UMTRI Project

Evaluation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Relative to Current and Emerging Technologies

Sponsor: Battelle Memorial Institute
Investigator: Kathleen DeSantis Klinich
01/01/2003 - 01/01/2013

<p>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has implemented a Regulatory Review Plan to systematically examine each of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), 49 CFR 571. Part of the plan includes an engineering assessment of new developments in technology that may influence the standards to determine if any changes have significantly altered the systems addressed by each standard, thereby necessitating its enhancement. For each regulation assessed, researchers gather information from published literature relevant to each standard. Industry experts are interviewed for their insights on new and emerging technologies. A report is prepared to summarize results and the possible implications of the developing technologies on the safety standard. Standards reviewed to date include FMVSS 201: Occupant Protection in Interior Impact, 202: Head Restraints, 207: Seating Systems, 210: Seatbelt Anchorages, 218: Motorcycle Helmets, 209: Seatbelt Assemblies, 213: Child Restraint Systems, 225: Child Restraint Anchorage Systems, 203: impact protection for the driver from the steering control system, and 204 steering control rearward displacement.<p/>