§30128 — Title 49 Transportation | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary must start making safety rules to cut down on vehicle rollovers and to reduce deaths and injuries from rollovers for vehicles that weigh 10,000 pounds or less. The Secretary must write specific rules with set deadlines: a rule with performance goals to lower rollovers using stability-enhancing technology (draft by October 1, 2006; final by April 1, 2009); a rule to reduce full and partial ejections from outboard seats, considering ejection-mitigation systems (final by October 1, 2009); an upgrade to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 206 on door locks and retention (finish within 30 months after this law was enacted); and a rule to improve roof strength under FMVSS No. 216 for driver and passenger sides, using realistic dynamic tests if appropriate (draft by December 31, 2005; final by July 1, 2008). If a deadline cannot be met, the Secretary must tell the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee why and set a new deadline.

Title 49, §30128

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall initiate rulemaking proceedings, for the purpose of establishing rules or standards that will reduce vehicle rollover crashes and mitigate deaths and injuries associated with such crashes for motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of not more than 10,000 pounds.

(b)One of the rulemaking proceedings initiated under subsection (a) shall be to establish performance criteria to reduce the occurrence of rollovers consistent with stability enhancing technologies. The Secretary shall issue a proposed rule in this proceeding by rule by October 1, 2006, and a final rule by April 1, 2009.

(c)(1)The Secretary shall also initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish performance standards to reduce complete and partial ejections of vehicle occupants from outboard seating positions. In formulating the standards the Secretary shall consider various ejection mitigation systems. The Secretary shall issue a final rule under this paragraph no later than October 1, 2009.

(2)The Secretary shall complete the rulemaking proceeding initiated to upgrade Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 206, relating to door locks and door retention, no later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this section.

(d)One of the rulemaking proceedings initiated under subsection (a) shall be to establish performance criteria to upgrade Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 216 relating to roof strength for driver and passenger sides. The Secretary may consider industry and independent dynamic tests that realistically duplicate the actual forces transmitted during a rollover crash. The Secretary shall issue a proposed rule by December 31, 2005, and a final rule by July 1, 2008.

(e)If the Secretary determines that the deadline for a final rule under this section cannot be met, the Secretary shall—

(1)notify the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and explain why that deadline cannot be met; and

(2)establish a new deadline.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 109–59, which was approved Aug. 10, 2005. Codification section 10301(a) of Pub. L. 109–59, which directed that this section be added at the end of subchapter II of chapter 301, without specifying the title to be amended, was executed by adding this section at the end of subchapter II of this chapter, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

§30128 Vehicle rollover prevention and crash mitigation

Summary

Title 49, §30128

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

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