Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations — 201
instrument panel shall be a point on a transverse horizontal line through a point 130 mm (5 inches) horizontally forward of the seating reference point of the front outboard designated seating position, displaced vertically 19 mm (0.75 inches) or a distance equal to the rise in the seating reference point that results from a 130 mm (5 inch) forward adjustment of the seat; and (b) the impact shall be directed in a vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or in a plane normal to the surface at the point of contact. (3.2) Subsection (3) does not apply to (a) console assemblies; (b) areas less than 130 mm (5 inches) from the junction of the instrument panel and the inside of the side structure of the body; (c) areas closer to the junction of the windshield and the instrument panel than those areas that are capable of being contacted by the head form with the windshield in place; (d) areas outboard of all points on the line of contact of the head form with the instrument panel when the head form is moved along the inboard side of a vertical longitudinal plane tangent to the inboard edge of the steering wheel; or (e) areas below any point at which a vertical line is tangent to the rearmost surface of the instrument panel. (4) Subject to subsection (4.1), the seats of a vehicle shall be constructed so that the deceleration of a spherical head form with a weight of 6,8 kg (15 pounds) and a diameter of 165 mm (6.5 inches) does not exceed 80 g continuously for more than 3 ms when the area of a seatback that is within the head impact area is impacted, at a relative velocity of 24 km/h (15 miles per hour), in accordance with SAE Recommended Practice, “Motor Vehicle Seatback Assembly Laboratory Impact Test Procedure — Head Area — SAE J346” (June 1971) using the instrumentation whose performance is specified in SAE Recommended Practice, “Instrumentation For Impact Tests — SAE J211” (October 1988), except that (a) the origin of the line tangent to the uppermost component of the seatback frame shall be a point on a transverse horizontal line through the seating reference point of the appropriate rear outboard designated seating position, with adjustable forward seats in their rearmost design driving position and reclinable forward seatbacks in their normal design position; (b) the impact shall be directed in a vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or in a plane normal to the surface at the point of contact; (c) in the case of (i) a seat without head restraints, each test shall be performed (A) in respect of each individual split seatback or bucket seat seatback, between two points each situated 100 mm (4 inches) outboard of its centreline, and (B) in respect of each bench seat seatback, between two points each situated 100 mm (4 inches) outboard of the centreline of each outboard designated seating position, and (ii) a seat with head restraints, each test shall be conducted at a point on the centreline of each head restraint with the head restraint in place at its lowest adjusted position; and (d) in the case of a type of seat that is installed in more than one body style, tests conducted at the foremost and rearmost positions identified by the application of paragraph (a) shall be deemed to be conclusive for all intermediate positions. (4.1) Subsection (4) does not apply in respect of (a) seats installed in a school bus that complies with section 222 when tested in accordance with Motor Vehicle Safety Test Methods , section 222, “School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection” (December 19, 1983); (b) the rearmost seats; (c) side-facing seats; (d) back-to-back seats; (e) folding auxiliary jump seats; and (f) temporary seats. (5) Subject to subsection (7), every interior compartment door located in an instrument panel, console, seatback or side panel adjacent to an outboard designated seating position shall remain closed when (a) the interior compartment door latch system is tested by being