Interpretation ID: nht71-1.5

DATE: MAY 28, 1971

FROM: AUTHOR UNAVAILABLE; Lawrence R. Schneider; NHTSA

TO: Boise Cascade Recreational Vehicles

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: This is in reply to your letter of May 14, 1971, on the subject of the effective date of the requirements for seat belts and seat belt anchorages in multipurpose passenger vehicles.

You have been correctly informed by RVI that the seat belt installation standard (No. 208), and the seat belt anchorage standard (No. 210) are effective July 1, 1971, with respect to trucks and multipurpose passenger vehicles. The amendment to Standard No. 208 issued September 30, 1970, required seat belts effective July 1, 1971. That standard will be superseded by the new occupant crash protection standard on January 1, 1972, but it is in full effect from July 1, 1971, to January 1, 1972. We regret any confusion that may have arisen as the result of the issuance of the occupant crash protection standard.

The requirements for seat belt anchorages have not been affected in any way by the occupant crash protection rule and it is therefore suprising to find that the effective date of the anchorage standard has also been misunderstood. We would hope that the changes in procurement schedule to which you refer would not result in inability to conform to the standard by July 1, 1971.

On the basis of the information presently available to us there does not appear to be sufficient cause to postpone the effective dates of Standards No. 208 and 210.