilities, shall determine the
                extent to which the requirements of this order apply to
                the protective and law enforcement activities of their
                respective agencies.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                     April 16, 1997.

[FR Doc. 97-10331
Filed 4-17-97; 11:04 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P