G/TBT/N/USA/1666  
2 November 2020  
(20-7691) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT) [1694]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle com ments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Occupant 
crash protection, air bags; Quality (ICS 03.120), Mechanical testing (ICS 19.060), Crash 
protection and restraint systems (ICS 43.040.80)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Federal Motor 
Vehicle Safety Standards;  Occupant Crash Protection (14 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Notice of proposed rulemaking - NHTSA is proposing to amend 
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant crash protection," to 
update the child restraint sy stems (CRSs) listed in Appendix A -1 of the standard. NHTSA 
uses the CRSs in Appendix A -1 to test the performance of advanced air bag suppression 
and low risk deployment systems in either suppressing or deploying the air bag in a low -
risk manner in the pres ence of a CRS. The proposed amendments would ensure that the 
CRSs used by NHTSA to test advanced air bags are representative of the current CRS 
fleet, and would make it easier for vehicle manufacturers and test laboratories to acquire 
CRSs for testing purp oses.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety  
8. Relevant documents:   
85 Federal Register (FR) 68541, 29 October 2020; Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Parts 571 and 585:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-10-29/html/2020 -21476.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-10-29/pdf/2020 -21476.pdf  
This notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is identified by Docket Number NHTSA -2020-
0094. The Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2020-0094 and provides access to 
primary documents as well as comments received. Documents are also accessible from 
Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number. WTO Members and their stakeholders G/TBT/N/USA/1666  
 
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  are asked to submit comments to the USA TBT Enquiry Point . Comments received by the 
USA TBT Enqu iry Point from WTO Members and their stakeholders will be shared with the 
regulator and will also be submitted to the Docket  on Regulations.gov if received within 
the comment period.  
On 12 May 2000, NHTSA issued and published in the Federal Register (65 FR 30680, 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2000-05-12/html/00 -11577.htm  and 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2000-05-12/pdf/00 -11577.pdf ) the Advanced 
Air Bag Rule to redu ce the frequency and severity of air bag -related injuries to small 
adults and young children. The Docket Number for this rule is NHTSA -2000-7013.   The 
Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2000-7013 and provides access to 
primary and supporting documents as well as comments received. Documents are also 
accessible from Regulations.g ov by searching the Docket Number.    
An extension of the comment period published on 13 July 2005 at 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2005-07-13/html/05 -13760.htm  and 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2005-07-13/pdf/05 -13760.pdf  for a 19 May 
2005 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on "Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; 
Occupa nt Crash Protection" published at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2005-
05-19/html/05 -9924.htm  and https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2005-05-
19/pdf/05 -9924.pdf  was notified as G/TBT/N/USA/133 . The final rule; delay of compliance 
date was publish ed on 29 August 2006 at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -
2006-08-29/html/E6 -14256.htm  and https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2006-
08-29/pdf/E6 -14256.pdf , and notified as G/TBT/N/USA/133/Add.1  These regulatory 
actions are identified by Docket Number NHTSA -2005-21244. The Docket Folder is 
available on Regulations.gov at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2005-
21244  and provides access to primary documents as well as co mments received. 
Documents are also accessible from Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number.  
A notice of proposed rulemaking, "Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant 
Crash Protection " published 25 September 2007 at 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2007-09-25/html/E7 -18716.htm  and 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2007-09-25/pdf/E7 -18716.pdf  was notified as 
G/TBT/N/USA/301 .  The final rule, published 28 November 2008 at 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2008-11-28/html/E8 -28096.htm  and 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2008-11-28/pdf/E8 -28096.pdf , was notified as 
G/TBT/N/USA/301/Add.1  These actions are identif ied by Docket Numbers NHTSA -2007-
29083 and NHTSA -2007-28707. The Docket Folders are available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2007-29083  
and  https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2007-28707  and provide access to 
primary documents as well as comments received. Documents are also accessible from 
Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Numbers.  
A notice of proposed rulemaking, "Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant 
Crash Protection", published on 12 September 2008 at 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2008-09-12/html/E8 -21026.htm  and 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2008-09-12/pdf/E8 -21026.pdf  was notified as 
G/TBT/N/USA/416  and identified by Docket Number NHTSA -2008-0149. The Docket 
Folder is available on Regulations.gov at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -
2008-0149 and provides access to primary documents as well as comments received. 
Documents are also accessible from Regul ations.gov  by searching the Docket Number.  
A final rule published 12 November 2008 at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -
2008-11-12/html/E8 -26812.htm  and https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2008-
11-12/pdf/E8 -26812.pdf  notified as G/TBT/N/USA/416 /Add.1  is identified by Docket 
Number NHTSA -08-0168. The Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2008-0168 and provides access to 
prima ry documents as well as comments received. Documents are also accessible from 
Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number.  
A final rule; response to petitions for reconsideration was published on 8 February 2010 
at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2010-02-08/html/2010 -2610.htm  and 
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2010-02-08/pdf/2010 -2610.pdf , was notified 
as G/TBT/N/USA/416/Add.2  and is identified by Docket Number NHTSA -2009-0156. The G/TBT/N/USA/1666  
 
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  Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2009-0156 and pro vides access to 
primary documents as well as comments received. Documents are also accessible from 
Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number.    
A final rule published on 29 August 2011 at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2011-08-
29/html/2011 -21946.htm  and http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2011-08-29/pdf/2011 -
21946.pdf  and notified as G/TBT/N/USA/416/Add.3  is identified by Docket Number 
NHTSA -2008-0149. The Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA -2008-0149 and provides access to 
primary documents as well as comments received. Documents are also accessible from 
Regulations.gov  by searching the Docket Number.    
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  28 December 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/cr nattachments/2020/TBT/USA/20_6672_00_e.pdf