NHTSA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in accordance with The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21) directs NHTSA to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant crash protection," to require a seat belt use warning system for rear seats. Pursuant to this mandate and following on an earlier Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, NHTSA is proposing to require a seat belt warning system for the rear seats of passenger cars, trucks, most buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less. This document also proposes to enhance the existing front seat belt warning requirements, including requiring a seat belt warning for the front outboard passenger seat and increasing the duration of the warning.
Agency Contact: Hisham Mohamed, Office of Crash Avoidance Standards 202-366-0307. Comments must be received on or before Nov. 6, 2023.
PUBLISHED: 9/7/23; ACTION: NPRM; REFERENCE: 88 FR 61674; REFERENCE: 49 CFR Part 571.208.