Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards – Background, Brief Overview of Important Standards and Applicability

• By: Staff Editor
• Date: August 07, 2010

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) are regulations requiring the minimum safety performance for motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment. FMVSS 209 was the first standard to become effective on March 1, 1967. A number of FMVSS became effective for vehicles manufactured on and after January 1, 1968.

The FVMSS are constantly updated. This article provides the background to these standards, brief overview of the most important standards and their applicability.