Entertainer Buses Dodge Shoulder Belts for Side Seats – Exemptions Renewed?
Published Date: 10/7/2026
Notice
Summary
Thirteen motorcoach makers want to keep using lap-only seat belts on side-facing seats instead of the usual lap-and-shoulder belts. They say this keeps their vehicles just as safe and lets them keep selling these special entertainer buses. The government is asking for your thoughts by November 6, 2026, before deciding if the exemptions stay.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Lap-only belts may continue on entertainer buses
Thirteen entertainer-motorcoach manufacturers have asked to renew temporary exemptions that let them keep installing Type 1 seat belts (lap belt only) at side-facing seats instead of the Type 2 lap-and-shoulder belts required by FMVSS No. 208. The petitioners filed renewal requests on April 1, 2026 and, if NHTSA grants them, the exemption period would run from June 1, 2026 to June 1, 2028.
Exemptions limited to 2,500 vehicles per year
Under 49 CFR part 555, a manufacturer is eligible for an exemption on the basis claimed only if the exemption covers not more than 2,500 vehicles to be sold in the U.S. in any 12-month period, and an exemption may be granted for no more than two years (renewable).
Forward-facing seats still require lap-and-shoulder belts
The petitioners are asking only about side-facing seats; under FMVSS No. 208, forward-facing designated seating positions on motorcoaches must continue to have Type 2 lap-and-shoulder belts, and the petitions do not seek relief for forward-facing seats.
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