# Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213a; Child Restraint Systems-Side Impact Protection; Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213; Child Restraint Systems, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213b; Child Restraint Systems; Incorporation by Reference

**Action Urgency Score:** 30/100

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Agency | Transportation Department; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| Type | Final rule |
| Action | Final rule; grant of petitions for rulemaking and other amendments. |
| Published | 2026-09-09 |
| Effective | 2026-10-09 |
| Significant | No |
| CFR parts | 49 CFR 571 |
| Summary | This final rule amends the safety standards for child restraint systems (CRSs). NHTSA is amending Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 213a, "Child restraint systems--side impact protection," to exempt school bus CRSs from the standard's requirements as long as they meet specified labeling requirements; to delay the compliance date from June 30, 2025 to December 5, 2026; to amend the dummy selection requirements so that the Child Restraint Air Bag Interaction twelve-month-old test dummy (CRABI-12MO) will not be used to test forward-facing CRSs; and to amend positioning procedures  |
| Document number | 2026-18380 |

## Why this score
- Final rule.

Source: Federal Register API (Office of the Federal Register) (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/09/2026-18380/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standard-no-213a-child-restraint-systems-side-impact-protection-federal). Last refreshed: 2026-11-04T21:40:49.974Z.
Data from the Federal Register API; the published Federal Register document is authoritative. Informational only, not legal advice.