Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are U.S. federal regulations specifying design, construction, performance, and durability requirements for motor vehicles and regulated Automobile safety-related components, systems, and design features. They are the U.S. counterpart to the UN Regulations developed by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations and recognized to varying degree by most countries except the United States. Canada has a system of analogous rules called the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), which overlap substantially but not completely in content and structure with the FMVSS. The FMVSS/CMVSS requirements differ significantly from the international UN requirements, so private import of vehicles not originally manufactured for the United States market is difficult or impossible.
FMVSS are currently codified at 49 CFR 571. FMVSS are developed and enforced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) pursuant to statutory authorization in the form of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, which is now codified at 49 U.S.C. ch. 301.
FMVSS are divided into three categories: crash avoidance (100-series), crashworthiness (200-series), and post-crash survivability (300-series). The first regulation, FMVSS No. 209, was adopted on 1 March 1967 and remains in force to date though its requirements have been periodically updated and made more stringent. It stipulates the requirements for seat belts in roadgoing vehicles.
Other FMVSS include:[1]
- FMVSS No. 101: Controls and displays
- FMVSS No. 102: Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect
- FMVSS No. 103: Windshield defrosting and defogging systems
- FMVSS No. 104: Windshield wiping and washing systems
- FMVSS No. 105: Hydraulic and electric brake systems
- FMVSS No. 106: Brake hoses
- FMVSS No. 108: Lamps,reflective device and associated equipment
- FMVSS No. 109: New pneumatic tires for passenger cars
- FMVSS No. 110: Tire selection and rims for passenger cars
- FMVSS No. 111: Rear view and side view mirrors
- FMVSS No. 113: Hood latch system
- FMVSS No. 114: Theft Protection
- FMVSS No. 116: Motor vehicle brake fluids
- FMVSS No. 117: Retreaded pneumatic tires
- FMVSS No. 118: Power-operated window, partition, and roof panel systems
- FMVSS No. 119: New pneumatic tires for vehicles other than passenger cars
- FMVSS No. 120: Tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars
- FMVSS No. 121: Air brake systems
- FMVSS No. 122: Motorcycle brake systems
- FMVSS No. 124: Accelerator control systems
- FMVSS No. 125: Warning devices
- FMVSS No. 126: Electronic stability control systems
- FMVSS No. 131: School bus pedestrian safety devices
- FMVSS No. 135: Light vehicle brake systems
- FMVSS No. 136: Electronic stability control systems on heavy vehicles
- FMVSS No. 138: Tire pressure monitoring systems
- FMVSS No. 201: Occupant protection in interior impact
- FMVSS No. 202: Head restraints for passenger vehicles
- FMVSS No. 203: Impact protection for the driver from the steering control system
- FMVSS No. 204: Steering control rearward displacement
- FMVSS No. 205: Glazing materials
- FMVSS No. 206: Door locks and door retention components
- FMVSS No. 207: Seating Systems
- FMVSS No. 208: Occupant crash protection
- FMVSS No. 209: Seat belt assemblies
- FMVSS No. 210: Seat belt anchorages
- FMVSS No. 212: Windshield mounting
- FMVSS No. 213: Child restraint systems
- FMVSS No. 214: Side impact protection
- FMVSS No. 215: Exterior protection
- FMVSS No. 216: Roof crush resistance
- FMVSS No. 217: Bus emergency exits and window retention and release.
- FMVSS No. 218: Motorcycle helmets
- FMVSS No. 219: Windshield zone intrusion
- FMVSS No. 220: School bus rollover protection
- FMVSS No. 221: School bus body joint strength
- FMVSS No. 222: School bus passenger seating and crash protection
- FMVSS No. 223: Rear impact guards
- FMVSS No. 224: Rear impact protection
- FMVSS No. 225: Child restraint anchorage systems
- FMVSS No. 226: Ejection Mitigation
- FMVSS No. 301: Fuel system integrity
- FMVSS No. 302: Flammability of interior materials
- FMVSS No. 303: Fuel system ingegrity of compressed natural gas vehicles
- FMVSS No. 304: Compressed natural gas fuel container integrity
- FMVSS No. 305: Electric-powered vehicles: Electrolyte spillage and electrical shock protection
- FMVSS No. 401: Interior trunk release
- FMVSS No. 403: Platform lift systems for motor vehicles
- FMVSS No. 404: Platform lift installation in motor vehicles
- FMVSS No. 500: Low-speed vehicles