Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release

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This final rule delays until September 1, 1994, the effective date of the requirements in one section of a final rule issued November 2, 1992, which amended Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 217, Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release, to revise the minimum requirements for school bus emergency exits and improve access to school bus emergency doors. On March 24, 1994, NHTSA issued an interpretation of the term ``daylight opening'' used in the final rule. Subsequently, NHTSA has learned that several school bus manufacturers had misunderstood this term and as a result, will not have designed many of their buses with sufficient exits to comply with the new requirement by the May 2, 1994 effective date. Because NHTSA agrees that this term could have been misunderstood, NHTSA is allowing manufacturers to continue certifying their buses as having the exits required prior to the November 2, 1992 final rule until September 1, 1994. All other requirements of the November 2, 1992 final rule will continue to be effective on May 2, 1994.