The report presents a history of the development of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 121: Air Brake Systems. That standard specified air brake system performance requirements for trucks, buses, and trailers. FMVSS 121 was issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in February 1971. FMVSS 121 has been a very controversial standard with much of the controversy surrounding the use of antilock devices (computerized modules) to meet the requirements of the standard. These antilock devices were designed to sense the impending skidding of a wheel during braking. The devices would then modulate the pressure to the brake to prevent the skidding. This controversy led to litigation and final ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1978. The report is a presentation of the facts of how the standard was developed and implemented. It does not analyze the issues nor does it include an evaluation of the technical aspects of the standard. The purpose of this report is to provide a factual account of the rulemaking activities of this standard. This case history will be used as a part of a subsequent safety effectiveness evaluation of the NHTSA rulemaking process which will be published in 1979.


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    Title :

    Safety Effectiveness Evaluation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Rulemaking Process. Volume 1. Case History of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 121: Air Brake Systems


    Publication date :

    1979


    Size :

    58 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English