1.

Notifying Member: United States of America

If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):  

2.

Agency responsible: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT) [1141]

Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above: Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov

3.

Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:

4.

Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Anti-ejection glazing for bus portals. Road vehicle systems (ICS 43.040), Commercial vehicles (ICS 43.080)

5.

Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release, Anti-Ejection Glazing for Bus Portals (30 pages, in English).

6.

Description of content: This NPRM proposes a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 217a, "Anti-ejection glazing for bus portals," to drive the installation of advanced glazing in high-occupancy buses (generally, over-the-road buses (of any weight) and non-over-the-road buses with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 11,793 kilograms (26,000 pounds). The new standard would specify impactor testing of glazing material. In the tests, a 26 kilogram (57 pound) impactor would be propelled from inside a test vehicle toward the window glazing at 21.6 kilometers/hour (13.4 miles per hour). The impactor and impact speed would simulate the loading from an average size unrestrained adult male impacting a window on the opposite side of a large bus in a rollover. Performance requirements would apply to side and rear windows, and to glass panels and windows on the roof to mitigate partial and complete ejection of passengers from these windows and to ensure that emergency exits remain operable after a rollover crash. NHTSA also proposes to limit the protrusions of emergency exit latches into emergency exit openings of windows to ensure they do not unduly hinder emergency egress.

This NPRM is among the rulemakings issued pursuant to NHTSA's 2007 Approach to Motorcoach Safety and DOT's Departmental Motorcoach Safety Action Plan. In addition, to the extent warranted under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, establishing advanced glazing standards for the side and rear portals of the subject buses would fulfil a statutory provision of the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2012 (incorporated and passed as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act).

7.

Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: Protection of Human health or Safety

8.

Relevant documents: 81 Federal Register (FR) 27903, 6 May 2016; Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 571.  Will appear in the Federal Register when adopted.

9.

Proposed date of adoption: To be determined

Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined

10.

Final date for comments: 5 July 2016

11.

Texts available from: National enquiry point [  ] or address, telephone and fax numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:

https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2016/TBT/USA/16_1851_00_e.pdf