Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) is a group of technical regulations that define minimum requirements for components and assemblies in motor vehicles. The standard applies to the USA and thus represents the counterpart to the ECE regulations , which are valid in Europe. For Canada mostly analogous regulations, so-called CMVSS, which are derived from the FMVSS, apply. However, they are not always or not in all details congruent (list see under web links).
For the sake of clarity, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard , like the ECE regulations , is divided into different sections, so-called safety regulation numbers . The individual sections contain the regulations on a wide variety of topics. There are not only sections for the larger component complexes, but also those that regulate their interaction.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which received the legislative mandate in the United States Code , Title 49, Chapter 301 (Motor Vehicle Safety), is responsible for creating these safety regulations .
The first FMVSS regulation, FMVSS 209, was issued on March 1st, 1967 and is still valid today. It describes the minimum requirements that the seat belts of passenger cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses must meet.
Examples are:
- FMVSS 105 Requirements for hydraulic and electrical service brake systems and parking brakes
- FMVSS 108 lights, reflective devices and related equipment
- FMVSS 120 Selection of tires and rims for vehicles other than passenger cars
- FMVSS 121 air brake systems
- FMVSS 201 head impact
- FMVSS 208 frontal impact test
- FMVSS 214 Side pole impact
- FMVSS 216 roof stiffness