School Buses Skip Side-Impact Tests: Dummy Shake-Up for Kid Seats
Published Date: 9/9/2026
Rule
Summary
This final rule amends the safety standards for child restraint systems (CRSs). NHTSA is amending Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 213a, "Child restraint systems--side impact protection," to exempt school bus CRSs from the standard's requirements as long as they meet specified labeling requirements; to delay the compliance date from June 30, 2025 to December 5, 2026; to amend the dummy selection requirements so that the Child Restraint Air Bag Interaction twelve-month-old test dummy (CRABI-12MO) will not be used to test forward-facing CRSs; and to amend positioning procedures for that dummy. The first two of these amendments are in response to petitions from CRS manufacturers. NHTSA is also amending FMVSS No. 213, "Child restraint systems" and FMVSS No. 213b, "Child restraint systems; Mandatory applicability beginning December 5, 2026," to exclude school bus CRSs from the requirements to provide attachments for connection to the vehicle's child restraint anchorage system and to change certain labeling requirements to reflect how school bus child restraints are used.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Delay of Side-Impact Compliance Deadline
If you make or sell child restraint systems (CRSs), the FMVSS No. 213a compliance date is delayed from June 30, 2025 to December 5, 2026. NHTSA estimates the delay produces about $2.65 million in consumer cost savings and is intended to give smaller manufacturers more time for testing and validation.
Remove CRABI-12MO From Forward-Facing Tests
NHTSA amended FMVSS No. 213a so the CRABI-12MO test dummy will not be used to test forward-facing CRSs, and positioning procedures for that dummy were updated. NHTSA estimates this reduces yearly testing costs by about $1.29 million.
School-Bus Child Seats Exempt From Side-Impact
School-bus child restraint systems (CRSs) are exempted from the FMVSS No. 213a side-impact requirements as of the rule effective date, provided they meet specified labeling requirements. The rule aims to let school-bus CRS manufacturers continue producing products used by Head Start and similar programs and to reflect that school-bus CRSs attach via a seat back mount.
No Lower-Anchorage Requirement For School-Bus CRSs
FMVSS Nos. 213 and 213b are amended so school-bus CRSs do not have to provide lower anchorage attachments intended for vehicle child restraint anchorage systems; labels must instead allow a 'seat back mount' or 'seat back and seat pan mount' as applicable. NHTSA says this avoids unnecessary hardware for products designed only for school-bus seats.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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