Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant Crash Protection
fmvss · National Highway Traffic Safety Administration · Published 2013-11-25 · Effective 2016-11-28 · 78 FR 70416
Document
Document number
2013-28211
Federal Register citation
78 FR 70416
CFR reference
49 CFR 571
Type
Rule
Action
Final rule.
Category
fmvss
Sub-agency
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Publication date
2013-11-25
Effective date
2016-11-28
DOT docket
Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0121
Abstract
Completing the first initiative of NHTSA's 2007 "NHTSA's Approach to Motorcoach Safety" plan and one of the principal undertakings of DOT's 2009 Motorcoach Safety Action Plan, and fulfilling a statutory mandate of the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2012, incorporated into the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, this final rule amends the Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) on occupant crash protection to require lap/shoulder seat belts for each passenger seating position in all new over-the-road buses, and in new buses other than over-the-road buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 11,793 kilograms (kg) (26,000 pounds (lb), with certain exclusions. By requiring the passenger lap/ shoulder seat belts, this final rule significantly reduces the risk of fatality and serious injury in frontal crashes and the risk of occupant ejection in rollovers, thus considerably enhancing the safety of these vehicles.