NHTSA seeks comment on seatback safety, launches $9.5M speeding prevention campaign
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update and improve seatback safety standards.
The notice continues to lay the groundwork for advancing vehicle safety and reducing occupant injuries — especially in rear-end crashes, as controlled interaction of the occupant with the seatback is the primary countermeasure to injury in those incidents, NHTSA said in a Thursday news release.
NHTSA seeks public comment under the ANPRM on a variety of topics to determine what upgrades, if any, are needed to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 207, “Seating systems,” and potentially FMVSS No. 202a, “Head restraints,” with an emphasis on occupant protection in rear impacts.
Among its considerations in the ANPRM, the agency seeks comment on seatback strength requirements, performance test parameters, and various seat characteristics considered for regulation to improve rear impact protection as well as relevant incident data.
The ANPRM fulfills a requirement in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports the Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, according to NHTSA.
“This action today is a significant step toward improving and better understanding occupant safety, especially in rear-end vehicle crashes,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman, in the release. “NHTSA welcomes and encourages all public comments, which will help inform a potential rulemaking to update seatback safety standards.”
FMVSS No. 207 establishes requirements for seats, seat attachment assemblies, and their installation in passenger cars, multi-purpose passenger vehicles, trucks designed to carry at least one person, and buses.
The standard sets minimum requirements for seatback strength and associated restraining devices and adjusters and outlines a test procedure.
FMVSS No. 202a specifies requirements for head restraints to reduce the frequency and severity of neck injuries in rear-end and other crashes.
Earlier this week, NHTSA launched a speeding prevention campaign called “Speeding Catches Up With You” to remind drivers to slow down.
The campaign runs today through July 31 and is supported by a $9.5 million national media buy featuring English- and Spanish-language ads for TV, radio, and digital platforms.
NHTSA also released data showing that while the number of fatalities in speeding-related crashes fell slightly in 2022, speeding was still a contributing factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities for the year.
In 2022, 12,151 people died, and an estimated 300,595 were injured in speeding-related crashes, which was a 3% and a 9% decrease compared to 2021.
“Speeding accounts for nearly a third of all fatalities on our roads,” Shulman said. “While speeding may seem like the quick and easy option to make up some time when you’re running late, it puts you, your loved ones, and everyone else on the road in danger. This summer, and all year round, NHTSA urges drivers to slow down so everyone can arrive safely at their destination.”
NHTSA also reminds the public that speeding happens — and is dangerous — on all roads, not just highways. In 2022, 87% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities occurred on non-interstate roads, according to NHTSA.
Safer speeds are a key objective of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy.
Earlier this year, the department published its 2024 Progress Report, a departmental update two years after the release of the original NRSS on Jan. 27, 2022.
The department-wide adoption of the safe system approach remains the foundation of the NRSS implementation and is pivotal to addressing the fatality crisis on U.S. roads, NHTSA said.
For more information, visit NHTSA.gov/Speeding.
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