Interpretation ID: nht78-3.16

DATE: 11/09/78

FROM: AUTHOR UNAVAILABLE; Joan Claybrook; NHTSA

TO: Hon. Bob Wilson - H.O.R.

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: This is in response to your letter of October 17, 1978, concerning a telephone call from your constituent, Mr. Stefan Dagrowski, urging standardization of the type of release on seat belts.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection, issued March 10, 1971 (36FR4600), required that effective January 1, 1972, passenger car seat belt assemblies would be released at a single point by push button action. To that extent, the type of release on seat belts is standardized since our standards are primarily performance oriented, and the manufacturers are free to design however they wish to meet those performance requirements.

I hope this information is sufficient to satisfy Mr. Dagrowski's interest in standardized seat belt releases.

SINCERELY,

Congress of the United States House of Representatives

October 17, 1978

Dear Ms. Claybrook:

I recently received a telephone call from a constituent, Mr. Stefan Dagrowski, urging standardization of the type of release on seat belts.

Your advice and counsel as to anything currently underway in this regard, which I can pass along to Mr. Dagrowski, will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and kind regards.

Bob Wilson Member of Congress

Honorable Joan Claybrook National Highway Traffic Safety Administration