. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/USA/715 
2 de julio de 2012  
 (12-3509) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT) (732) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :    
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 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):  Glazing materials 
(HS 3207.20; ICS 43.020, 81.040) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Federal Motor Vehicle 
Safety Standards; Glaz ing Materials (45 pages,  in English).     
6. Description of content:  NHTSA is issuing this NPRM as part of the agency's on-going 
effort to harmonize vehicle safety standa rds under the Economic Commission for Europe 
1998 Agreement. Following a vote in favor of establishing a global technical regulation 
(GTR) on automotive glazing, we are initiating the process for considering adoption of the 
GTR. The changes proposed in this NPRM to th e Federal motor vehicle safety standard on 
glazing materials would better harmonize U.S. regulatory requi rements with those of other 
industrialized countries, by modernizing the test  procedures for temper ed glass, laminated 
glass, and glass-plasti c glazing used in front and rear  windshields and side windows.  
We believe that most of the changes in this proposal would constitute minor amendments that 
would harmonize differing meas urements and performance re quirements for similar test 
procedures. Many of the tests in the GTR are su bstantially similar to tests currently included 
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No . 205. We believe that the most significant 
improvements proposed in the GTR include an upgraded fr agmentation test de signed to better 
test the tempering of curved tempered glass, and a new procedure for testing an optical property of the windshield at the angle of inst allation, to better reflect real world driving 
conditions than the current procedure used in Standard No. 205. Comments are requested on 
whether these and the other provisions of the GTR are suited for adoption into the Federal 
glazing standard. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Consumer safety.  G/TBT/N/USA/715 
Page 2  
 
  8. Relevant documents:   77 Federal Register  (FR) 37477, 21 June 2012; Title 49 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR ) Part 571. Will appear in the Fe deral Register when adopted.   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   } To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:  20 August 2012 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, if available of the other body:    
Internet URLs: 
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ FR-2012-06-21/html/2012-14996.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-06-21/pdf/2012-14996.pdf