Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) Information

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are the Federal government's regulations that must be observed for any motor vehicle used for transportation on U.S. roads and highways. Since 1968, when the original standards became effective by law, NHTSA has had the responsibility of developing new standards and regulations or amending old standards as the need arises. These standards and regulations are also published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), CFR, Title 49, Part 571 through 594. Much of this information can also be accessed through the Code of Federal Regulations on the World Wide Web.