{"abstract":"This final rule amends the occupant protection Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSSs) to account for future vehicles that do not have the traditional manual controls associated with a human driver because they are equipped with Automated Driving Systems (ADS). This final rule makes clear that, despite their innovative designs, vehicles with ADS technology must continue to provide the same high levels of occupant protection that current passenger vehicles provide. The occupant protection standards are currently written for traditionally designed vehicles and use terms such as \"driver's seat\" and \"steering wheel,\" that are not meaningful to vehicle designs that, for example, lack a steering wheel or other driver controls. This final rule updates the standards in a manner that clarifies existing terminology while avoiding unnecessary terminology, and, in doing so, resolves ambiguities in applying the standards to ADS-equipped vehicles without traditional manual controls. In addition, this final rule amends the standards in a manner that maintains the existing regulatory text whenever possible, to make clear that this rule maintains the level of crash protection currently provided occupants in more traditionally designed vehicles. This final rule is limited to the crashworthiness standards to provide a unified set of regulatory text applicable to vehicles with and without ADS functionality.","action":"Final rule.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION","name":"Transportation Department","id":492,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/transportation-department","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/492","parent_id":null,"slug":"transportation-department"},{"raw_name":"National Highway Traffic Safety Administration","name":"National Highway Traffic Safety Administration","id":345,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-highway-traffic-safety-administration","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/345","parent_id":492,"slug":"national-highway-traffic-safety-administration"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2022/03/30/2022-05426.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":571,"title":49}],"citation":"87 FR 18560","comment_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NHTSA-2021-0003-0001","comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"Effective date: September 26, 2022. Optional early compliance (i.e., prior to the effective date) is permitted. Petitions for reconsideration must be received on or before May 16, 2022. The incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the rule was approved by the Director as of February 6, 2012.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0003"],"dockets":[{"supporting_documents":[],"agency_name":"NHTSA","documents":[{"comment_count":0,"comment_start_date":"2022-03-30","updated_at":"2024-11-06T21:21:35.769-05:00","comment_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NHTSA-2021-0003-0001","allow_late_comments":true,"id":"NHTSA-2021-0003-0001","comment_end_date":null,"regulations_dot_gov_open_for_comment":false}],"supporting_documents_count":0,"id":"NHTSA-2021-0003","title":"Occupant Protection for Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems, Final Rule"}],"document_number":"2022-05426","effective_on":"2022-09-26","end_page":18600,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"explanation":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2022/03/30/2022-05426.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/30/2022-05426/occupant-protection-for-vehicles-with-automated-driving-systems","images":{"ER30MR22.000":{"large":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER30MR22.000/ER30MR22.000_large.png","original_size":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER30MR22.000/ER30MR22.000_original_size.png"}},"images_metadata":{"ER30MR22.000":{"large":{"identifier":"ER30MR22.000","content_type":"image/png","size":39167,"width":823,"sha":"0b8748ebbf64a623cd1d52b97471e5ec","url":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER30MR22.000/ER30MR22.000_large.png","height":800},"original_size":{"identifier":"ER30MR22.000","content_type":"image/png","size":60861,"width":3886,"sha":"1fbc4239b1adcd6e1108696e97574d49","url":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER30MR22.000/ER30MR22.000_original_size.png","height":3779}}},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/2022-05426?publication_date=2022-03-30","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2022-03-30/2022-05426/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":41,"page_views":{"count":7482,"last_updated":"2026-04-04 12:15:04 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-03-30/pdf/2022-05426.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-05426.pdf?1648557913","publication_date":"2022-03-30","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2022/03/30/2022-05426.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"2127-AM06":{"issue":"202110","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2127-AM06/occupant-protection-for-automated-driving-systems","title":"Occupant Protection for Automated Driving Systems","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202110&RIN=2127-AM06&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Other Significant"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["2127-AM06"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"supporting_documents":[],"regulatory_plan":{"html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2127-AM06/occupant-protection-for-automated-driving-systems","title":"Occupant Protection for Automated Driving Systems"},"comments_count":0,"agency_id":"NHTSA","comments_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=50&so=DESC&sb=postedDate&po=0&dct=PS&D=NHTSA-2021-0003","supporting_documents_count":0,"docket_id":"NHTSA-2021-0003","document_id":"NHTSA-2021-0003-0001","regulation_id_number":"2127-AM06","title":"Occupant Protection for Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems, Final Rule","checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2024-11-08T00:00:12Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NHTSA-2021-0003-0001","significant":true,"signing_date":null,"start_page":18560,"subtype":null,"title":"Occupant Protection for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems","toc_doc":"Occupant Protection for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems","toc_subject":null,"topics":["Incorporation by reference","Motor vehicle safety","Motor vehicles"],"type":"Rule","volume":87}