Here’s a brief look at the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, enacted and enforce by the national Highway traffic Safety Administration, regarding vehicle flammability:
– FMVSS 301–Fuel system integrity: This sets limits on the amount of fuel spillage allowed from a vehicle in a 30 m.p.h. frontal impact, a 20 m.p.h. side impact and a 30 m.p.h. rear impact. No more than 1 ounce of fuel by weight may leave a vehicle from the start of the crash to the time the vehicle stops moving or 5 ounces for up to five minutes after movement has stopped.
A new standard, set to take effect next monthwould change the rear impact test from a flat rigid barrier to an offset crash at 50 m.p.h. and the side impact to 33.5 m.p.h.
– FMVSS 302–Flammability of interior materials: This specifies burn resistance requirements for material in a vehicle’s passenger compartment.
According to Diversified Testing Laboratories of Burlington, N.C., the material is placed in a draft-free cabinet with gas burner and a glass viewing panel when it is tested.
The regulation states all material used in the interior of the car may not burn more than four inches from the fire’s origin in one minute.
