The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 210 (“Seat belt assembly anchorages”).
The amendment specifies a force application device (FAD) for use as a testing interface to transfer loads onto the seat belt anchorage system during compliance tests of anchorage strength.
NHTSA received comments on the NPRM that raised issues concerning the feasibility of the FAD proposal. NHTSA, after reviewing the comments, decided to propose in this SNPRM an alternative test procedure—one that would maintain the current FMVSS No. 210 body blocks and adopt procedures ensuring that the placement of the body blocks, at pre-load, is sufficiently specified.
Comments on this alternative strategy and other potential enhancements to the current body block test procedure must be received on or before May 1, 2015.