Federal Register #2026-18380

Final Rule Amending Child Restraint System Safety Standards for School Bus Applications

This final rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of the Department of Transportation, amends safety standards for child restraint systems (CRSs), with a focus on school bus applications. - Government Buyer: - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation - Office of Crashworthiness Standards - OEMs and Vendors Mentioned: - Dorel Juvenile Group - Graco Children's Products - IMMI - BESI - Baby Trend - Babyark - Diono - Doona - KidsEmbrace - Peg Perego - DECA Consulting (consulting firm) - Products/Services Requested: - School Bus Child Restraint Systems (CRSs) - Exempt from side impact protection requirements in FMVSS No. 213a - Exempt from anchorage attachment requirements in FMVSS Nos. 213 and 213b - Must meet updated labeling requirements reflecting seat back mount or seat back and seat pan mount attachment - Unique or Notable Requirements: - Compliance date for FMVSS No. 213a delayed to December 5, 2026 - CRABI-12MO test dummy excluded from forward-facing CRS side impact testing - Updated positioning procedures for test dummies - Labeling requirements revised for school bus installation methods - Rule aims to ease compliance for small manufacturers while maintaining safety and competition - No specific product part numbers or quantities provided; focus is on regulatory exemptions and labeling updates for school bus CRSs.

Description

This final rule amends the safety standards for child restraint systems (CRSs). It exempts school bus CRSs from the side impact protection requirements as long as they meet specified labeling requirements. The compliance date for FMVSS No. 213a is delayed from June 30, 2025 to December 5, 2026. The rule also amends dummy selection requirements, excluding the CRABI-12MO dummy from testing forward-facing CRSs, and updates positioning procedures for that dummy. Additionally, FMVSS Nos. 213 and 213b are amended to exclude school bus CRSs from requirements to provide attachments for connection to the vehicle's child restraint anchorage system and to update labeling requirements accordingly.

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