The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 205, Glazing Materials, so that it will conform with a global glazing standard. Changes to the standard include modernizing the test procedures for tempered glass, laminated glass and glass-plastic glazing used in front and rear windshields and side windows.
The agency contends that these changes would be an improvement over the current FMVSS No. 205, such as an upgraded fragmentation test designed to better test curved tempered glass, and a new procedure for testing an optical property of the windshield at the angle of installation to better reflect real-world driving conditions. Glazing intended for aftermarket replacements would need to meet the revised FMVSS No. 205, except glazing produced for vehicles manufactured prior to November 1, 2006. In that case, the manufacturer has the option of complying with the previous standards, FMVSS No. 205(a).
For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.