Last Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a proposed rulemaking addressing 5-point restraint systems for school buses. 

Regarding Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 213 a and b on child restraint systems (CRSs), the NHTSA and DOT proposed these amendments to its 2023 guidance on side impact standards:

• March 2025: NAPT Releases Statement on Seat Belts

  Exempt school bus CRSs from the side impact requirements as long as they meet specified labeling requirements in FMVSS No. 213a. This updates its 2023 rule for frontal impact requirements to permit more types of add-on CRSs specially designed exclusively for school bus use.

• Delay the compliance date from June 30, 2025, to December 5, 2026 to ‘‘prevent market disruption resulting in reduced availability of CRSs’’ and due to ‘‘limited availability of compliance lab sled time’’ needed for the development and certification of products. This was a resolution passed at the 17th NCST.

• Provide the child restraint air bag interaction 12-month-old test dummy not be used to test forward-facing CRSs for side impact requirements. The frontal update standard requires that forward-facing CRSs must have a minimum recommended child weight of 12 kg (26.5 lbs.). The dummy weighs 10 kg (22 lbs.), making it too small for CSR design.

• Amend the positioning procedures for that dummy to reflect that the dummy would no longer be tested with forward-facing CRSs.

• Exclude school bus CRSs from the requirements to provide attachments for connection to the vehicle’s child restraint anchorage system since school bus CRSs have a seat back mounting installation method necessary for school bus seats. This would also change certain labeling requirements to reflect how school bus child restraints are used.

The first two were noted in response to petitions from CRS manufacturers.

Comments on the new proposed rule are due by June 30 and can be submitted online via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, by mail, hand-delivery, or fax. While writing in, include Docket No. NHTSA–2025–0046.

FMVSS No. 213 is the original CRS standard, which was established in the 1970s. More on the hirstory and amendments since can be read on the document linked above.